Saatchi & Saatchi has grown from a start-up advertising agency in London in 1970 to a global creative communications company headquartered in New York with 114 offices in 67 countries and over 6000 employees. 

Saatchi & Saatchi is part of the Publicis Groupe, the world’s third-largest communications group. We are a full-service, integrated communications network, and we work with 6 of the top 10 and over half of the top 50 global advertisers. 

We’re in the business of getting people to fall in love with our client's products and services. We have an unshakeable spirit and unbeatable attitude from day one at Saatchi & Saatchi that Nothing is Impossible.  We believe in creating ideas that can live anywhere and firmly believe that everyone matters. And we think that, when we work as a team, nothing is impossible.

We strive to bring out the best in each other and ourselves and expect applicants to understand the value of close collaboration.  Plus, we are consistently seeking to add talented and growth-oriented people to our teams. 

This position is for Saatchi TDA Group.  The Saatchi TDA Group is a Tier III agency that handles direct dealer-to-customer communication on the Toyota business. This Tier III agency is called DSplus. It’s the ‘Batman” avatar of Bruce Wayne. DSplus employs a technology platform that serves up and measures the efficacy of the communication that goes out to the customer, resulting in sharp-targeted digital experiences that sell more cars to the right people at the right time. At DSplus, the best in creative and technology combine to push the boundaries of automotive innovation.

About the Role

DSplus is looking for an Associate Creative (Design) Director to lead design efforts for our growing creative team and accounts. Although our office is based in Chicago, we're looking for the right candidate, so we're open to remote.

The candidate will need to be:
Responsible for elevating both the level of craft and the quality of our design solutions across our clients and functions. A world-class designer and visual storyteller with impeccable craft, comfortably and consistently superb in execution across a range of visual styles and mediums. Able to define strategic and creative points of view on Brand Character, Brand Image, and Design Themes.

Not just a stellar designer but enjoy nurturing those with less experience, helping to mentor other designers within the team to foster their talents, create world-class creative solutions and achieve their career goals A collaborator. You will collaborate closely with various internal and external teams to create new brands, define style guidelines, prep artwork for production, and craft beautiful presentations.

Very (very) hands-on, always perfecting the tiniest details. You lead by example and inspire by your passion.

Responsibilities

• Execute and manage original, persuasive, conceptual and visually compelling design work in line with agency and brand standards, including (but not limited to): iconography, logos, guidelines, typography, illustration, printed materials, PowerPoint presentations, etc.
• Establish a design practice within our creative team, providing oversight to our Designers, with the goal of developing a culture of collaboration, experimentation, and knowledge sharing.
• Fluently speak about design concepts with clients, as well as internal teams of creatives, producers, and animators, to enable effective collaboration, feedback, and direction.
• Maintain and promote an internal awareness of industry design trends and standards.
• Cultivate a sense of ownership that elevates the standards and quality of all work achieved by the designers.
• Be a natural teacher - encourage designers to approach problem-solving differently, always with the goal of learning and growing.
• From concept to execution, bring an enthusiasm for solving design and marketing challenges throughout the life of a project, and amid stakeholder revisions.
• Have a mastery of Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, and Powerpoint, as well as emerging interactive design trends. Knowledge of AfterEffects and Sketch is a plus.
• Build ongoing relationships with partner agency design teams, and other design teams within the DSplus network.
• Display a cohesive understanding of digital and interactive design principles; we do not produce many websites or mobile apps but need someone who can speak to and direct those UX/UI needs when necessary.

• Has a proven track record in digital, print, and campaign design.
• At least 5 years of experience in the creative, advertising, marketing, or PR industries; or leading a design team.
• A solid understanding of the marketing industry at large; an ability and a desire to adapt to the changing landscape of technology.
• Experience working in Automotive is not mandatory, but definitely a plus.
• Proven leadership skills managing multiple projects/tasks/teams of varying complexities, meeting deadlines, and working well under pressure.
• Resilience, a cheerful and positive attitude, and respect for others.
• Exceptional internal and external communication skills, someone who can present and defend their work clearly and confidently.
• Experience with social media platforms and a working knowledge of their best practices.
• An interest in staying on top of emerging platforms, mobile design, and development trends.
• A willingness to push creative boundaries.

Primary Location:

United States-Illinois-Chicago. Open to working remotely, but must be on Mountain, Central or Eastern Time Zone.

Industry
Marketing & Advertising, Online Media, Design, Automotive.

All your information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines.