Creative Director - Digital (Milwaukee)
ABOUT MARGLE MEDIA Margle Media is a digitally-led marketing agency helping brands grow through strategy, content, creative, social, influencer, and performance marketing. ROLE SUMMARY The Creative Director owns the creative vision and execution for Margle Media's digital-first marketing campaigns — spanning paid social, display, programmatic, retail media, connected TV, web, and email, and leads the people and processes that bring that vision to life. This role blends high-level creative direction and brand stewardship with hands-on oversight of creative resourcing, freelance talent, and production workflows, ensuring every campaign is both strategically sound and exceptionally crafted. The Creative Director works closely with strategy, accounts, media buying, and project management to translate client objectives and performance data into creative concepts that perform and leads a team of designers, editors, art directors, and freelance creative partners to execute that vision consistently across every client account. This role is distinct from Margle's global project management function: the Creative Director owns creative quality, consistency, and workflow across static, motion, and video disciplines, not the agency-wide tracking of timelines, budgets, and logistics across creative, digital, accounts, and other departments, which sits with Project Management. KEY RESPONSIBILITIES 1. Creative Vision & Direction Own creative vision and concept development across integrated digital campaigns; paid social, display, programmatic, retail media, CTV, web, and email, translating client objectives, audience insights, and performance goals into creative that drives engagement, conversion, and brand growth Set and uphold creative standards for typography, layout, motion, storytelling, and digital-first design systems across all client work Partner with strategy, media buying, and account leadership to ensure creative concepts are grounded in data and platform best practices 2. Team Leadership & Creative Resourcing Lead and mentor the creative department providing feedback, guidance, and creative standards that elevate the team's thinking and execution Assess creative project requirements and allocate internal and freelance resources, accordingly, partnering with Project Management to ensure work is properly scoped and resourced Source, onboard, and manage a reliable network of freelance designers, editors, photographers, videographers, and other creative specialists; maintain best-practice guidelines for briefing, file delivery, and communication Evaluate freelance and vendor performance and make resourcing recommendations 3. Performance-Driven & AI-Enabled Creative Develop creative rooted in data, testing, and performance-marketing principles; collaborate with media and strategy teams to analyze creative performance and continuously optimize effectiveness across channels Champion the use of AI-powered creative tools (generative image, video, copy, and workflow automation) to accelerate ideation, improve production efficiency, and explore new creative opportunities — while maintaining brand integrity and creative quality Stay ahead of evolving digital trends, platform updates, and emerging creative technologies, proactively introducing new tools and approaches to the team 4. Client & Cross-Functional Partnership Represent creative in client-facing planning, presentation, and review meetings, providing context and confidence around creative recommendations and execution Build a deep understanding of client brands, audiences, business objectives, and competitive landscapes to inform creative strategy Partner cross-functionally with account management, strategists, media buyers, copywriters, developers, and project management to keep creative execution aligned with client objectives and campaign timelines 5. Production & Quality Oversight Oversee multiple concurrent projects, balancing deadlines, budgets, creative quality, and business priorities across the digital production pipeline Maintain and organize the digital asset library, ensuring approved visuals are accessible, optimized, and usable across teams Provide hands-on creative support — including design, editing, and production — during periods of high volume or resource constraints 6. Creative Workflow Bridge & Quality Control Serve as the connective bridge between creative direction, static design, and video/motion deliverable processes, ensuring these disciplines stay aligned rather than siloed — particularly as freelancer use increases Bring creative-trade context and technical production considerations into project meetings early, so budgets and timelines account for real production requirements before they're locked in Own quality control for outgoing creative — both aesthetic execution and the technical structure of project files — with added rigor for freelancer-delivered work, where visibility into file assembly is more limited Provide hands-on static design support for high-priority, quick-turn requests and freelancer rework, so the team isn't blocked waiting on production capacity QUALIFICATIONS Required 5 years of experience in a creative leadership, art direction, or creative management role within an agency or digitally led marketing organization Proven experience leading creative vision and execution for paid social, display, and programmatic advertising (Meta, TikTok, YouTube, CTV) Experience managing internal creative talent as well as freelance creative partners and vendors Strong static design and art direction skills (Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign), with the ability to personally execute high-priority or quick-turn static work when needed Working familiarity with Premiere Pro and video/motion workflows is helpful; deep video production or motion graphics expertise is not required for this role Technical understanding of creative file architecture and production standards, to evaluate quality and consistency across both internal and freelance-delivered work Hands-on proficiency with AI creative tools (generative image, video, copy, workflow automation) and a demonstrated ability to integrate them into production workflows Ability to interpret audience research, campaign performance data, and strategic insights, and translate them into creative decisions Excellent communication, organization, and relationship-management skills, including comfort in client-facing settings Strong creative judgment and attention to detail, with the ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced agency environment Preferred Agency background with direct experience across paid social, influencer marketing, digital display, CTV, and performance-driven campaigns Experience developing freelancer and vendor management processes and best practices Deep understanding of how creative performs across digital platforms, with the ability to shape decisions based on platform-specific formats and behaviors Experience mentoring or managing junior creative staff WHAT SUCCESS LOOKS LIKE Creative consistently aligns with strategic objectives, brand standards, and client expectations across every digital platform Creative projects are properly resourced — internally and with freelance talent — before production begins Campaign creative performance continuously improves through data-informed iteration and AI-enabled production Clients feel confident in Margle's creative expertise, from concept through execution The creative team operates efficiently, with clear standards, strong mentorship, and a scalable freelance network
