Associate Creative Director or Creative Director
About the role
We’re growing our JDO New York team – and we’re looking for exceptional talent to join us. Our Brand Design studio sits on sunny Madison Avenue, home to a tight-knit, high-performing team that combines boutique energy with global impact. JDO may feel intimate day-to-day – collaborative, hands-on, creatively ambitious – but we’re also part of one of the world’s most respected independent creative networks. That means big thinking, global reach, and serious opportunity, without the constraints of shareholder-led decision making.
Responsibilities
- You lead from the centre, setting the tone for creative output across key projects and accounts.
- You guide teams toward big ideas, brave executions and design that leaves a mark.
- You uphold the creative bar while creating space for others to contribute and grow.
- You lead by example in AI integration, guiding teams in its use for speed, scale and distinction, while protecting the soul of the work.
- You connect brand ambition to creative expression.
- You hold the client’s broader goals in view and steer creative thinking to meet them with impact and imagination.
- You work closely with Studio Management, Strategy and Client Partnership to ensure the creative process is structured to deliver clarity, energy and excellence.
- You set the tone, creating an environment where creativity, respect and energy thrive.
- You are visible, approachable and generous with your time.
- You help the team feel proud of the work and proud of how we work together.
- You support and develop your team by offering clarity, coaching and belief.
- You empower others to take ownership, while staying present and supportive.
- You make space for growth and bring people with you.
- You guide the commercial shape of creative delivery, from fee structure and resourcing to scoping and growth planning.
- You balance creative ambition with viability, and help your teams understand the value they’re creating.
- You protect space for great work by managing scope smartly and advocating for creative integrity with commercial understanding.
Requirements
You’re likely operating at Associate Creative Director level, with a standout portfolio of branding and packaging work, and the ambition to grow your impact, motivated by the opportunity to help grow a studio and its reputation. You’ve led projects end to end, set creative direction and earned trust from both clients and teams.
Qualifications
We're of course very happy to receive applications from established Creative Directors too, although regrettably we cannot consider candidates who aren't able to demonstrate significant packaging experience.
Benefits
Full-time (40 hours per week), with 3 days per week in the office
Pay
Salary range: $80,000 - $120,000
Schedule
Full-time (40 hours per week), with 3 days per week in the office
Location
Full-time (40 hours per week), with 3 days per week in the office