Associate Creative Director

Job Summary

Lead the visual direction and creative quality of work across all Denison Ministries brands. This role owns creative direction for campaigns, publications, web, and event assets; art directs designers, vendors, and freelancers; and serves as the final creative review on all assets before they go out. This is a working creative leadership role that blends hands-on art direction with team and vendor management to elevate the brand expression of every Denison Ministries property.

About the Role

This is a working creative leadership role that blends hands-on art direction with team and vendor management to elevate the brand expression of every Denison Ministries property.

Responsibilities

• Set and uphold the visual direction for all Denison Ministries brands, aligned with ministry goals and annual marketing plans set by the CMO.
• Partner with the CMO on creative strategy, brand evolution, and the creative bar for what ships under each brand.
• Concept and art direct seasonal campaigns, fundraising initiatives, and signature brand moments across the portfolio.
• Manage and mentor the Graphic Designer, setting clear priorities, providing creative feedback, and supporting professional growth.
• Demonstrate comfort and fluency with AI systems, applying them thoughtfully to improve creative development, art direction, and team productivity.
• Art direct flagship print pieces, including the Denison Magazine and printed reports.
• Direct the book design vendor on covers and interiors for 2–4 books per year, including Advent, Lent, and signature releases.
• Set design direction for key web pages, landing pages, and digital campaigns across brand properties.
• Direct event creative for major initiatives, including invitations, posters, banners, programs, and supporting marketing assets.
• Direct ad creative, landing pages, and visual assets, ensuring continuous testing and iteration.
• Serve as the final creative review and approval on all digital assets and emails before they go out across brands.
• Partner with the Chief Marketing Officer, who holds final creative review and approval on printed pieces and website updates, to ensure assets are polished and ready for sign-off.
• Ensure visual consistency, brand alignment, and high craft across digital, print, direct mail, and event touchpoints.
• Maintain and evolve brand identity systems as needed to support ministry growth and new initiatives.
• Concept and design the highest-stakes work directly, including key campaign visuals, magazine spreads, and brand systems.
• Build pitch-level work and creative direction decks for major initiatives.
• Contribute design execution to flagship web pages and signature campaigns alongside the Graphic Designer.
• Step in on graphic design tasks as needed to support team capacity, recognizing that hands-on production is a secondary, not primary, focus of this role.
• Cross-Functional Partnership:
  • Collaborate with the Senior Manager, Performance Marketing on campaign creative, ad assets, and paid media testing.
  • Partner with the Director of Digital Products on web design execution and the Figma to WordPress pipeline.
  • Translate ministry goals, marketing strategy, and audience insights into creative work that connects with our audiences.

Requirements

• Strong portfolio demonstrating excellent work across both digital and print, with proven experience setting visual direction across brand systems.
• Proven experience art directing others, including designers, freelancers, vendors, and photographers, with the ability to elevate work through clear, kind feedback.
• Strong typography, layout, and brand systems thinking, with fluency in editorial design (magazines, books, long-form publications) a plus.
• Fluency in Figma and Adobe Creative Suite, with familiarity in WordPress and modern web design workflows preferred.
• Experience managing or mentoring at least one direct report, with the ability to motivate, coach, and develop creative talent.
• Excellent written and verbal communication abilities to present creative work, articulate direction, and collaborate effectively across teams.
• Strong project management instincts with the ability to balance multiple campaigns, vendors, and creative deliverables simultaneously.

Skills

• Strong portfolio demonstrating excellent work across both digital and print, with proven experience setting visual direction across brand systems.
• Proven experience art directing others, including designers, freelancers, vendors, and photographers, with the ability to elevate work through clear, kind feedback.
• Strong typography, layout, and brand systems thinking, with fluency in editorial design (magazines, books, long-form publications) a plus.
• Fluency in Figma and Adobe Creative Suite, with familiarity in WordPress and modern web design workflows preferred.
• Experience managing or mentoring at least one direct report, with the ability to motivate, coach, and develop creative talent.
• Excellent written and verbal communication abilities to present creative work, articulate direction, and collaborate effectively across teams.
• Strong project management instincts with the ability to balance multiple campaigns, vendors, and creative deliverables simultaneously.

Education and Experience

• Bachelor's degree preferred or equivalent professional experience.
• 3+ years of design experience, with experience in a senior or lead design role preferred.
• Experience in publishing, media, or mission-driven organizations preferred.