Associate Creative Director, Design

In this role at Apple, the Associate Creative Director, Design leads creative direction for marketing initiatives across the Apple Ads ecosystem, shaping work from brand-level intent through to tactical execution. You will partner with teams across design and production to set direction, elevate craft, and align creative decisions to customer insights and measurable business objectives.

What you’ll do

• Define a strategic creative point of view for projects, grounded in customer insights and design principles that guide connected deliverables across Apple Ads touch points.
• Help with planning and roadmap conversations to identify opportunities, set prioritization, and inform resourcing decisions.
• Provide creative direction and feedback on deliverables including web pages, emails, video and photo shoots, event buildouts, presentations, wireframes, prototypes, and brand guidelines, ensuring design intent, scalability, and clarity.
• Present creative work with clarity and conviction, tying design decisions to insights, principles, strategic objectives, brand fidelity, and system thinking.
• Distill and apply data and measurement to inform and validate design direction.
• Lead, direct, and evaluate a team of designers and art directors, supporting professional development and improving overall output.
• Participate in studio-wide initiatives focused on culture, process, and innovation.

Minimum qualifications

• At least 12 years of experience in graphic design, digital products, services, or a related discipline, specializing in visual design for the web.
• A diverse portfolio featuring daring, ground-breaking work with high craft.
• Experience setting a fast design pace while maintaining strong detail orientation and solving business problems meaningfully.
• BA or BFA in Graphic Design or another related design discipline is preferred.

Preferred qualifications

• Exceptional communication and presentation skills, able to articulate complex ideas clearly and persuasively for internal reviews and leadership presentations.
• Deep understanding of design thinking and brand systems, including how to apply them within large organizations.
• Experience leading video and photo shoots, from casting through color correction, resulting in concise, world-class storytelling.
• A collaborative, mentoring approach that supports teams spanning design, copy, UX, and development.
• Comfort navigating ambiguity to create clarity and align diverse teams toward shared goals.

Pay & benefits

• Base pay range: USD 157,100 to 293,800 per year. Base pay depends on skills, qualifications, experience, and location.
• Comprehensive medical and dental coverage.
• Retirement benefits.
• Discounted products and free services.
• Reimbursement for certain educational expenses, including tuition.
• Discretionary bonuses or commission payments, and relocation might be eligible.
• Opportunity to become an Apple shareholder through discretionary employee stock programs.
• Eligibility for discretionary restricted stock unit awards.
• Ability to purchase Apple stock at a discount through voluntary participation in the Employee Stock Purchase Plan.
• Apple benefit, compensation, and employee stock programs are subject to eligibility requirements and other terms of the applicable plan or program.

Location: Culver City, CA (onsite).