Creative Director IV - Experiential

Creative Director IV | EY1JP00002898

Creative Director -

Start: October / November

Duration: 6+ months with possible extension

Must be based out to New York City, Chicago, or Philadelphia

Some travel required

Working primarily remotely but able to travel to an EY office as needed and able to travel periodically for events. Preferred locations are NYC, Chicago, and Philadelphia.

Candidates must be based out of one of these locations below, near one of our client's offices:

- Locations: New York City, Chicago, Philadelphia.

Candidates in this role will have to report onsite to their local office on their first day and should be open to a possible hybrid work schedule in the future.

Creative Director with a strong background in experiential events to lead our team in the concepting and development of marketing ideas for large signature events, brand activations, and custom campaigns. This role is ideal for someone passionate about storytelling and bringing narratives to life in live B2B client environments.

As the Creative Director, you will set and implement the creative strategy and vision, provide high-level design solutions for our client-colleagues and client-facing teams, confidently pitch to senior client executives and stakeholders, and lead meetings that inspire creative team members to deliver new and innovative solutions. Apply a big picture thinking to consider every aspect of the attendee experience, to create and shape designs that result in a cohesive and impactful event experience that resonate with our audience:

• Experience with large scale, immersive events is required.
• Experiential experience is required.
• Demonstrated experience of applying strategic creative thinking to previous projects.
• Strong branding, brand strategy, and applying brand principles experience
• Must be a strong, polished communicator, interacting with executive level folks, leading a team
• Understanding of technical ability to lead the team, 6-10 report to, responsible for delegating work and coaching through process
• Understanding of B2B landscape is important

Key Responsibilities:

• Lead and develop creative ideas for experiential events, branded activations, and select sponsorships.
• Set and implement the creative strategy, direction, and vision for high-level projects and events, ensuring the maintenance of creative quality and consistency in our approach.
• Lead creative strategy sessions to develop the story and multifaceted concepts that align with core business objectives.
• Translate client objectives into clear strategies by crafting compelling messages, stories, and concepts for each event.
• Proactively pitch work with creative thinking, research and visual storytelling.
• Guide the team in creating forward-thinking creative strategies, briefs, and storyboards that align with current event trends.
• Facilitate creative brainstorming sessions, introducing innovative perspectives to continually elevate our brand and event experiences.
• Mentor and coach team members in their creative development.
• Collaborate with management team to identify, develop, and promote team skills and services.
• Drive creative quality and consistency across experiential event support.
• Look for new opportunities to drive innovation and bring new ways of thinking.

To qualify for the role, you must have

• Strong creative, digital and event portfolio demonstrating strategic ideas and visual storytelling across varying experiential touchpoints in a B2B environment
• Bachelor's degree in Graphic Design, Digital Design or related creative discipline or equivalent experience
• Eight-plus years of event experience as a Creative Director or experience as a CD in a full-service event agency
• Comprehensive knowledge in event and creative industry practices, digital trends, innovation and technology
• Advanced creative conceptual design skills with ability to critique colleagues' concepts
• Ability to concept and develop outstanding creative with the teams, sell it to clients, and adapt at every step along the way
• Strong experience pitching concepts/ big ideas clearly and strategic intent with the ability to simplify business complexities.
• Strong influencer, collaborator and consensus builder with excellent client relationship-building and teaming skills
• Experience mentoring and developing designers, in a virtual environment, in conceptual and presentation skills and providing critiques and constructive written feedback for growth and development
• Strong leadership skills with the ability to motivate and inspire a creative team, delegate and team effectively

• Passion for continuous learning, keeping current with design trends and effectively sharing knowledge

• Superb communication and presentation skills, active listening and diplomacy when working with team members and business partners
• Agility in a fast-paced environment while producing quality work in high-pressure situations
• Advanced knowledge with graphics software tools including Adobe Creative Suite/Workfront, proficiency in Microsoft Office including PowerPoint, Outlook and Teams working in both a PC and Mac environment
• Able to travel onsite to support events

The target hiring compensation range for this role is $60 to $67.11 an hour. Compensation is based on several factors including, but not limited to education, relevant work experience, relevant certifications, and location.

About Aquent Talent:

Aquent Talent connects the best talent in marketing, creative, and design with the world's biggest brands.

Our eligible talent get access to amazing benefits like subsidized health, vision, and dental plans, paid sick leave, and retirement plans with a match. We also offer free online training through Aquent Gymnasium. More information on our awesome benefits!

Aquent is an equal-opportunity employer. We evaluate qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, veteran status, and other legally protected characteristics. We're about creating an inclusive environment-one where different backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives are valued, and everyone can contribute, grow their careers, and thrive.

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