VSA Partners, Inc. is hiring: Freelance Creative Director, Writing 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 in the world. VSA offers a full range of integrated capabilities—branding, advertising, data science and technology—and is a founding agency of Meet The People. For more than 40 years, we have delivered solutions for leading 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, you’ll lead a team of writers, designers and art directors to find a great idea, polish it, and deliver compelling creative solutions that satisfy the brief and engage clients.

In this role, you’ll work on a range of campaigns—from digital- and social-first to large 360 programs—and across a variety of industries, from Big Tech to consumer brands and beyond.

• You’re a conceptual thinker who can spot a strong idea quickly.
• You’re a leader and a doer who can nurture junior talent and also write your own scripts.
• You’re detail-oriented, craft-focused, and able to deliver thoughtful, well-edited work.
• You are a writer and communicator at heart.
• You enjoy building client relationships, pitching ideas, and tackling new challenges.
• You love design, learning about new industries, and collaborating in a fast-moving team.
• You’re energetic, optimistic, and excited to do great work.
• You work well with others and value a collaborative, friendly client environment.

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

Core Responsibilities

• Develops and executes high-impact, persuasive content for integrated campaigns across print, social, paid search, video, influencer marketing and more.
• Establishes and maintains the overall creative direction, ensuring a consistent message across client projects.
• Leads the creative process, guiding ideation, design, and execution.
• Collaborates with copywriters, designers, strategists, project managers and production teams to ensure cohesive creative direction that aligns with the creative brief.
• Leads brainstorming sessions and provides constructive feedback to ensure high-quality work.
• Acts as a liaison between the creative team and internal stakeholders to facilitate clear communication and idea flow.

Client Engagement & Communication

• Engages with clients to understand vision, goals, and products, translating them into compelling creative deliverables.
• Presents concepts and campaigns to clients and internal teams, articulating decisions and rationale.
• Identifies growth opportunities within existing accounts and collaborates with client-facing teams to nurture relationships.
• Represents the creative team in new business presentations and pitches, showcasing copywriting capabilities.
• Contributes to the agency’s growth strategy through business opportunity identification.

Project Management & Execution

• Coordinates across teams to meet deadlines and maintain production quality standards.
• Oversees multiple campaigns to ensure consistency and high-quality execution across platforms.
• Mentors junior staff to support their growth.
• Identifies tools, resources, and processes to improve efficiency and performance.

Skills and Experience

• Copywriting Expertise: 10+ years of creative writing experience, preferably in an agency setting.
• Strong Portfolio: A robust writing portfolio of integrated campaign work spanning print, digital and experiential for B2B and B2C brands.
• Leadership & Team Management: 3+ years of managing teams with a track record of inspiring and guiding creative talent.
• Strategic Thinking: Ability to translate 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. We offer branding, advertising, data science and technology, all under one roof. We are part of Meet The People, a family of unified and independent agencies. Our clients include Google, Nike and IBM.

Compensation Chicago Estimated Salary Range: $100 - $165 USD

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 made based on qualifications, merit and business need.

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