Freelance Creative Director, Writing Job at VSA Partners in Chicago

Overview

VSA’s purpose is to design for a better human experience. As a strategy and design agency, we blend consumer insights and data with human-centered design to activate meaningful, motivating and measurable experiences. With offices in Chicago, New York and San Francisco, VSA offers a full range of integrated capabilities—branding, advertising, data science and technology—all under one roof. VSA is a founding agency of Meet The People, an international family of unified and independent agencies. For more than 40 years, we have delivered solutions for business and creative leaders at some of the world’s most respected brands and forward-thinking organizations, including Google, Nike and IBM.

Creative Director, Campaign Copywriting

Are you a writer’s writer and a big idea generator? If so, we’d love to talk.

We’re looking for a smart, strategic creative director of writing to join our campaign team. As our new CDW, your job is to lead a team of writers, designers and art directors to find a great idea, refine it, and deliver high-impact creative solutions that make clients’ eyes light up.

You’ll work on every kind of campaign, from digital- and social-first to big 360s, across a variety of industries—from Big Tech to small consumer brands and more.

• You’re a conceptual thinker who can spot an idea with legs from a mile away.
• You’re a leader and a doer—able to nurture junior talent and also write your own scripts.
• You’re detail-oriented, caring about craft and delivering thoughtful, well-edited work.
• You are truly a writer and communicator at heart.
• You enjoy getting to know new clients and challenges and pitching new ideas with the team.
• You love design, learning about new industries, and being part of a fast-moving, tight-knit team.
• You’re energetic, optimistic, and excited to do great things.
• You collaborate well with others and enjoy working with kind, collaborative clients.

Here’s a breakdown of the key aspects of this role:

Core Responsibilities:

• Enthusiastically develop and execute high-impact, persuasive content for integrated campaigns, including print, social media, paid search, video advertising, influencer marketing and more.
• Establish and maintain the creative direction to ensure a consistent message across client projects.
• Lead the creative process, guiding teams through ideation, design, and execution.
• Collaborate with copywriters, designers, strategists, project managers and production to ensure cohesive creative direction that delivers on the brief.
• Lead brainstorming sessions and provide constructive feedback to ensure high-quality work.
• Serve as a liaison between the creative team and internal stakeholders to facilitate clear communication and idea flow.

Client Engagement & Communication:

• Eagerly engage with clients to understand vision, goals and offerings, translating these into compelling creative deliverables.
• Present concepts and campaigns to clients and internal teams, articulating decisions and rationale.
• Identify growth opportunities within existing accounts and collaborate to nurture client relationships.
• Represent the creative team in new business presentations and pitches, showcasing VSA’s copywriting capabilities.
• Contribute to the agency’s growth strategy by helping identify new business opportunities.

Project Management & Execution:

• Coordinate across teams to ensure deliverables meet deadlines and production quality standards.
• Oversee multiple campaigns to ensure consistency and high-quality execution across platforms.
• Mentor junior staff and provide feedback to foster growth.
• Identify tools, resources, and processes that improve creative efficiency and team performance.

Skills and Experience:

• Copywriting Expertise: 10+ years of creative writing experience, preferably in an agency setting.
• Strong Portfolio: A robust portfolio of integrated campaign work spanning print, digital and experiential for B2B and B2C brands.
• Leadership & Team Management: 3+ years of managing teams with proven ability to lead and inspire creative teams.
• Strategic Thinking: Ability to synthesize briefs, objectives and insights into innovative campaigns.
• Communication Skills: Strong verbal and written communication for client presentations and internal collaboration.
• Project Management: Ability to manage multiple projects with strong organizational skills.
• Software Proficiency: Familiarity with project management tools (e.g., Slack, Google Suite, Workamajig).

About us

VSA’s purpose is to design for a better human experience. We blend consumer insights and data with human-centered design to activate meaningful, motivating and measurable experiences. VSA offers a full range of integrated capabilities—branding, advertising, data science and technology—all under one roof. VSA is a founding agency of Meet The People, a family of unified and independent agencies. For more than 40 years, we have delivered solutions for brands such as Google, Nike and IBM.

Equal Opportunity — VSA Partners is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive, equitable environment for all employees. All employment decisions are based on qualifications, merit and business need.

How to apply — Please apply through the standard posting channel.

Apply for this job

Fields below are for example purposes; the actual application form is not included in this description.

U.S. Standard Demographic Questions — We invite voluntary self-identification information to support equity initiatives. This information is confidential and does not affect hiring decisions.

Voluntary Self-Identification of Disability — This section requests information about disability status on a voluntary basis for compliance purposes. Completing this form is voluntary and confidential.