Associate Creative Director, Social

About Paradowski

Paradowski Creative is an independent, full-service creative agency based in St. Louis. We bring strategy, creativity, technology, and craft together to create experiences that spark curiosity, invite participation, and help brands build meaningful connections with people. Our teams work collaboratively across disciplines to solve complex business challenges and produce work that is thoughtful, effective, and made with care. We value creative play, clear thinking, accountability, strong relationships, and people who care about both the quality of the work and how it gets made.

The Role

As an Associate Creative Director, Social, you'll help lead that effort, guiding teams, shaping ideas, and building a social ecosystem that feels alive rather than manufactured. Great social is more than chasing trends: it's the platform through which brands form real connections with their audiences, and this role is where that thinking meets craft. You'll work closely with writers, designers, strategists, 3D artists, motion designers, and developers to bring playful, thoughtful ideas to life across digital platforms, brand systems, and social storytelling.

What You'll Do

Creative Direction

• Lead the development of monthly social content, including trending moments, real-time activations, and evergreen content
• Champion visual craft and storytelling at every stage of the process, from initial exploration to final production
• Design for social with intention, adapting concepts fluidly across platforms, placements, and audience behaviors

Collaboration and Presentation

• Collaborate closely with writers, designers, strategists, and account leads to ensure creative ideas are cohesive, intentional, and grounded in real human connection
• Present social work internally and externally with clarity, confidence, and strong creative rationale connecting decisions to strategic goals
• Help define creative briefs, shape pitch narratives, and inform strategic direction in partnership with strategy and account leads
• Partner with 3D artists, motion designers, developers, and production partners to bring ideas to life across a range of formats and media

Team Leadership

• Provide clear creative direction and constructive feedback that elevates the work and grows the team
• Mentor junior creatives, shaping team culture through encouragement, candor, and example

Emerging Tools and Technology

• Stay curious and explore emerging tools and technologies, including AI, to work smarter and create with more depth while staying rooted in human perspective

What You Bring

Required Qualifications

• 6+ years of agency or social media creative experience, with experience managing and mentoring others
• Fluency in design tools like Illustrator, Photoshop, and Figma, along with social video editing tools like Premiere, CapCut, and Final Cut Pro
• A portfolio showing deep understanding of social media, from organic social to branded partnerships, brand campaigns, and influencer/UGC relationships
• Hands-on experience in social concepting and art direction, with the ability to set the tone and elevate the quality of creative output
• Strong visual and verbal thinking, including confidence shaping copy and storytelling alongside design
• Ability to connect social direction to brand strategy, cultural insight, and emotional impact
• Deep, current fluency in social and internet culture, and the ability to bring that perspective into the work

Preferred Qualifications

• Comfort working on immersive tech or augmented reality projects, bridging IRL and digital experiences
• Familiarity or hands-on experience using generative design tools or AI platforms (such as Midjourney, Claude, Fal.ai, or Gemini) for proof-of-concept work

Success in This Role

Early Success (First 90 Days)

• Builds working relationships with the creative team, writers, strategists, and account leads
• Develops a clear understanding of current social content cadence, brand voice standards, and account priorities across the portfolio
• Begins providing creative direction and feedback on in-flight social work

Ongoing Success

• Social content is consistently on-brand, culturally relevant, and built around genuine audience connection rather than vanity metrics
• Creative direction and mentorship strengthen the team's output and growth over time
• Client and internal presentations clearly connect creative decisions to strategic rationale
• The team stays current on emerging platforms, formats, and tools, and applies that thinking to the work

To Apply

To apply, email your resume and portfolio or relevant work samples to Sign in to view email using the subject line: Associate Creative Director, Social – [First Name] [Last Name]. A cover letter is optional.

Why Paradowski

At Paradowski, craft and curiosity drive the work. You'll collaborate across disciplines with people who care as much about how the work gets made as the final result, with room to grow, contribute a point of view, and build a career alongside people who take the work seriously without taking themselves too seriously.

Paradowski is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of actual or perceived race, color, creed, religion, national origin, ancestry, citizenship status, age, sex or gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, pregnancy-related conditions, and lactation), gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, marital status, military service or veteran status, physical or mental disability, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.

Benefits

Paradowski offers a comprehensive benefits package for eligible full-time employees, including multiple medical plan options, dental and vision coverage, a 401(k) with company match, paid time off, paid holidays and floating holidays, paid parental and birth recovery leave, employer-paid basic life and accidental death and dismemberment insurance, and employee wellbeing and professional-development resources. Eligibility and coverage are subject to the applicable plan terms.

Work Authorization

Candidates must be authorized to work in the United States. As a condition of employment, all new employees are required to complete the Employment Eligibility Verification (Form I-9) and provide documentation establishing identity and work authorization.

To Apply

To apply, email your resume and portfolio or relevant work samples to Sign in to view email using the subject line: Associate Creative Director, Social – [First Name] [Last Name]. A cover letter is optional.