Associate Director of Creative, Acquisition

Overview

Darkroom is a vertically integrated digital agency pioneering the next generation of consumer-facing brands. We're building the future of advertising and are looking for the minds to help us do it. This role sits within our Dark Arts service, the AI-powered creative direction service for paid media clients. 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.

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.
• 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.

Qualifications

• 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 strong visual hierarchy and platform-specific best practices.
• Knowledge of integrating AI software into workflows to increase efficiencies (e.g., ChatGPT, Midjourney, Perplexity, Icon).
• Self-motivated, proactive, detail-oriented with ownership and accountability to performance results.
• Experience collaborating with performance marketers and creative strategists to write briefs, incorporate feedback, and iterate based on ad performance data.
• Fluent in English with internal teams and clients; capable of presenting work and responding to feedback professionally.
• Ability to mentor designers and provide clear direction and growth support.
• Ability to turn ambiguous campaign goals into visually engaging, conversion-focused concepts.
• Proficiency in Figma (Auto Layout, Components, asset handoff); experience with Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, Illustrator).
• Bonus: Experience designing high-performing ads for e-commerce, familiarity with motion design tools (After Effects, Premiere), or working with UGC creators and editors.

What it's like to work at Darkroom

We're building the future of advertising and seek the best—from our clients to our people. We offer highly competitive salaries and a range of perks:

• Darkweek, unlimited vacation, and holidays: flexible vacation policy, annual Darkweek, and 10 holidays per year.
• Phantom Equity Incentive Plan – long-term cash bonus that vests over five years and pays out if the company is sold.
• 401k with company match, equity incentives, and profit-sharing after one year.
• Opportunities for growth through cross-functional collaboration and broad skill development.

Equal Opportunity

Darkroom is an equal opportunity workplace—we are dedicated to equal employment opportunities regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, gender identity, or veteran status. We also consider qualified applicants regardless of criminal histories, consistent with legal requirements.

Seniority level

Mid-Senior level

Employment type

Full-time

Job function

Business Development and Sales

Industries

Advertising Services

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