Associate Creative Director

Description

Job Summary: Lead the visual direction and creative quality of work across all Denison Ministries brands. This role owns creative direction for campaigns, publications, web, and event assets; art directs designers, vendors, and freelancers; and serves as the final creative review on all assets before they go out. This is a working creative leadership role that blends hands-on art direction with team and vendor management to elevate the brand expression of every Denison Ministries property.  

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES 

● Graphic Designer 

● Freelance designers, book design vendor, and other creative partners as engaged 

DUTIES/RESPONSIBILITIES  

Creative Leadership & Strategy 

● Set and uphold the visual direction for all Denison Ministries brands, aligned with ministry goals and annual marketing plans set by the CMO. 

● Partner with the CMO on creative strategy, brand evolution, and the creative bar for what ships under each brand. 

● Concept and art direct seasonal campaigns, fundraising initiatives, and signature brand moments across the portfolio. 

● Manage and mentor the Graphic Designer, setting clear priorities, providing creative feedback, and supporting professional growth. 

● Demonstrate comfort and fluency with AI systems, applying them thoughtfully to improve creative development, art direction, and team productivity. 

Art Direction 

● Art direct flagship print pieces, including the Denison Magazine and printed reports. 

● Direct the book design vendor on covers and interiors for 2–4 books per year, including Advent, Lent, and signature releases. 

● Set design direction for key web pages, landing pages, and digital campaigns across brand properties. 

● Direct event creative for major initiatives, including invitations, posters, banners, programs, and supporting marketing assets. 

● Direct ad creative, landing pages, and visual assets, ensuring continuous testing and iteration. 

Creative Review & Brand Stewardship 

● Serve as the final creative review and approval on all digital assets and emails before they go out across brands. 

● Partner with the Chief Marketing Officer, who holds final creative review and approval on printed pieces and website updates, to ensure assets are polished and ready for sign-off. 

● Ensure visual consistency, brand alignment, and high craft across digital, print, direct mail, and event touchpoints. 

● Maintain and evolve brand identity systems as needed to support ministry growth and new initiatives. 

Hands-On Creative 

● Concept and design the highest-stakes work directly, including key campaign visuals, magazine spreads, and brand systems. 

● Build pitch-level work and creative direction decks for major initiatives. 

● Contribute design execution to flagship web pages and signature campaigns alongside the Graphic Designer. 

● Step in on graphic design tasks as needed to support team capacity, recognizing that hands-on production is a secondary, not primary, focus of this role. 

Cross-Functional Partnership 

Collaborate with the Senior Manager, Performance Marketing on campaign creative, ad assets, and paid media testing. 

● Partner with the Director of Digital Products on web design execution and the Figma to WordPress pipeline. 

● Translate ministry goals, marketing strategy, and audience insights into creative work that connects with our audiences. 

● All other duties as assigned by the Chief Marketing Officer. 

● Ensure that performance and conduct align with the ministry's Statement of Faith, Core Values, Organizational Playbook, and Employee Handbook.

Requirement

REQUIRED SKILLS/ABILITIES 

● Strong portfolio demonstrating excellent work across both digital and print, with proven experience setting visual direction across brand systems. 

● Proven experience art directing others, including designers, freelancers, vendors, and photographers, with the ability to elevate work through clear, kind feedback. 

● Strong typography, layout, and brand systems thinking, with fluency in editorial design (magazines, books, long-form publications) a plus. 

● Fluency in Figma and Adobe Creative Suite, with familiarity in WordPress and modern web design workflows preferred. 

● Experience managing or mentoring at least one direct report, with the ability to motivate, coach, and develop creative talent. 

● Excellent written and verbal communication abilities to present creative work, articulate direction, and collaborate effectively across teams. 

● Strong project management instincts with the ability to balance multiple campaigns, vendors, and creative deliverables simultaneously. 

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE: 

● Bachelor's degree preferred or equivalent professional experience. 

● 3+ years of design experience, with experience in a senior or lead design role preferred. 

● Experience in publishing, media, or mission-driven organizations preferred.