US Company is hiring: Executive Creative Director in Falls Church

Pinkston is an integrated communications agency built on one belief: great stories change the world. From global thought leaders and high-growth innovators to faith-based organizations, public affairs coalitions, and federal partners, we help clients articulate who they are, what they stand for, and why it matters. Our integrated model brings together public relations & communications, brand strategy, creative development, paid/digital media, web design, content production, and data-driven storytelling to deliver clarity, creativity, and impact.

Our Creative & Content Delivery team is at the center of that mission, responsible for translating strategy into compelling ideas, campaigns, and experiences across every touchpoint. We are seeking a leader who can steward that creative engine and level up its influence across the entire agency.

Position Summary

The Executive Creative Director (ECD) is the senior-most creative leader at Pinkston, responsible for setting the creative vision, elevating the quality and consistency of work across all service lines, and shaping the next evolution of our integrated creative practice. You will unite brand strategy, content development, design, digital, and production teams into a cohesive creative force that drives measurable impact for clients across corporate, nonprofit, federal, and faith-based sectors.

This role blends visionary leadership, strategic client direction, and hands‑on creative excellence, ensuring Pinkston delivers breakthrough ideas that reflect our values, advance client missions, and reinforce our reputation as a trusted, insight‑driven partner.

Additional Details:

• Status: Exempt‑Salaried
• Location: Falls Church, VA
• Travel: 0‑10%
• Department: Creative & Content Delivery
• Reports To: President, Chief Brand Officer

Key Responsibilities

1. Strategic Creative Leadership

• Define and champion Pinkston’s overarching creative vision by aligning it with agency strategy, market trends, and Pinkston’s differentiators in earned‑first storytelling, reputation‑building, and integrated content delivery.
• Develop insight‑driven creative platforms that integrate brand strategy, messaging architecture, PR narratives, performance media, social strategy, content ecosystems, and digital experiences.
• Translate client goals into multi‑channel creative strategies that are grounded in real‑world business, communications, and public affairs outcomes.
• Guide cross‑functional teammates in shaping campaign concepts, scripts, brand systems, web experiences, digital content, and thought‑leadership assets.
• Serve as the senior creative thought partner to the President, CBO, and account leadership teams and help shape offerings, pricing models, creative processes, and long‑term agency capabilities.

2. Strategic Client Leadership

• Act as the senior creative lead for enterprise clients across faith‑based organizations, nonprofits, public affairs, and federal government contractors.
• Build trusted advisor relationships with C‑suite leaders, coalition leads, government program managers, and ministry leaders by translating complex challenges into clear, compelling, creative solutions.
• Lead major ideation sessions, campaign planning workshops, and brand discovery engagements.
• Represent Pinkston’s creative point of view in new business pitches, thought leadership, and large‑scale strategic initiatives.
• Ensure that creative recommendations align with the nuances of regulated environments, federal communication guidelines, and faith‑based sensitivities.
• Evaluate client briefs through the lens of impact, clarity, feasibility, budget alignment, and cross‑team execution, pushing for boldness without sacrificing discipline.

3. Creative Oversight & Vision

• Oversee the development of all major creative deliverables which include brand identities, messaging frameworks, integrated campaigns, motion/film content, high‑stakes presentations, website experiences, social content ecosystems, and complex government communication materials.
• Push creative teams toward higher originality, conceptual strength, and cross‑platform cohesion while maintaining Pinkston’s commitment to clarity, truth, and mission alignment.
• Review, refine, and elevate the creative work at all levels, from early concepting to final production, in order to maintain consistent creative excellence.
• Set quality benchmarks, creative guidelines, and visual/messaging standards across the agency’s entire content delivery workflow.
• Drive innovation by incorporating modern creative tools, AI‑powered production workflows, emerging media formats, and new content technologies.

4. Cross‑Team Collaboration

• Partner closely with PR & Communications, Digital Strategy, Web & XD, Media, Research & Insights, and Account Leadership to ensure creative thinking is integrated from strategy to execution.
• Work shoulder‑to‑shoulder with the Brand Strategy and Insights teams to bring data‑informed creativity to every engagement.
• Collaborate with the Agency Production team to scope projects, oversee budgets, and ensure high‑quality output across video, photography, and motion design.
• Create structured, repeatable collaboration workflows that unite earned media, paid media, social, creative, and strategy teams to deliver seamless multi‑channel campaigns.
• Coach cross‑functional teams on how to articulate, elevate, and sell creative ideas to senior client stakeholders.

5. Team Leadership & Culture Building

• Lead and mentor an interdisciplinary creative department: Organic Social, Digital Media, Experience Design (XD), Graphic Design, Agency Production, and Brand Design.
• Build a culture of curiosity, excellence, and accountability. Guide teams to push beyond expectations while upholding Pinkston’s values of integrity, clarity, and client impact.
• Develop career pathways, recruiting profiles, and resourcing models that scale with Pinkston’s growth.
• Oversee creative hiring, onboarding, and performance management, ensuring the team reflects high standards of craft, problem‑solving, and mission‑driven storytelling.
• Introduce creative training, workshops, and development rituals to level up collective skills and nurture a culture of continuous improvement.

Qualifications

Experience

• 12+ years leading creative teams in an integrated agency environment (PR, brand, digital, content, or advertising).
• Demonstrated success with clients across B2B, nonprofit, public affairs, public sector/federal, or mission‑driven sectors
• Alignment with Pinkston’s guiding principles

Expertise

• Mastery across a broad range of disciplines: Branding, content strategy, messaging, digital marketing, web design, social creative, video/motion production, experience design, and integrated campaign development.
• Ability to guide creative teams producing everything from federal communications materials to high‑concept brand stories for thought leaders and ministries.

Client Fit

• High comfort working with faith‑based organizations, ministries, nonprofits, government clients, and mission‑driven leaders.
• Exceptional presence in the room, able to command board rooms, present concepts clearly, and manage high‑stakes engagements.

Leadership & Culture

• Proven ability to build, mentor, and scale diverse interdisciplinary creative teams.
• Approaches leadership with humility, clarity, and a commitment to elevating both people and ideas.

Who We Are

Pinkston is a full‑service branding, marketing, and communications agency offering integrated public relations, creative, digital, and research services to transform companies and organizations. As an outcome‑driven agency, Pinkston is committed to delivering customized, strategic solutions that drive real‑world impact.

Pinkston offers a comprehensive benefits package that includes company‑sponsored health, dental, and vision plans accompanied by employer‑funded life insurance, HRA, and a short‑term disability plan. Optional long‑term disability and additional Life Insurance are also available. Pinkston provides a 401(k) retirement plan and contributes to each employee’s retirement annually, regardless of employee participation.

At Pinkston, we believe great things happen when people come together and are committed to building a collaborative in‑person work environment. Pinkston is also committed to a healthy work‑life balance. We offer flexibility through an innovative hybrid work model that allows team members to work from home up to 30% of the time. Pinkston provides generous holiday and vacation policies, paid parental leave, and an additional week of paid “volunteer time off” to encourage employees to invest time in a 501C non‑profit of their choice.

Equal Opportunity Employer

Pinkston is an equal opportunity employer that is committed to diversity and inclusion in the workplace. We prohibit discrimination and harassment of any kind based on race, color, sex, religion, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, genetic information, pregnancy, or any other protected characteristic as outlined by federal, state, or local laws. This policy applies to all employment practices within our organization, including hiring, recruiting, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, leave of absence, compensation, benefits, training, and apprenticeship. Pinkston makes hiring decisions based solely on qualifications, merit, and business needs at the time.