Creative Director Job at Merritt Group in Mc Lean

KEY SKILLS & ATTRIBUTES You are the creative heartbeat of Merritt Group, responsible for the vision, development, and execution of all branded materials, campaigns, and visual storytelling that move our clients’ businesses forward. You bring ideas to life that reflect Merritt Group’s identity and push it into new, modern, and memorable spaces.

As the lead of MG Studio, you balance strategy with creativity, leading the concepting and production of campaigns, brand systems, and marketing assets that support the agency’s marketing, programmatic, and development goals. You do not just oversee the creative; you shape it, challenge it, and elevate it.

You are deeply collaborative, working closely across departments to ensure creative thinking is infused in every aspect of our work. You take an active interest in what others are building, offering ideas, spotting opportunities, identifying potential pitfalls, and celebrating great work.

You lead with curiosity. You stay ahead of design, technology, and culture trends, and you constantly explore how storytelling, digital innovation, and visual strategy can drive influence and engagement for our clients.

You bring a strong foundation in design and communication, supported by a bachelor’s degree in graphic design, communications, or a related field, and roughly eight to ten years of professional experience, including internships. Your portfolio reflects a wide range of work across branding, presentations, infographics, digital and interactive design, advertising, and print.

You are fluent in the creative tools of the trade. You work confidently on a Mac platform, with deep expertise in Adobe Creative Suite and Microsoft Office. You have strong verbal communication skills and know how to present creative ideas clearly and persuasively.

You understand how agencies run and thrive. You bring prior agency or internship experience that taught you the pace, collaboration, and precision that great work demands. Familiarity with Adobe After Effects, Figma, or HTML / CSS is a plus, and you are always eager to expand your technical toolkit as creative technology evolves.

You set the tone for creative excellence by building a team culture rooted in collaboration, innovation, accountability, and joy in the work. You are as comfortable developing a brand platform as you are rolling up your sleeves to refine a layout, a line, or a concept.

Above all, you are a connector who unites vision, business strategy, and creative craft to deliver work that makes people stop, think, and feel something real.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES Creative & Campaign Leadership You lead Merritt Group’s award-winning creative team, ensuring every concept, campaign, and piece of content reflects the agency’s standard for excellence. You bring creative direction and cohesion to multi-channel programs, from brand identity and advertising to digital, social, experiential, and video.

You partner closely with strategy, account, and media teams to ensure creative work is purposeful, aligned, and breakthrough. You encourage experimentation but insist on clarity, guiding teams to develop ideas that are both imaginative and effective.

You oversee all aspects of creative execution, ensuring design quality, storytelling strength, and brand consistency. You help shape the agency’s creative philosophy and set the vision for what great looks like, including creative tech fluency and AI-assisted design thinking

You are not afraid to roll up your sleeves. You sketch, write, storyboard, and shape ideas alongside your team when needed, modeling a hands-on creative leadership style.

Client Strategy & Collaboration You play a central role in connecting creative ideas to client goals. You work directly with clients to articulate brand vision, interpret feedback constructively, and build trust through insight and execution.

You know how to present work with confidence and empathy, telling the story behind the idea while demonstrating measurable business value. You push clients to think bigger, inspiring them to see what is possible while staying grounded in strategy.

You anticipate challenges, identify opportunities, and continually evolve creative approaches to keep brands relevant in fast-moving industries.

People Development You are a positive, visible force in the agency’s culture, approachable, inspiring, and invested in the success of others.

You mentor designers, writers, and creative strategists at all levels, helping them find their voice, sharpen their craft, and grow into confident creative leaders. You are attentive to morale and actively shape a team culture built on respect, collaboration, and creative courage.

You partner with senior leadership to identify talent needs, recruit new creative voices, and ensure smooth onboarding and integration.

You provide thoughtful, actionable feedback and handle difficult conversations with empathy and transparency. You believe in celebrating wins and learning from misses, turning every project into a chance to grow.

Measurement You believe great creativity is both inspiring and effective. You help define what success looks like for each campaign and ensure our creative outputs are grounded in measurable objectives.

You collaborate with strategy and analytics teams to understand how creative performance connects to client KPIs and agency OKRs. You champion creative projects that drive awareness, engagement, and business outcomes, not just aesthetics.

You ensure your team understands new measurement tools and creative performance trends, and you integrate those insights into your process.

Business Development & Brand Leadership You treat Merritt Group’s brand like one of your own clients, helping shape how the agency looks, feels, and shows up in the world.

You bring creative energy to new business opportunities, working with partners and the marketing team to craft standout proposals, pitch ideas, and creative mockups that win hearts and minds.

You actively engage your professional network, identifying new opportunities, participating in industry events, and representing Merritt Group in the creative and marketing community.

You help lead major pitches, articulate our creative philosophy to prospective clients, and ensure every deliverable reflects the agency’s strategic and visual standards.

Agency Operations You manage key creative operations programs in partnership with agency leadership, including workflow, design systems, templates, vendor relationships, and creative tools.

You balance creative freedom with efficiency, ensuring the team delivers work on time, on budget, and on brand.

You are proactive in identifying operational inefficiencies and offering solutions that improve how we work. You advocate for the tools, training, and systems that enable creativity to flourish.

You help maintain profitability on your accounts and projects, ensuring resources are aligned with client goals and creative output.

Culture & Leadership You are an ambassador of Merritt Group’s values, a connector of teams, a champion of inclusion, and a believer that great ideas come from diverse voices.

You model calm confidence under pressure and rally the team through challenges. You believe in the power of “yes, and” thinking, collaboration that builds ideas rather than limits them.

You see yourself not just as a creative leader but as a cultural one, shaping how Merritt Group tells its own story, internally and externally.

This position may also require other duties as assigned.

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