Creative Director

The Creative Director at Brailsford & Dunlavey is a hands-on, highly visible leader responsible for advancing the firm’s brand expression across both external and internal touchpoints. This role translates the refreshed brand vision into cohesive execution while building the creative systems and operating practices needed for consistent, scalable work.

Brand Leadership and Creative Delivery

• Own and advance the visual expression of the B&D brand across external and internal channels to ensure a distinctive, cohesive brand experience.
• Partner with the marketing team to bring the new brand identity to life across the organization.
• Set creative direction for major brand, marketing, communications, and business development initiatives, connecting design choices to firm strategy, audience needs, and business objectives.
• Serve as a trusted creative advisor by articulating the rationale behind design recommendations, building alignment across stakeholders, and elevating expectations for creative quality.
• Concept, design, and produce high-priority work across digital, print, presentation, proposal, publication, event, social media, recruiting, and internal communications channels.

Business Development and Visual Communication

• Develop sophisticated presentations in Microsoft PowerPoint using advanced features, multimedia, and other capabilities to strengthen storytelling and audience engagement.
• Elevate proposals, qualifications, interview presentations, and other business development materials to communicate complex ideas clearly and help B&D compete more effectively.
• Transform complex ideas, research, data, and business information into clear, accurate, and compelling visual communications.

Multimedia, Workflow, and Technology Strategy

• Develop, produce, and edit multimedia and video content, directing external specialists when additional expertise is needed.
• Strategically incorporate AI and emerging creative technologies into concept development, design, and production workflows where they improve quality or efficiency.
• Establish practical guidelines for responsible use of AI-assisted creative tools.

Systems, Standards, and Creative Operations

• Manage projects from concept through delivery, balancing creative ambition with deadlines, budgets, production requirements, and stakeholder needs.
• Establish and maintain brand standards, creative guidelines, templates, and scalable design systems for consistent execution across a national firm.
• Create practical tools, processes, and training that support employees in applying the brand correctly while protecting brand integrity.
• Develop and manage a flexible ecosystem of brand assets, including typography, imagery, iconography, data visualization, presentation, document, multimedia, and digital standards.
• Build a responsive creative operating model covering intake, prioritization, resourcing, review, production, and quality control.
• Balance competing priorities to determine where bespoke creative investment has the greatest impact versus where repeatable systems, templates, or automation provide better solutions.

Collaboration, Creative Partners, and Growth

• Partner across Brand & Communications, Industry & Practice Group Marketing, and Business Development Enablement to create consistent visual experiences that meet different audience and channel needs.
• Work with subject-matter experts and marketing colleagues to understand complex concepts, clarify the intended message, and determine effective visual communication.
• Select, brief, and direct freelance designers, photographers, videographers, animators, and other specialists as needed.
• Contribute to future acquisition integration by evaluating existing brand assets and supporting thoughtful migration into the B&D brand system.
• Help evolve the creative function as B&D grows by identifying opportunities to improve processes, capabilities, and ways of working.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in graphic design, visual communication, or a related field.
• 10+ years of experience in brand design, graphic design, or creative direction, including significant hands-on design responsibility.
• Exceptional command of design fundamentals, including typography, composition, hierarchy, color, imagery, and information design.
• Strong experience translating complex ideas, data, and information into compelling visual communications.
• Experience managing creative work from concept through production and directing external creative partners.
• Advanced proficiency with Adobe Creative Cloud and Microsoft PowerPoint.
• Strong technical curiosity and willingness to explore AI, automation, multimedia, and emerging creative technologies.
• Portfolio demonstrating exceptional design judgment, sophisticated brand thinking, strong concept development, and high-quality execution across a range of channels and formats.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience translating a new or refreshed brand identity into scalable systems, tools, and applications across an organization.
• Experience in professional services, architecture, engineering, construction, real estate, consulting, or another complex B2B environment.
• Experience with information design or data visualization that makes complex material clear and compelling.

Technologies

• Microsoft PowerPoint
• Adobe Creative Cloud
• AI
• Multimedia
• Video

Compensation and Location

Location: Washington, DC 20036 (hybrid).
Salary: USD 140,000 - 170,000 per year.

Benefits

• Comprehensive benefits include medical, dental, and vision coverage.
• Retirement benefits.
• Professional development support.
• Paid time off.

What Sets the Role Apart

• Exceptional creative judgment.
• Ability to think beyond the design brief.
• Strength in making complex information compelling.
• Focus on building for scale.
• Strong communication and collaboration.
• Adaptable, forward-thinking approach.

Application Requirements

• A portfolio is required for consideration.
• Please include a link to your online portfolio with your application.
• The application process also requests a resume and an optional (highly recommended) cover letter.