Associate Creative Director - RR Donnelley

RRD is a leading global provider of marketing, packaging, print, and supply chain solutions that elevate engagement across the complete customer journey. The company offers the industry’s most trusted portfolio of creative execution and world-wide business process consulting, with services designed to lower environmental impact. With 22,000 clients, including 93% of the Fortune 100, and 32,000 employees across 28 countries, RRD brings the expertise, execution, and scale designed to transform customer touchpoints into meaningful moments of impact.

This is a hybrid position in Atlanta, with 4 days onsite. 

The Associate Creative Director will lead the graphic design / creative team, which is responsible for conceptualization, design and execution of creative projects within an RRD facility. This role will provide strategic and critical thought leadership and excel in incorporating a connected consumer experience across multiple channels. He/she must have experience in communications design including business strategy, design, typography, production and prepress skills. He/she must have the ability to work creatively in a fast-paced environment. They will manage all creative and copywriting resources to provide quality products and services, on schedule, within budgeted cost parameters. The Associate Creative Director will coordinate with the client to manage 3000+ creative projects per year. They will develop conceptual designs within the framework of strong brand guidelines that deliver on merchant, marketing and retail objectives. Direct management responsibilities for a team comprised of 4+ highly-skilled creative professionals. Individual adept at driving/growing relationships with key clientele, across all levels of the organization.

Work is typically performed under no supervision, with only guidance about overall goals and objectives.  Usually receive minimal to no guidance about how to complete work objectives.  Must be able to define work based on evaluation of short term and long-term goals of the department.  Able to independently evaluate processes, identify areas of improvement, and incorporate in to overall work objectives.   

• Collaborates and interacts regularly with the creative director, client and production/design teams to identify project needs which best support the businesses and marketing objectives further propelling the client’s brand strategy.  

• Works on high-profile/high-priority client projects that are complex, non-routine and vary greatly in scope.

• Develops creative and graphic concepts (for web, environmental and print) in collaboration with assigned design team.

• Follows projects throughout all stages of print production and/or online deployment.

• Provides art direction and production support to produce technically correct, print-ready mechanicals for release.

• Responsible for oversite of all client approved print-ready artwork being released to print vendors.

• Solves business challenges and interprets marketing ideas turning them into visual reality and smart creative design.

• Aligns with creative director and senior marketing executives to develop top-line marketing campaigns pushing existing boundaries.

• Takes ownership, leads initiatives and successfully executes through all stages of creative development meeting budget and schedule target deadlines.

• Expert understanding of the client brand, design needs and methodology.

• Effective communication with peers, senior management and client across all topics from team/people management, business to creative.

• Manage, mentor and build teams of 4+ designers, production artists and copywriters.

• Conducts regular assessment of team strengths and opportunities. 

• Manages the talent recruitment and development for the creative team. 

• Management conduit between 2 office locations.

• Ability to lead by example and cultivate the creative atmosphere that will motivate and drive the team to be successful for RRD and the client. 

• Excellent presentation skills with ability to lead client discovery sessions, present and communicate how the concept meet objectives and expectations.

• Provides senior leadership with current project updates, challenges and opportunities.

• Promotes collaboration, support and inclusion to create a positive work environment.

• Sharp attention to detail. 

• Effectively communicates with client and RRD leadership regarding situations that require decisions, actions and may include problems.

• Self-motivated individual with a positive attitude

• Bachelor’s degree in discipline related field with 12+ yrs. of experience

• Possesses a strong developing and current portfolio of imaginative and compelling work.

• Retail, agency or in-house corporate retail design experience preferred.

• Understanding of retail omni-channel marketing and the customer journey.

• Well versed on Macintosh platform (OS) and industry standard applications:
  Adobe CC (InDesign, Illustrator, Photoshop, and other relevant programs) and Microsoft Office.

• Familiar with project management software platforms preferred.

• Experience presenting/pitching concepts to internal clients and external customers.

• Vendor sourcing experience.

• Strong written and verbal communication skills.

• Organizational skills, adaptability and composure under stressful situations are important.

• Excellent interpersonal skills and the proven ability to exemplify EQ/IQ in the workplace with both client and team.

• Strong project management, organizational and time-management skills.

• Ability to see the big picture while focusing on small details

• Strengths include: strategic and critical thinking, ideation, detail-oriented and a strong problem-solving ability

• Agile thinker.

• Positive, proactive attitude.

• Responsive leadership with the ability to manage conflict resolution and diverse personalities and behavioral styles.

• Strong business acumen preferred.

• Understanding of CX and environmental design preferred.

• Thirst for curiosity, retail innovation, and emerging technologies.

• Ability to express an idea in different forms and media types.

• Understanding of merchandising and packaging design preferred.

• Self-motivated individual.

The national pay range for this role is $88,200 to $156,800 annually. The pay range may be slightly lower or higher based on the geographic location of the hired employee. The actual pay offered may vary based upon, but not limited to: education, skills, experience, proficiency, performance, shift and location. In addition to base salary, depending on the role, the total compensation package may also include participation in a bonus, commission or incentive program. RRD offers benefits including medical, dental, and vision coverage, paid time off, disability insurance, 401(k) with match, life insurance and other voluntary supplemental insurance coverages, plus tuition assistance, maternity leave, adoption assistance, and employer/partner discounts.

RRD is an Equal Opportunity Employer, including disability/veterans