Associate Creative Director
Top Benefits
About the role
Dog and Pony Studios is an integrated creative and digital agency for B2B brands. Headquartered in Toronto, Canada, we are a hybrid agency with remote teams located across Canada, South America and Europe. For 25+ years, our teams have worked at the cutting edge of technology and design, collaborating with some of the highest-impact organizations globally.
About the role
As Associate Creative Director at Dog and Pony Studios, you bring together business-forward, strategic client leadership, hands-on creative direction and inspiring mentorship to elevate our creative output and drive the execution of high-quality, strategically sound creative across the agency. Working closely with the VP, Creative, you will help define the strategic direction and develop the creative brief for a wide range of project types, helping to bring clarity, alignment, and energy to complex B2B challenges.
Responsibilities
Drive the creative vision and execution for high-impact creative and brand storytelling Mentor a team of writers and designers to deliver best-in-class creative Develop and maintain strong relationships with a range of client stakeholders, including business partners, internal and external agency partners and executive leadership
What you’ll be doing
Creative Direction and Vision Generate creative briefs that provide clear, actionable guidance to internal teams. Creatively direct a range of outputs across print, digital and video, from sales enablement materials to high-impact campaigns, videos to digital experiences, event activations to brand storytelling. Lead creative concept development, ensuring all work and proposed creative aligns with the client's brand and marketing objectives. Provide clear creative direction to designers and copywriters, promoting strong integration of strategy, content and design. Ensure the highest quality of creative output, maintaining consistency across all brand touchpoints, compliance with brand guidelines, and adherence to any legal requirements. Uphold the highest creative standards for design excellence, marketing best practices and communication principles. Advocate for bold, innovative ideas while maintaining strategic alignment with the clients’ business goals.
Team Mentorship & Leadership
Lead, inspire, and mentor creative teams, supporting a collaborative and high-performing culture. Set clear expectations and provide constructive feedback to promote professional growth within the team. Oversee multiple projects, ensuring deadlines are met while upholding creative excellence. Balance creative ambition with business realities, ensuring solutions are both inspiring and practical. Champion a culture of innovation, experimentation, and continuous improvement within the creative team. Support an environment of ownership, accountability, and proactive problem-solving within the team.
Strategic Client Leadership
Help direct and participate in discovery, including research efforts, distilling key insights to inform creative direction and campaign effectiveness. Work with clients to define brand positioning, messaging platforms, and strategic frameworks to differentiate clients in the marketplace. Lead client pitches and presentations to clients and agency partners, including in-house agency leadership, articulating the rationale behind strategic and design decisions. Create impactful presentations and reports that clearly articulate creative strategy. Guide clients through brand and marketing decisions, offering expert advice and recommendations.
Process & Resource Management
Collaborate with accounts and internal project management teams to establish realistic timelines, ensure efficient workflow management and prioritize resources across short- and long-term projects. Develop strong relationships with cross-functional teams, including art directors, designers, writers, producers, animators, developers, and others, to leverage the agency's full capabilities. Support Account Directors, Producers, and Studio Director to oversee budgets, timelines, and resource allocation to maximize productivity and profitability.
Requirements
Bachelor’s degree or higher 8+ years of agency experience and 3+ years of senior-level, client-facing experience in a leadership role Exceptional written and verbal communication skills Knowledge of financial services or experience working with complex subject matter or regulated industries Portfolio that demonstrates your experience leading and delivering a range of marketing initiatives, projects and programs, preferably in the B2B space
Additional Information
Salary Range: $105,000.00 - $115,000.00 Vacancy: This job posting is for a current open position at Dog and Pony Studios. AI Disclosure: All applications are reviewed by a member of our hiring team, and final hiring decisions are made by humans. While we generally do not rely on AI based tools in our hiring process, we may occasionally use AI-enabled tools to support certain aspects of application screening.
What we offer
Global Team: We hire the best professionals from all over the world. Be part of a highly motivated, multidisciplinary team working on world-class creative. Global Clients: Lead complex, high-impact projects for some of the biggest companies in the world. No Diva Policy: This is a friendly, collegial, client-centric team focused on delivering world-class products. Hybrid Office: We’ve been a hybrid agency since 2008. If you’re in Toronto, you will frequently work from our headquarters. You’ll meet your global teammates face-to-face a few times a year when we bring people together. Structured Career Plan: Clear expectations, regular performance reviews, and defined growth paths. Paid Vacation: 3 weeks annual paid vacation + annual wellness time off through Christmas and New Year. Paid Benefits: 100% coverage, without co-pay, with our benefits package. Paid Sick Leave: Generous yearly allowance for paid sick days.
Not the right fit? Search for Associate Creative Director jobs in Toronto, Ontario, Canada
About Dog and Pony Studios
For almost 25 years, global financial and professional services companies have turned to Dog and Pony Studios for the game changing power of creativity, communication and technology. We expertly develop and tell our clients’ stories. We create ideas, products, services, apps, digital, brands and experiences everywhere and anywhere our ideas come in contact with people.
We have a dedicated team that provides boutique service. We have proven and efficient processes to get you from concept to delivery. And we do it all in-house. We could put down a few hundred words here to tell you all about it, but we’ll get to that when we talk.
Contact us and let us know what marketing issue is on your mind. We’ll tell you how we can address it.
