Phinney Bischoff stands as a highly regarded agency in the Pacific Northwest, and our tenure speaks volumes. But we’re not kicking back and calling it a day. We’re all about the future, and we’re on the hunt for a true visionary to be a driving force in defining not only our agency’s brand but also the brands of our fantastic clients. We’re looking for a Creative Director that has exceptional managerial and leadership chops and thrives at the intersection of strategy and creativity.
This position is a key player on our leadership team here at Phinney Bischoff. You’ll be leading, guiding and growing our creative team, developing ingenious concepts, strategies, and tactics across multiple teams and clients.
We understand everyone’s got their own unique skills and talents. So while there’s many things we’re hoping you’ll bring to Phinney Bischoff, we’re excited to get to know YOU. We want to know what makes you tick, learn more about your one-of-a-kind talents, and see how you’ll make our team even stronger. In fact this is what excites us the most!
JOB TITLE: CREATIVE DIRECTOR
DEPARTMENT: CREATIVE/MARKETING
REPORTS TO: CEO/OWNER
Job Summary
The Creative Director is a proven leader, strong communicator, and exceptional motivator for creative teams and clients. This position provides leadership across multiple channels and is well-versed in building brands, big ideas, integrated campaigns, and delivering flawless execution. You’ll work alongside a team of visual designers, writers, content creators, and production artists and you find pleasure in growing, mentoring, and propelling others. And you’re not afraid to get your hands dirty. Because at the end of the day – it’s about the team. You lead with passion, curiosity and an appetite for design, culture, and technology. While your days will vary, they’ll never be dull. Because let’s be honest – that’s why you’re in this business after all.
Key Responsibilities
CREATIVE LEADERSHIP + TEAM MANAGEMENT
- Provide visionary leadership to the creative team, inspiring and motivating others to push boundaries and deliver with excellence.
- Set the creative vision for the agency.
- Establish the creative direction, tone, and style for projects in line with our client brands.
- Collaborate with cross-functional teams, such as marketing and client services to remain grounded in project goals, objectives and measurements of success.
- Develop a strong rapport with client leads at every level, helping coach, counsel, push, probe, and collaborate to drive to successful outcomes.
- Participate in new business activities, including initial discovery, scope, proposal, and pitch development.
- Implement innovative ideas and approaches to maintain a competitive edge.
- Recruit, hire, train, inspire, and mentor creative teams, fostering a collaborative and creative work environment.
- Provide constructive feedback and performance evaluations to all creative team members, ensuring their continued growth.
- Work closely with client services team to resource the team appropriately.
- Expand our roster of freelance talent, ensuring we’re well-positioned to build teams that can deliver on dynamic client demands.
CONCEPTING, STRATEGY, AND EXECUTION
- Serve as an active contributor during key discovery & strategy milestones, helping to pave the way for creative development.
- Working in tandem with our brand strategy and client services teams, help conduct market research to identify trends, competitors, and opportunities for innovation.
- Interrogate creative briefs, ensuring they are crafted to inspire breakthrough thinking across the creative team.
- Develop creative concepts and strategies that help our client’s meet their business objectives.
- Lead clients through the creative process helping to sell through ideas and show clients how these ideas can come to life.
- Direct the creation of all visual and written content, including but not limited to new & evolving brands, websites, campaigns, and content spanning print, digital, social, environmental, and experiential channels.
- Develop guidelines, criteria, and processes that are essential in delivering with excellence, every time.
CLIENT AND STAKEHOLDER COMMUNICATION
- Act as the primary point of contact for clients and internal stakeholders regarding creative projects.
- Manage client relationships alongside VP of client services, addressing concerns and ensuring client satisfaction.
- Evaluate the health of each client, working alongside the team to strengthen relationships and output where needed.
QUALIFICATIONS
- Bachelor’s degree in a related field (e.g., Marketing, Advertising, Design).
- Extensive experience (10+ years) in creative roles, with a proven track record of leadership and creative excellence.
- Proficiency in creative software and tools (Adobe Creative Suite, Figma, etc.).
- Strong communication and presentation skills.
- Exceptional creative and conceptual thinking abilities.
- Insatiably curious, with a desire to analyze, learn, and explore new possibilities.
- Ability to work under pressure, meet deadlines, and manage multiple projects simultaneously.
- Leadership and team management skills.
- Strong problem-solving and decision-making abilities.
- A portfolio showcasing a range of creative projects and achievements.