Creative Director

Our client is looking for several talented Creative Directors for a full-time (40-yrs a week), long-term freelancer/contractor engagement or an immediate employment hire if both parties are aligned. If you are a NYC-area creative powerhouse with extensive editorial copywriting and design experience across great brands in the worlds of fashion, beauty, lifestyle or luxury then please read on… Job Overview Our client is seeking a visionary, strategic, and highly collaborative Creative Director to lead the development and execution of compelling, innovative, and brand-defining creative across all consumer touchpoints. This individual will play a critical role in shaping and evolving our clients creative identity, ensuring a consistent and engaging brand experience across advertising, digital, social media, e-commerce, print, video, and in-store marketing. The ideal candidate combines exceptional creative vision with strong business acumen, a deep understanding of fashion and retail, and demonstrated experience leading multidisciplinary creative teams. The Creative Director will partner closely with Marketing, Brand Strategy, Merchandising, Digital, and Production teams to translate business objectives into powerful creative concepts that inspire customers, elevate brand perception, and drive measurable business results. Key Responsibilities Creative Vision & Brand Leadership Define, develop, and execute innovative creative concepts that strengthen our client’s brand positioning and resonate with target audiences. Establish and maintain a cohesive visual identity, brand voice, and creative direction across all marketing channels. Lead the creative development of seasonal campaigns, brand initiatives, product launches, and major promotional events. Translate brand strategy and business objectives into compelling, customer-focused creative storytelling. Identify emerging trends in fashion, retail, design, technology, and consumer culture to ensure our client’s creative remains relevant and differentiated. Balance creative innovation with commercial objectives to deliver impactful and results-driven work. Integrated Campaign Development Oversee creative strategy, concept development, and execution for integrated marketing campaigns across traditional and digital channels. Direct creative development for brand advertising, social media, e-commerce, email, video, print, and in-store experiences. Ensure campaigns maintain a consistent creative vision while being optimized for individual platforms and audiences. Collaborate with Marketing and Media teams to develop creative solutions that support customer engagement, acquisition, retention, and sales. Partner with internal stakeholders and external agencies to deliver high-quality creative work within established timelines and budgets. Art Direction & Creative Production Provide creative leadership and art direction for photography, video, motion graphics, design, and content production. Oversee campaign development from initial concept and mood boards through production, post-production, and final delivery. Direct photoshoots and video productions, including creative oversight of talent, styling, set design, lighting, and overall visual execution. Collaborate with photographers, directors, stylists, designers, copywriters, and production partners. Maintain exceptional standards of creative quality, visual storytelling, and brand consistency. Ensure creative assets are developed efficiently and meet the needs of multiple marketing channels. Team Leadership & Talent Development Lead, inspire, and mentor a multidisciplinary team of art directors, designers, copywriters, and creative professionals. Foster a collaborative, inclusive, and innovative creative culture that encourages original thinking and continuous improvement. Provide clear creative direction, constructive feedback, and professional development opportunities. Establish processes that improve creative efficiency, collaboration, and execution. Manage competing priorities while maintaining high standards of creative excellence. Identify opportunities to strengthen team capabilities and optimize internal and external creative resources. Cross-Functional Collaboration Serve as a strategic creative partner to senior leaders across Marketing, Merchandising, Digital, E-commerce, and Brand. Collaborate with business partners to understand customer insights, marketing priorities, and commercial objectives. Present creative concepts, strategies, and campaign recommendations to executive stakeholders. Build strong relationships across departments to ensure alignment between creative vision and business priorities. Partner with external agencies, production companies, and creative vendors as needed. Creative Performance & Innovation Evaluate creative effectiveness using campaign performance metrics, customer insights, and business results. Identify opportunities to improve creative engagement, brand perception, and marketing effectiveness. Champion innovative approaches to storytelling, content development, and emerging digital platforms. Explore new creative technologies, tools, and production methods to enhance quality and efficiency. Continuously assess competitive activity and industry best practices to keep Macy’s creative at the forefront of retail marketing. Qualifications Required Bachelor's degree in Advertising, Graphic Design, Fine Arts, Marketing, Communications, or a related discipline, or equivalent professional experience. 