Associate Creative Director

Are you passionate about the outdoors and inspired by the call of the wild? Do you believe great design can connect people to nature and preserve it for generations to come? We’re looking for an Associate Creative Director (ACD) who lives and breathes outdoor culture—someone who can channel that passion into compelling creative work that resonates with outdoor enthusiasts and conservation-minded consumers.

As ACD, you’ll be a strategic and visionary leader guiding the creative direction of campaigns that celebrate outdoor recreation, wildlife conservation, and the spirit of adventure. You’ll collaborate closely with our internal project team and the Bass Pro Shops Brand Creative team to develop seasonal campaigns and category-specific initiatives across hunting, fishing, apparel, and outdoor lifestyle segments.

This role is client-facing and requires not only strong conceptual thinking and leadership, but also a deep understanding of the values and behaviors of outdoor consumers. You’ll ensure that every creative deliverable reflects the authenticity, heritage, and conservation mission that define the Bass Pro Shops experience.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
•Must exemplify a 5-tool creative performer: Creative (thinker, doer, leader), Collaborative (internally/externally), Conceptual (a passion for the big idea), Client Facing (endeared to client and needs), Growth Cultured (is culture forward and looks for avenues for growth).
•Leads creative output across assigned client groups, ensuring the development and execution of final deliverables that consistently align with the organization’s marketing objectives and meet the highest standards of quality.
•Concepts, develops, and oversees the creative integrity, brand consistency, and authenticity of all work produced for the account.
•Develops, designs, and presents creative concepts and media strategies for new projects, securing client approval through clear and compelling communication of ideas.
•Supports departmental efficiency through the implementation of continuous improvement strategies and process optimization initiatives.
•Develops, designs, and presents comprehensive campaign and brand guidelines that clearly communicate art direction and graphic standards to the client’s internal production teams, ensuring consistency and alignment across all creative outputs.
•Demonstrate strong strategic thinking capabilities while effectively managing multiple priorities, anticipating needs, coordinating tight deadlines, and accurately estimating time requirements for project completion.
•Ensures the highest standards of creative and design excellence are consistently maintained by upholding rigorous quality expectations for both them and their team.
•Participates in client turnover meetings to gather essential project information and contribute to strategic planning by providing creative recommendations that align with the client’s goals and support broader campaign objectives.
•Facilitates timely and effective communication of project direction and design across all stakeholders, ensuring that all creative team members are fully equipped with the necessary information and resources to achieve project objectives.
•Maintains awareness of current graphic design and advertising trends, applying relevant insights to enhance the effectiveness and creativity of client work.
•Supervising art directors, graphic designers, and copywriters as needed.

JOB REQUIREMENTS
Appropriate education and/or experience may be substituted on an equivalent basis
Education: Bachelor’s Degree in Graphic Design and Advertising (or related field)
Experience: 8+ years of experience in a creative capacity with previous roles as an Art Director, Associate Creative Director or similar agency background is highly desired

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities:
•Experience in the outdoor industry with a passion for the outdoors.
•Demonstrate strong communication, organizational, attention to detail, and time management skills in delivering exceptional client service.
•Exhibit strong leadership in presenting creative and conceptual work to internal teams and clients within the outdoor industry, demonstrating a deep understanding of client needs and effectively addressing them through compelling messaging and design strategies.
•Proven experience collaborating with marketing and branding teams within large-scale corporate environments.
•Apply deep knowledge of outdoor culture and consumer behavior to ensure all creative work authentically reflects the Bass Pro Shops brand identity.
•Ability to demonstrate competency in building campaigns from start to finish that consistently, and creatively, communicate brand marketing through various media and consumer touchpoints in a portfolio.
•Demonstrates flexibility and professionalism by adjusting schedules to meet shifting deadlines or evolving project scope based on client needs.
•Ability to manage multiple projects and prioritize according to changing deadlines.
•Intuitive problem solver with the ability to solve challenges.
•8+ years of agency-related professional experience with 3+ years successfully managing others.
•Knowledge of integrated work, including design, digital, social, media, video, broadcast, and print.
•Expert knowledge of Adobe Creative Suite.

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