Creative Director

At Sterling, we create brands that make people think, feel and engage. Brands for today. We’ve done it for super heroes and super causes, organic farmers and information miners, bricks and mortar and digital destinations, cosmetics, condoms, and cornflakes - the tried and true and the disruptive trailblazer.

Our obsessively human-centric approach links every inspiration back to the consumer: their lives and passions, their habits and habitats. The result; is beautiful, inclusive, and effective solutions that make brands come alive and thrive. 

Our focus is on consumer brands and their identity expressions on-pack, in-store, and online. We love creating the worlds brands live in and inspiring people to be part of them.

Sterling has an amazing culture of appreciation and celebrating team successes. 

About the Role

The Creative Director role is responsible for creating exceptional design solutions for our clients. This role requires a passion for creative excellence, blending strategic insight and conceptual abilities to produce top-quality work. The Creative Director works with Client Managers to cultivate client relationships, pursues new business opportunities, fosters agency culture, and leads a team of designers from ideation through execution.

What You’ll Do

• Inspire and lead a creative team, both designing personally and directing designers and creative partners
• Be a team builder and collaborator, working with management to achieve business goals
• Inspire a highly creative team of designers and generate innovative design solutions
• Present and advocate for creative work to clients
• Continuously enhance and refine internal processes, tools, and methods for Design and DI
• Collaborate with other creative leaders across all Sterling offices to share best practices and support mutual learning
• Mentor direct reports and help them to identify professional development opportunities
• Participate in new business meetings and credentials presentations
• Represent Sterling Brands at conferences, competitions, and studio visits

Qualifications

• MFA or BFA in graphic design preferred
• At least 10+ years of experience in brand design
• Exceptional portfolio featuring consumer branding work and packaging
• Demonstrated leadership and team-building abilities
• Excellent communication and presentation skills
• Experience working directly with clients
• Ability to work and manage others in a dynamic, entrepreneurial environment

Compensation

• Base salary range of $150k to $199k
• This range represents the low and high end of the base salary an individual in this role may earn as an employee of Sterling Brands in the United States. Salaries will vary based on factors including but not limited to: professional and academic experience; training; associated responsibilities; other business and organizational needs; and geographic location (to account for comparative cost of living). The range listed is just one component of our total compensation package for employees. Salary decisions are dependent on the circumstances of each hire. 
• Benefits for this role include: Medical/Dental/Vision insurance, Family-forming benefits, Healthcare Flexible Spending Account, Dependent Care Flexible Spending Account, Health Savings Account, 401(k), Employee Stock Purchase Program, vacation, sick, and personal days, paid parental leave and paid medical leave, STD/LTD insurance benefits, Life/AD&D and Disability Insurance, Commuter Benefits, Employee Assistance Program

About Sterling:

We are a brand design consultancy based in NYC, San Francisco, and Cincinnati. For over 25 years, our design, strategy, and innovation teams have been working to bring brands to life across the entire ecosystem of experiences.