Associate Creative Director or Creative Director

JDO Global seeks a senior branding and packaging leader to helm the New York studio, guiding creative direction, strategic brand alignment, and mentoring a small, ambitious team.

Responsibilities

• Lead from the center to define the creative tone across key projects and accounts, guiding teams toward bold ideas and fearless executions while maintaining high creative standards and enabling others to contribute and grow. Model responsible AI use to accelerate speed, scale, and distinction without compromising the integrity of the work.
• Bridge brand ambition with creative expression, keeping the client’s broader goals in view and steering ideation to achieve impact and imagination. Provide perspective, constructive challenge, and clarity on the real opportunity behind briefs.
• Shape studio workflows, set teams up for flow, conduct purposeful reviews, and step in where leadership is most needed. Collaborate with Studio Management, Strategy and Client Partnership to structure processes for clarity, energy and excellence.
• Set a tone that fosters creativity, respect and energy, remaining visible and approachable while generously sharing time. Cultivate pride in both the work and how the team collaborates.
• Support and develop the team through clear guidance, coaching and belief. Empower others to own their work while staying present and supportive, creating space for growth and collective advancement.
• Guide the commercial shape of creative delivery, including fee structures, resourcing, scoping and growth planning. Balance creative ambition with viability, help teams understand value, and protect space for great work through smart scoping and advocacy for creative integrity with commercial understanding.

Experience

You would typically operate at Associate Creative Director level with a standout portfolio in branding and packaging and a drive to grow both your impact and the studio’s reputation. End-to-end project leadership, setting creative direction, and earning trust from clients and teams are key facets. Applications from established Creative Directors are welcome.

Location and schedule

• Location: New York, NY (onsite)
• Employment type: Full-time, 40 hours per week
• In-office requirement: 3 days per week in the office

Compensation

Salary: USD 120,000 - 220,000 per year

Who you are

You are a branding and packaging creative leader capable of steering the New York studio with bold thinking and crafted excellence. Comfortable with hands-on work and adept at directing across time zones and geographies, you thrive in a small, ambitious team and enjoy collaborating with innovative clients across CPG, beauty, regulated industries, and alcohol. You shape culture, define brand futures, and strengthen JDO's creative reputation. You are a magnetic leader: bold in thinking, generous in leadership, and trusted across the board, lifting others to reach the shared vision with clarity and conviction.

JDO USA

From our Midtown Manhattan studio, we partner with clients across North America. In this small but ambitious team, you help shape the studio culture, implement smart ways of working, set a high creative bar, and embody bravery, generosity and clarity in all work. We are part of JDO’s international network, collaborating with leading brands across brand and creative strategy, packaging and product design, innovation, sustainability, and experiential campaigns.

About us

Independent. International. Indispensable. JDO is an award-winning design agency helping brands deliver on their promises by creating experiences people can see, feel, and believe. We craft identities and brand worlds with boundless creativity and craftsmanship to drive success, partnering with visionaries and disruptors to turn brand promises into belief. We offer a career that matters, recognizing talent, supporting growth, and celebrating individuality. Our team brings energy, generosity and craft to every room, designing for distinction, pushing boundaries, and staying curious. We believe creativity thrives on diversity and are committed to building a workplace where everyone feels safe, seen, and supported to grow.

Hiring notes

No recruiters please. We may not respond to every applicant, but we do review submissions.