12+ years of progressive experience in creative direction, advertising, brand marketing, or related creative disciplines. 5+ years of experience leading and developing multidisciplinary creative teams. Demonstrated success developing and executing integrated advertising and marketing campaigns. Strong background in art direction, visual storytelling, photography, video production, and digital creative. Experience working with major consumer brands, retail organizations, fashion brands, or advertising agencies. Exceptional portfolio demonstrating creative vision, conceptual thinking, and successful campaign execution. Strong understanding of the creative development and production process across traditional and digital channels. Excellent communication, presentation, and stakeholder management skills. Ability to balance strategic thinking, creative excellence, and business objectives. Proven ability to manage multiple complex projects in a fast-paced environment. Preferred Experience within fashion, beauty, lifestyle, or department store retail. Experience leading large-scale national advertising campaigns. Strong understanding of omnichannel retail marketing and customer engagement. Experience collaborating with senior executives and cross-functional business leaders. Familiarity with emerging creative technologies, including AI-enabled creative tools. Experience managing external agencies, production partners, and creative budgets. Key Competencies Creative Vision: Ability to develop original, innovative concepts that elevate brand storytelling. Strategic Thinking: Ability to connect creative solutions to brand positioning, customer insights, and business objectives. Leadership: Proven ability to inspire, mentor, and develop high-performing creative teams. Collaboration: Strong interpersonal skills and ability to influence stakeholders across multiple disciplines. Executional Excellence: Exceptional attention to detail and commitment to producing high-quality creative work. Business Acumen: Understanding of how creative initiatives contribute to customer engagement, brand growth, and commercial performance. Adaptability: Ability to thrive in a dynamic retail environment with changing priorities and deadlines. Measures of Success Success in this role will be evaluated through: Strength and consistency of our client’s brand identity and creative execution. Quality, innovation, and effectiveness of integrated marketing campaigns. Creative contribution to customer engagement and business performance. Ability to build and develop a high-performing creative organization. Effectiveness of cross-functional collaboration and stakeholder relationships. Timely and efficient delivery of creative initiatives. Continued evolution of our client’s creative approach in response to changing customer expectations and industry trends. Target Salary Range for this role on a FTE employment basis is $180,000 - $210,000. If you are interested in a contract-to-hire engagement, please provide your hourly rate requirements when you apply. Now, a little bit about Wripple:Wripple is marketing’s best on-demand talent platform. Built by several leaders from Razorfish, we focus only on matching top marketing talent with great opportunities at the world’s leading brands. Our private talent marketplace includes the very best proven freelancers across a range of marketing disciplines and more than 250 clients that have signed an MSA with Wripple prior to being able to post any jobs. This means freelancers get matched with qualified opportunities sourced by Wripple’s sales team. You also benefit by outsourcing all the back-office stuff to Wripple. We help with scoping, contracting and onboarding, and we pay you directly so you don’t have to chase clients for payment.Other Reasons to Join Wripple?Diverse Opportunities: Work on a variety of projects across different industries with world-class clients like Delta, AT&T, and Coca-Cola and many, many moreFlexibility and Control: Set your own rates and preferences through Wripple’s Talent Dashboard. Receive online project briefs and decide which opportunities align with your interests and expertise.No Cost to You: There is absolutely no cost to be a member of Wripple. Our platform is designed to support you in every way possible. The only investment you make is the time required to be fully vetted, and once approved, set your profile, and add your portfolio.Apply to join Wripple and be part of a revolutionary platform where your expertise meets exciting new opportunities. We look forward to exploring how your skills can shine in our marketplace!Learn more about Wripple here at https://www.wripple.com And click “Apply to Freelance” at the top to join us.