About Northern
Headquartered in London, Ontario, Northern is an integrated digital solutions agency that specializes in helping leading Retail and Public Service brands navigate digital change. Leveraging our industry expertise and deep understanding of our clients' businesses, we collaborate to design, create, and enable tailored digital experiences that drive growth. We have strategically assembled a group of innovators who have a passion for technology, design, and improving digital experiences.
What We're Looking For
We are looking to add a strategic Creative Director to lead our Marketing Design Team.
At Northern the Creative Director plays a pivotal role in shaping the creative direction of our projects. They define strategic and creative approaches, ensuring they align with performance insights and industry trends. Leading creative meetings and workshops, they effectively communicate and defend concepts to achieve alignment with stakeholders followed by hands-on execution. Additionally, the Creative Director oversees the development, training, management, and retention of the design team, ensuring high-quality and consistent delivery of creative solutions.
Full-time remote is available nationally. Our Connected Workplace Program gives you the option to choose a remote, hybrid, or in-office workspace!
Benefits of Becoming a Northerner
In exchange for your talent and expertise, Northern is committed to providing:
- Benefits plan, including a Health Spending Account
- Wellness Program & LifeWorks EAP
- Fitness Reimbursement Program
- Vet Care Program
- RRSP Matching
- Profit-Sharing Performance Bonuses
- Endless Professional Growth Opportunities
- Delicious Meals & Company Social Events
- Free Onsite Parking
- Referral Bonus Program
- Flexible work environment - so you can work where & when you work best
- Allowance to help set up home office
Just to name a few!...
Duties & Responsibilities
- Lead the creative team through strong design and creative vision, inspiring and motivating them to achieve excellence in every project.
- Drive campaign ideation and creative strategy, collaborating closely with the paid media and email teams to develop performance creative.
- Lead design strategy and execution for key client accounts.
- Present and defend campaign concepts to clients, effectively communicating the rationale behind each creative decision.
- Understand and ideate on compelling copywriting, ensuring that the messaging aligns with the overall creative direction and intended audience.
- Elevate the team's design through high visual standards and effective training, providing guidance and feedback to foster growth and development.
- Organize, prioritize and manage multiple projects in a deadline-driven environment.
- Ensure that the team's designs are effective for marketing objectives while maintaining client's brand standards and guidelines.
- Manage the creative team, including resource allocation, performance management, and professional development.
- Support design team with efficiency in a high volume production environment and budget usage.
- Lead creative brainstorming and ideation sessions with internal and external stakeholders.
- Follow design trends and digital creative best practices, with expertise in digital and paid ads, email design, animation, photography, and some web design.
- Lead photography and videography vendors on key projects, ensuring the highest quality deliverables.
- Conduct quality assurance (QA) checks to maintain the integrity and consistency of the final creative output.
- Proficiency in Adobe Creative Suite and Figma, with the ability to effectively utilize these tools to execute design tasks and collaborate with team members.
Knowledge, Education & Experience Required
- 5+ years' experience, as a Senior Designer or Art Director/Creative Director ideally in an agency environment
- Experience with managing / leading a design team producing high volume performance creative
- 3+ years' experience managing a team
- A College diploma, University degree in a related field
- Proficient in the fundamentals of graphic design and the functionality and utilization of the extended Adobe Suite and Figma.
- Proficiency in after effects and animation
Since its founding in 2015, Northern has grown to over 155 employees working together to help leading brands across North America navigate digital transformation. As one of only 3% of agency partners awarded Google Premier Partner status, and a Facebook Marketing Partner, Northern is a leader in digital marketing and advertising excellence. Our campaigns have been recognized as best-in-class by the Google Premier Partner Awards, Search Engine Land Awards, the Canadian Search Awards, and more.
Northern's continued growth, strengthened by our strong company culture, has led to multiple recognitions by Great Place to Work® Canada, including Best Workplaces™ in Canada, in Ontario, for Women, and for Hybrid Work.
Equity and Diversity
Northern invites applications from all qualified individuals. As a Rainbow Registered organization with the CGLCC, we are committed to employment equity and diversity in the workplace. We welcome applications from all individuals, including but not limited to members of visible minorities, Aboriginal persons, persons with disabilities, persons of any sexual orientation, and persons of any gender identity or gender expression. Accommodations are available for applicants with disabilities throughout the recruitment process.
remote work