Group Creative Director at CNC Agency

United States

$210k - $250k

<p>CNC Agency (formerly Coffee ’n Clothes) is an experiential marketing agency born from culture and built for connection. We create experiences, stories, and products that people love and that help brands grow. We put people first and design accordingly, seamlessly blending strategy, creativity, production, and culture to turn ideas into experiences that move people. Because amazing things happen to brands when they build for humans, not algorithms.</p><p><br />We're looking for a Group Creative Director to lead the creative vision for a client portfolio at CNC. This is a role for a creative leader who believes exceptional experiences are built through exceptional craft. Someone who understands that a powerful concept is only as strong as its execution and who cares as much about the material palette, spatial composition, typography, lighting, storytelling, and guest journey as they do about the big idea.</p><p></p><p>This is a highly hands-on leadership role. While responsible for setting creative direction, the Group Creative Director is expected to be deeply involved in the work every day, reviewing creative, shaping concepts, mentoring teams, presenting to clients, solving creative challenges, and ensuring every deliverable reflects an uncompromising standard of quality, design, and craft. The ideal candidate is equally comfortable developing a creative platform, leading multidisciplinary teams, presenting to executive-level clients, and providing detailed creative direction on everything from concept and storytelling to typography, composition, copy, color, pacing, and overall design refinement.</p><p></p><p>As our Group Creative Director, you'll lead multidisciplinary teams across a portfolio, guiding work from strategic concept through final installation. You'll inspire creative excellence, mentor junior talent, and champion the highest standards of experiential design, art direction, and craftsmanship. Working closely with Strategy, Production, Account, and Creative Leadership, you'll ensure every experience is strategically grounded, emotionally resonant, beautifully designed, and flawlessly executed.</p><p></p><p>Roles &amp; Responsibilities</p><ul><li>Lead the creative vision across a portfolio of 4–10 concurrent experiential programs, ensuring every project delivers exceptional creative quality, strategic thinking, and design excellence.</li><li>Develop breakthrough experiential concepts, creative territories, experience platforms, and strategic narratives that connect brands with audiences in meaningful ways.</li><li>Translate business objectives, audience insights, and cultural trends into innovative experiential opportunities.</li><li>Partner closely with Strategy, Creative Directors, and Design Directors during the earliest stages of development to shape concepts, define creative direction, and establish strong strategic foundations before execution begins.</li><li>Lead ideation sessions, workshops, and creative reviews that inspire multidisciplinary teams and elevate the quality of the work.</li><li>Maintain continuous creative oversight throughout every phase of development, ensuring concepts evolve without losing their original vision or creative integrity.</li><li>Review creative work daily across presentations, environments, campaigns, content, copy, design systems, motion, and experiential executions, providing clear, actionable feedback that strengthens both the work and the team.</li><li>Champion excellence across every aspect of the experience, ensuring every creative decision from the overarching concept to the smallest executional detail contributes to a cohesive, memorable, and beautifully crafted final product.</li><li>Exercise exceptional creative judgment and taste, refining work at both the conceptual and executional level, including typography, layout, color, copy, storytelling, visual hierarchy, pacing, and overall design quality.</li><li>Build compelling creative presentations and confidently present ideas, creative rationale, and strategic thinking to senior clients and stakeholders, serving as the senior creative voice across the account.</li><li>Establish and maintain a consistent creative standard across multidisciplinary teams, including full-time and freelance Creative Directors, Design Directors, Art Directors, Designers, and Copywriters.</li><li>Direct the day-to-day creative output of the team by providing consistent mentorship, feedback, creative problem-solving, and hands-on guidance throughout every project.</li><li>Jump into projects whenever additional creative leadership is needed, helping unblock teams, strengthen ideas, refine execution, and elevate work regardless of project stage.</li><li>Serve as a trusted creative partner to clients, helping shape future opportunities through strategic thinking, creative leadership, and collaborative problem-solving.</li><li>Partner closely with Strategy, Production, and Account teams to balance creative ambition with business objectives, timelines, budgets, and technical feasibility.</li><li>Identify creative opportunities, risks, and solutions throughout every phase of development.</li><li>Remain actively engaged through production, fabrication, installation, and launch to ensure the final experience reflects the intended creative vision.</li><li>Participate in post-project reviews to capture learnings and continuously elevate the agency's creative standards.</li><li>Foster a collaborative culture built on curiosity, craftsmanship, experimentation, and continuous creative growth.</li><li>Help shape the agency's creative culture, processes, talent development, and standards of creative excellence.<br /></li></ul> <p></p><ul><li>15+ years of creative leadership experience within an experiential marketing, brand experience, environmental design, retail, or integrated agency environment.</li><li>Proven experience leading multidisciplinary creative teams across large-scale, complex experiential programs.</li><li>An outstanding portfolio demonstrating both visionary conceptual thinking and exceptional executional craft.</li><li>Demonstrated ability to manage multiple concurrent workstreams while remaining deeply involved in the day-to-day creative development of each.</li><li>Deep expertise in experiential design, art direction, environmental graphics, spatial storytelling, and immersive brand experiences.</li><li>Strong understanding of experiential production, fabrication processes, materials, and production workflows.</li><li>Exceptional presentation, storytelling, and client communication skills, with experience presenting to executive-level stakeholders.</li><li>Exceptional creative judgment with a meticulous attention to detail and an unwavering commitment to design excellence.</li><li>Demonstrated ability to balance creative ambition with practical execution, delivering outstanding work within fast-moving agency timelines.</li><li>A collaborative leadership style with a passion for mentoring creative talent and building high-performing multidisciplinary teams.</li><li>Deep curiosity about culture, architecture, art, design, technology, hospitality, retail, entertainment, and the evolving ways people engage with brands.</li><li>A relentless commitment to creative excellence, thoughtful design, and the craft of creating unforgettable experiences.</li></ul><p></p><p>The salary range for this role is $210,000.00  to $250,000.00. Where a candidate falls within this band will depend on a combination of factors, including relevant experience, demonstrated performance, specific skills, geographical location, and internal equity. We regularly benchmark roles to market data and ensure pay is aligned with the role’s scope and impact.</p><p></p><p>At CNC Agency, great ideas come from diverse perspectives. We’re proud to be an equal opportunity employer and are committed to creating an inclusive environment where everyone can bring their full selves to work. All qualified applicants will be considered, no matter race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, disability, or any other protected status.</p><p></p>