Similar Jobs
Associate Creative Director
Top Benefits
About the role
Dog and Pony Studios is an integrated creative and digital agency for B2B brands. Headquartered in Toronto, Canada, we are a hybrid agency with remote teams located across Canada, South America and Europe. For 25+ years, our teams have worked at the cutting edge of technology and design, collaborating with some of the highest-impact organizations globally.
About the role
As Associate Creative Director at Dog and Pony Studios, you bring together business-forward, strategic client leadership, hands-on creative direction and inspiring mentorship to elevate our creative output and drive the execution of high-quality, strategically sound creative across the agency. Working closely with the VP, Creative, you will help define the strategic direction and develop the creative brief for a wide range of project types, helping to bring clarity, alignment, and energy to complex B2B challenges.
Responsibilities
Drive the creative vision and execution for high-impact creative and brand storytelling Mentor a team of writers and designers to deliver best-in-class creative Develop and maintain strong relationships with a range of client stakeholders, including business partners, internal and external agency partners and executive leadership
What you’ll be doing
Creative Direction and Vision Generate creative briefs that provide clear, actionable guidance to internal teams. Creatively direct a range of outputs across print, digital and video, from sales enablement materials to high-impact campaigns, videos to digital experiences, event activations to brand storytelling. Lead creative concept development, ensuring all work and proposed creative aligns with the client's brand and marketing objectives. Provide clear creative direction to designers and copywriters, promoting strong integration of strategy, content and design. Ensure the highest quality of creative output, maintaining consistency across all brand touchpoints, compliance with brand guidelines, and adherence to any legal requirements. Uphold the highest creative standards for design excellence, marketing best practices and communication principles. Advocate for bold, innovative ideas while maintaining strategic alignment with the clients’ business goals.
Team Mentorship & Leadership
Lead, inspire, and mentor creative teams, supporting a collaborative and high-performing culture. Set clear expectations and provide constructive feedback to promote professional growth within the team. Oversee multiple projects, ensuring deadlines are met while upholding creative excellence. Balance creative ambition with business realities, ensuring solutions are both inspiring and practical. Champion a culture of innovation, experimentation, and continuous improvement within the creative team. Support an environment of ownership, accountability, and proactive problem-solving within the team.
Strategic Client Leadership
Help direct and participate in discovery, including research efforts, distilling key insights to inform creative direction and campaign effectiveness. Work with clients to define brand positioning, messaging platforms, and strategic frameworks to differentiate clients in the marketplace. Lead client pitches and presentations to clients and agency partners, including in-house agency leadership, articulating the rationale behind strategic and design decisions. Create impactful presentations and reports that clearly articulate creative strategy. Guide clients through brand and marketing decisions, offering expert advice and recommendations.
Process & Resource Management
Collaborate with accounts and internal project management teams to establish realistic timelines, ensure efficient workflow management and prioritize resources across short- and long-term projects. Develop strong relationships with cross-functional teams, including art directors, designers, writers, producers, animators, developers, and others, to leverage the agency's full capabilities. Support Account Directors, Producers, and Studio Director to oversee budgets, timelines, and resource allocation to maximize productivity and profitability.
Requirements
Bachelor’s degree or higher 8+ years of agency experience and 3+ years of senior-level, client-facing experience in a leadership role Exceptional written and verbal communication skills Knowledge of financial services or experience working with complex subject matter or regulated industries Portfolio that demonstrates your experience leading and delivering a range of marketing initiatives, projects and programs, preferably in the B2B space
Additional Information
Salary Range: $105,000.00 - $115,000.00 Vacancy: This job posting is for a current open position at Dog and Pony Studios. AI Disclosure: All applications are reviewed by a member of our hiring team, and final hiring decisions are made by humans. While we generally do not rely on AI based tools in our hiring process, we may occasionally use AI-enabled tools to support certain aspects of application screening.
What we offer
Global Team: We hire the best professionals from all over the world. Be part of a highly motivated, multidisciplinary team working on world-class creative. Global Clients: Lead complex, high-impact projects for some of the biggest companies in the world. No Diva Policy: This is a friendly, collegial, client-centric team focused on delivering world-class products. Hybrid Office: We’ve been a hybrid agency since 2008. If you’re in Toronto, you will frequently work from our headquarters. You’ll meet your global teammates face-to-face a few times a year when we bring people together. Structured Career Plan: Clear expectations, regular performance reviews, and defined growth paths. Paid Vacation: 3 weeks annual paid vacation + annual wellness time off through Christmas and New Year. Paid Benefits: 100% coverage, without co-pay, with our benefits package. Paid Sick Leave: Generous yearly allowance for paid sick days.
Not the right fit? Search for Associate Creative Director jobs in Toronto, Ontario, Canada
About Dog and Pony Studios
For almost 25 years, global financial and professional services companies have turned to Dog and Pony Studios for the game changing power of creativity, communication and technology. We expertly develop and tell our clients’ stories. We create ideas, products, services, apps, digital, brands and experiences everywhere and anywhere our ideas come in contact with people.
We have a dedicated team that provides boutique service. We have proven and efficient processes to get you from concept to delivery. And we do it all in-house. We could put down a few hundred words here to tell you all about it, but we’ll get to that when we talk.
Contact us and let us know what marketing issue is on your mind. We’ll tell you how we can address it.