Associate Creative Director/Copywriter

Location: Morgantown, West Virginia

Experience: 5+ years

Our client, a marketing agency headquartered in Morgantown, W.Va., seeks a dynamic Associate Creative Director (ACD) with experience leading, producing, and integrating creative strategy across all platforms. The ACD must have an excellent understanding of the client’s business and marketing strategy and understand how the agency is measuring and reporting the effectiveness of the work. They would be able to lead internal client strategy discussions and articulate a strategic point of view. The ACD will draft marketing strategy documents, including target market personas and profiles, messaging strategy, and media channels designed to meet measurable objectives. The ACD will help the agency continually elevate creative standards and lead creative teams throughout developing and delivering fully integrated programs.

Key Responsibilities:

Plan and strategize effective, high-profile integrated plans with budget and timeline considerations.
Guide research that will identify the client’s key audiences, industry, and competitors.
Identify marketing opportunities, risks, and trends that will support a successful campaign.
Demonstrate a clear understanding of campaign objectives and devise strategies to achieve them.
Develop a creative strategy to guide messaging and concepts.
Partner with account and planning leadership to ensure relevant creative strategies and tracking are in place and manage department time to meet client and project budget expectations.
Ensure creative output meets agency standards for quality and salesmanship–across all media.
Work with agency management to continuously evolve an organized and profitable content marketing practice within the agency.
Oversee the career development of each team member, mentoring both direct and secondary reports.
Must be flexible, with the ability to multi-task, work under tight deadlines and frequently adjust to changing priorities and timelines. Must be prepared to embrace change and pivot when necessary.
Outstanding commitment to customer service.
Other duties as assigned.

Knowledge and Skill Requirements:

Highly strategic and conceptual. Experience in strategic planning and execution. Knowledge of advertising/integrated marketing agency principles and practices. Knowledge of communication and advertising/marketing techniques. In-depth understanding of all media, including print, video, digital and social channels. Ability to develop and deliver presentations. Strong problem-solving skills and extremely detail-oriented. A strong sense of curiosity.
Must have strong interpersonal skills to foster optimal departmental relationships. Excellent communication skills, both written and oral. Ability to effectively communicate and interact with the C-suite and upper-level management. Ability to motivate teams and simultaneously manage several projects.
Must be an industry leader with at least five years of experience in an advertising agency setting as a copywriter or assistant creative director. Must demonstrate expertise in managing the day-to-day creative on multiple accounts, including the supervision of writers and/or art directors/designers. Minimum of a Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communications, Integrated Marketing, English, Journalism or related field.
Deep understanding of and experience with professional copywriting and a persuasive and confident approach to creativity. A strong record of creating clean copy that stands out from the crowd. Must have extensive knowledge of AP news writing and editing.
Critical thinking to make effective decisions and recommendations. Ability to understand the financial implications of recommendations on agency and client.
Is involved in all major account planning initiatives for the agency; often, spearheads the development of the annual integrated marketing communications plan (research, creative strategy, branding, media planning, website production, lead generation/nurturing plants, etc.).
Instills strategic principles, plays a leadership role among the creative and production teams, and bridges the gap on a day-to-day “in the trenches” level. Creates processes that further enable effective, powerful integration between teams.
Will be called on to prepare and make client presentations–virtual and in-person.
Intense curiosity about human behavior and technology related to marketing.
Work requires a willingness to work a flexible schedule and travel.

Compensation:

$90,000 to $100,000