Associate Creative Director

Job Title: Associate Creative DirectorLocation: New York CityWho We AreMIJO creates bold launch campaigns for leading tech and lifestyle brands including Stripe, Jones Road Beauty, and Noble Mobile.We do it with unrivaled visual precision, at a very fast pace, with a work style that is fun, collaborative and energetic.That’s what we’re known for.We are a tight team of creative misfits on the Lower East Side, building an agency at the intersection of art, culture, and technology.In an industry flooded with AI slop (derivative, mass produced content that looks polished but feels empty) MIJO is taking a different path.MIJO operates like a cultural workshop. We start with pencils, paper, conversation, taste, tension, and real human insight. We are not anti tech. We use new tools aggressively. But we are militant about keeping the human hand in the work through writing, drawing, art direction, casting, editing, music, texture, physical production, and the hundreds of tiny decisions that make a brand feel alive.We are in it, as they say, for the love of the game. We are obsessed with solving problems. And with the act of making.We value clarity over jargon, partnership over hierarchy, and ideas that help our clients move boldly into what’s next without losing what makes them human.The RoleWe’re looking for an Associate Creative Director who can help define the creative standard of MIJO as we grow.This is not a “people manager” role. This is an IC role in a startup environment on a team that ships a high quantity of projects at high velocity.This role is for a senior level creative who can own a work stream from brief to final delivery. Someone who can dive into the brief, find multiple ways in, root the work in strategy, partner with MIJO leadership to focus the thinking, develop the presentation, write the work, shape the art direction, present it clearly, own the feedback, and keep the project moving until it is real.If it is a film, you can help move from idea to script to production.If it is a design project, you can help move from concept to full design.If it is a stunt, product drop, social idea, brand platform, deck, or strange cultural object, you can help make it sharper, clearer, and more ownable.You’ll be supported by producers, project managers, account leads, designers, editors, writers and makers. Everyone at MIJO wears multiple hats.You are a big idea thinker with a maker’s brain. You can crack a campaign platform, shape a film, guide a visual system, improve a script, sharpen a deck, direct a designer, talk to a client, and still care deeply about whether the line break, layout, casting choice, edit, texture, or final frame is doing its job.This is a hands on creative leadership role. We are not looking for someone who only oversees. We are looking for someone who can make the work better by getting inside it.You should be excited by AI, but not seduced by it. You should know how to use emerging tools to move faster, explore wider, and make production more efficient. But your taste, judgment, and human point of view should always drive the work.What You’ll Actually DoOwn work streams from brief to executionDive into the brief, find the strategic tension, develop multiple creative ways in, and help us decide what is strongest, clearest, and most worth making.Create and shape the workConcept, write, art direct, design direct, edit, polish, and push ideas across campaigns, film, social, content, design systems, pitches, and whatever else the work requires.Turn strategy into cultureTranslate insights into ideas people notice, remember, and talk about. That might be a campaign, a stunt, a piece of art, a collaboration, a product drop, or something stranger.Build the presentationHelp turn rough thinking into a senior level presentation. Structure the story, sharpen the language, frame the ideas, and make the work easy for clients to understand and believe in.Write and directBring the rare combination of writing and visual judgment. Improve the line, the idea, the script, the art direction, the design direction, and the way the work lands in the room.Lead without floating above the workGuide creative teams while staying close to the details. Set direction, jump into a script, reframe a concept, sharpen a line, or help make a deck stronger.Own feedback and revisionsTake client and internal feedback seriously without making the work softer. Find the note inside the note, protect the idea, and make the next version better.Move ideas into productionHelp ideas become real. If it is a video, move into script and production. If it is design, move into the system and execution. If it is something else, keep it moving.Bring craft into the AI ageUse AI and emerging tools intelligently for exploration, iteration, production, and workflow while protecting the human judgment, taste, and craft that make the work distinct.Raise the barMentor younger creatives, contribute to pitches and proactive ideas, and help build the creative habits, references, and standards that define MIJO as we grow.Who You AreExperiencedYou likely have 7 to 10 years of experience in a creative agency, studio, brand, or similarly demanding creative environment. Your portfolio shows strong thinking across channels, not just polished execution.A hybrid creative leaderYou may come from copy, art direction, design, film, social, experiential, or some combination of all of it. The title matters less than your ability to think conceptually, lead creatively, and make things with taste.Hands onYou do not disappear after the kickoff. You can lead the room, then get back into the deck, script, layout, edit, or idea and make it better.Culturally awareYou pay attention to advertising, art, music, film, internet behavior, fashion, sports, technology, language, and the small signals that reveal where people are headed. You don't have to be an online content creator, but you're plugged in right now. High confidence, low egoYou can present work without hiding behind jargon. You can defend an idea without being precious. You can collaborate without needing everything to be yours.What We’re Looking For in Your BookA portfolio that shows:• Big campaign thinking with major brands, not just isolated executions• Strong writing, art direction, design direction, or a real mix of disciplines• Work that has lived in the world across film, social, digital, experiential, brand systems, or content• Evidence of taste, craft, humor, restraint, and cultural intelligence• An ability to make brands feel human• At least a few ideas that could be brought up in convo at brunch without completely boring the tableLocationThis is a New York City based role. We work in a hybrid rhythm, with regular in-person collaboration expected in our LES office and in-person for shoots and client meetings. The exact cadence may evolve as the agency grows, but this is NOT a fully remote role.CompensationThis role will begin as a contract position, with the intention to move into a full time role if the fit is right on both sides.Full time salary range is expected to be $140,000 to $170,000 USD per year, depending on experience.For the contract period, compensation will be aligned to experience, scope, and agreed weekly commitment.How to ApplySend us your portfolio, resume, and let us know what caught your eye about this posting.We are less interested in perfect career paths than in great taste, strong thinking, low ego, and the ability to make work people actually care about.