Associate Director of Creative, Acquisition

We're building the future of advertising and are looking for the minds to help us do it.Darkroom is a vertically integrated digital agency pioneering the next generation of consumer-facing brands. A category leader in results-driven growth marketing, Darkroom’s success is attributed to our unique partnership model, purposefully built to launch brands to market and accelerate growth across direct-to-consumer. Our model is predicated on three major partnership structures — Growth & Scaling, Digital Platforms, and Brand & Product Launches - threaded by one cohesive, interdisciplinary team.Taking the startup mindset to the agency space, the collective expertise of our team of entrepreneurs and senior digital marketers are deeply aware of the newest trends in e-commerce, development, and digital marketing. Our learned experience has allowed us to take clients (and internal ventures) from $0 to millions in revenue in just a few months. We work with game-changing brands: Crate & Barrel, Popchips, FEED, Olipop, & CALPAK, to name a few.We’re looking for a visionary creative leader with deep experience in developing ad concepts for acquisition marketing on Meta. You’re able to dive deep into the pixels and give tactical feedback on design and video, but understand how to thread the needle between performance frameworks, creative testing, and world-building creative. You’re likely a Designer or Creative Strategist by trade but hyper-focused on paid media.You’ll work on our Dark Arts service, that has been newly relaunched as the AI-powered creative direction service for paid media clients. This role is ideal for someone who thrives at the intersection of creativity, AI, and performance - combining bold visual storytelling with data-informed design decisions. You'll report to the Director of Creative and lead the management of Designers and Editors to execute paid media assets across a variety of formats, including static ads, short-form videos, motion graphics, and UGC content.Your work will directly impact client performance by delivering a high-volume of ad concepts, elevated creative direction, and data-backed testing frameworks. You’ll collaborate closely with performance marketers, designers, and video editors in a fast-paced, remote environment.**Management Responsibilities**- Manage a team of 2-4 designers focused on paid ad creative, with room to grow the team over time.- Provide creative direction, actionable feedback, and career support through regular 1:1s and project reviews.- Oversee creative quality, ensuring assets align with brand identity, platform best practices, and campaign objectives.- Partner with performance marketers and strategists to develop and iterate on high-performing ad campaigns.- Help refine internal processes, establish creative standards, and lead collaborative sessions to drive creative innovation.**Senior Individual Contributor Responsibilities**- Lead concept development and execution for paid media campaigns across Meta, TikTok, YouTube, and display platforms.- Translate client’s marketing strategy and performance data into clear, compelling ad concepts.- Design and direct a range of assets including static ads, animations, mobile-first videos, and storyboards for short-form content.- Present creative work to stakeholders and clients with clarity, confidence, and strategic rationale.- Monitor performance data in collaboration with the marketing team to inform creative iterations and improve results over time.- 3+ years of senior-level design experience, with at least 1 year of people management experience preferred. Must have experience designing ad creatives for paid media campaigns across Meta, TikTok, YouTube, or similar platforms.- A digital portfolio showcasing performance-focused ad creative - including static ads, motion graphics, and short-form video - with a strong understanding of visual hierarchy, composition, and platform-specific best practices.- Knowledge of how to incorporate AI software into workflows to increase efficiencies and output, including ChatGPT, Midjourney, Perplexity, Icon, and more.- Self-motivated, proactive, and detail-oriented with a strong sense of ownership and accountability to performance results.- Skilled at working with performance marketers and creative strategists to write briefs, incorporate feedback, and iterate based on ad performance data.- Comfortable communicating in English with internal teams and clients, including presenting creative work and responding to feedback clearly and professionally.- Confident giving constructive feedback to other designers and supporting their growth through clear direction and mentorship.- Able to take ambiguous campaign goals and turn them into creative concepts that are visually engaging and conversion-focused.- Proficient in Figma for ad design workflows; knowledge of Auto Layout, Components, and asset handoff is essential.- Experience using Adobe Creative Suite (esp