Creative Director, Art and Design

Who We Are

VML is a global creative company that combines brand experience, customer experience, and commerce to create connected brands that drive growth. Guided by a Human First philosophy, VML is known for its innovative work for brands and consistently ranks among the world's leading creative companies, including the WARC Creative 100. VML's global network spans 55+ markets with principal offices in Buenos Aires, Kansas City, London, New York, São Paulo, Shanghai and Singapore.

VML is part of WPP, the trusted growth partner for the world's leading brands. Powered by exceptional talent and our agentic marketing platform WPP Open, WPP unites cutting-edge media intelligence and data solutions, creativity, production, enterprise solutions and expert strategic counsel.

For more information, please visit www.vml.com and follow along on LinkedIn #WeAreVML.

Who We Are Looking For

Passport Brand Design, part of the VML network and a WPP-affiliated company, is seeking a visionary Creative Director of Art and Design to lead a talented, large-scale team of art directors and designers. We are a globally respected premium brand agency, and this senior leadership role is critical to driving conceptual and design excellence across brand identity, packaging, and campaign design.

Important: This role primarily supports creative work within the tobacco industry. We want to be transparent about this so candidates can self-select based on their comfort level with the category.

What You'll Do

• Lead, mentor, and inspire a team of art directors, designers, and copywriters, fostering a culture of creative excellence and continuous growth
• Drive creative vision and execution across multiple simultaneous accounts, specializing in premium brand identity, packaging, and integrated campaign design
• Present, articulate, and confidently defend creative concepts to executive-level clients
• Partner closely with strategy, account management, and production to ensure work is strategically sound and flawlessly executed
• Navigate the nuances of a highly regulated industry — using constraints as a catalyst for innovative, compliant creative solutions
• Act as a steward of the agency's premium design standards across all output
• Lead and execute strong conceptual campaigns, print, out-of-home, digital, experiential, activations, and more

Who You Are

• A strategic, curious problem-solver who can distill complex category rules into elegant, compelling design systems
• An empathetic leader who builds trust, champions collaboration, and creates space for creatives to do their best work
• A bold idea-driver who is comfortable with ambiguity and has the conviction to push for exceptional, high-impact work even within regulated spaces

What You'll Need

• Demonstrated senior creative leadership experience within an agency environment
• A compelling, high-caliber portfolio demonstrating exceptional craft in brand identity, packaging, and campaign design
• Proven track record managing and mentoring large creative teams
• Exceptional client-facing skills, including experience presenting to C-suite stakeholders
• Comfort working on tobacco industry accounts

We believe the best work happens when we're together, fostering creativity, collaboration, and connection. That's why we've adopted a hybrid approach, with teams in the office an average of four days a week. If you require accommodations or flexibility, please discuss this with the hiring team during the interview process.

WPP (VML) is an equal opportunity employer and considers applicants for all positions without discrimination or regard to characteristics. We are committed to fostering a culture of respect in which everyone feels they belong and has the same opportunities to progress in their careers.

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