Group Creative Director, Earned

M+C Saatchi Sport & Entertainment is a full-service, earned-first agency operating across Consumer PR, Creator & Influencer, Partnership Marketing, Social, Experiential, Sport, and Entertainment.

We bring a deep bench of experience in lifestyle, sport, entertainment, fashion, technology, and CPG — with ambitions to expand into many other categories. Our approach blends always-on brand communications with big creative campaigns, from strategy and ideation through design, production, execution, and social amplification. Our PR, marketing, and influencer specialists work seamlessly with our in-house studio to deliver content across every medium, from film and photography to print, experiential, and beyond.

We believe brilliant work is only possible through diverse perspectives and an inclusive culture where people can bring their full selves to work. When people feel empowered to be themselves, they deliver their very best.

In North America, we partner in an integrated capacity with our colleagues across M+C Saatchi Group, ensuring clients benefit from the full strength of our regional expertise and connected capabilities. We are proud to employ some of the brightest minds in the business and remain committed to investing in their growth and development so they continue to thrive.

ABOUT THE ROLE

We are seeking an inspiring and dynamic
Groupd
Creative Director,
who will be the leader driving the creative direction across all client campaigns within the sports, entertainment and consumer sectors. You will work closely with clients, the creative team, and senior leadership to develop, execute, and oversee breakthrough earned-first creative strategies and ideas that deliver exceptional results. This role requires a balance of big-picture thinking, hands-on creative leadership, and a deep understanding of both the PR landscape.

Dual reporting into the M+C Saatchi Group NA Chief Creative Officer and the Sport & Entertainment Executive Leadership Team, ensuring alignment across regional growth priorities and agency leadership.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Creative Leadership: Lead and inspire a talented team of designers, writers, and content creators, ensuring that all creative work aligns with client goals and exceeds expectations.
• Strategic Vision: Develop and implement innovative, earned-first creative strategies that address client challenges and capitalize on new opportunities.
• Client Engagement: Serve as the primary creative contact for clients, building strong relationships and understanding their brand goals, challenges, and vision to deliver tailored creative solutions.
• Collaboration & Teamwork: Collaborate with PR account leads and earned media experts, and other departments to ensure seamless integration of creative ideas into comprehensive earned-first campaigns across PR, social, digital, and experiential channels.
• Quality Control: Oversee the execution and quality of creative deliverables across all channels, ensuring that every project meets the highest creative standards.
• Trendspotting & Innovation: Stay ahead of industry trends and emerging technologies, leveraging these insights to keep client campaigns fresh, relevant, and impactful.
• Brand Stewardship: Maintain and elevate the creative voice and tone of clients' brands, ensuring consistency across all communication touchpoints.
• Team & Culture Building: Provide guidance, feedback, and professional development opportunities to the creative team, fostering a culture of creativity, collaboration, and growth.
• New Business Development: Spearhead proactive outreach and pitch development to identify, pursue, and secure new business opportunities, leveraging industry trends, cultural moments, and the agency's core capabilities to drive growth and expand the client portfolio.

What You'll Bring:

• Experience: 10+ years in a creative agency role, with a strong portfolio of work in PR
• Leadership Skills: Proven ability to lead and inspire a multidisciplinary creative team, with a track record of delivering high-quality, earned-first creative campaigns.
• Creative Vision: Exceptional creative thinking, with the ability to turn complex concepts into compelling stories.
• Industry Knowledge: Deep understanding of PR/earned, sports and entertainment sectors, including trends, challenges, and opportunities for creative innovation.
• Client-Facing Experience: Strong communication and interpersonal skills, with experience managing and building relationships with clients.
• Project Management: Ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously, meeting deadlines and maintaining a high level of attention to detail.
• Education: Bachelor's degree in a related field (e.g., Marketing, Communications, Design, etc.) or equivalent experience.
• Portfolio: A robust portfolio showcasing creative excellence in PR, communications, experiential and creative campaigns, particularly in sports, entertainment, lifestyle or similar industries.

WHAT YOU'LL GET:

We offer a competitive salary, a comprehensive employer subsidized benefits package which includes group medical, dental and vision coverage, Health Savings Account, 401k retirement plan with annual company match, employee wellness, commuter benefits and cellular phone allowance, generous paid time off and employee volunteer day to encourage social responsibility giving time to the non-profit, community service or charity of your choice. Salary is dependent on experience but ranges from: $230,000– $270,000. All candidates must have the ability to work in the US; we are unable to sponsor any work visas for this role.

ABOUT M+C SAATCHI GROUP

If you require any reasonable adjustments throughout the recruitment and selection process, please make us aware as part of your application.

All employee information is kept confidential according to General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).