Associate Creative Director, Design

Who are we?

MATTE is a 360° creative studio at the convergence of culture, storytelling and design. We bring people together to inspire new ways of engaging, provoke long-term progress and entertain audiences around the world, while helping forward-thinking brands and institutions do the same.

Our studio capabilities span strategy and insights, creative development, branding and identity, experiential, web design and development, campaigns and content creation, through full-scale production and execution.

About this role

MATTE is looking for an Associate Creative Director, Design to join our Creative department. Motion / Animation Expertise Required

This person will be a senior, hands-on creative leader responsible for developing and directing work across brand, campaign, experiential, content, digital and motion.

The ideal candidate combines strong design and conceptual thinking with meaningful experience leading motion, animation, CGI, VFX and post-production workflows. They understand how moving-image work gets made, from early creative development and storyboarding through production, post and final delivery, and can confidently guide internal teams, external artists and production partners throughout the process.

This role requires someone who can move fluidly between creative direction and execution, lead multiple concurrent workstreams, maintain a high bar for craft, and help teams translate ambitious ideas into work that is both creatively strong and technically achievable.

This role reports to the Design Director and works closely with Creative Directors across projects, with project-specific creative leadership depending on the assignment.

Creative Direction

• Lead the ideation, design and development of brand, campaign, experiential, content, digital and motion-led creative.
• Develop and communicate clear creative direction across visual identity, graphic design, motion, animation and moving image.
• Concept and collaborate with Creative Directors, Art Directors, Designers, Copywriters, Experience Designers, Strategists and Producers.
• Lead creative work from early concept and pitch stages through production and final delivery.
• Translate concepts into clear briefs, storyboards, references and creative direction for internal teams and external partners.
• Maintain a high level of craft across multiple concurrent projects and fast-moving workstreams.
• Create and deliver compelling client presentations and confidently communicate creative rationale.
• Support new business pitches, presentation development and pitch reviews.
• Help determine the strongest creative approach, team and production methodology for each assignment.
• Contribute to the continued evolution of MATTE's own brand, creative vision and expression across print, digital and other owned channels.

Motion, Animation & Post-Production

• Provide informed creative leadership across motion design, animation, CGI, VFX and post-production projects.
• Understand the workflows, production requirements and technical considerations involved in creating high-quality animation and moving-image work.
• Partner with Producers to determine appropriate production approaches, timelines, staffing and external partners.
• Scope and brief animators, motion designers, CGI artists, VFX teams, editors and post-production partners.
• Review work throughout production and provide clear, actionable creative feedback on animation, movement, timing, compositing, rendering, edit and overall craft.
• Identify technical or production risks early and work with Creative, Production and Account teams to solve them before they affect quality, timing or delivery.
• Ensure concepts remain creatively ambitious while being achievable within production realities.
• Lead motion and post-production reviews where appropriate and maintain clear communication between Creative, Production and external partners.
• Help build and maintain MATTE's network of motion, animation, CGI, VFX and post-production talent and partners.
• Stay current on emerging tools, technologies and workflows across motion, 3D, real-time, AI-assisted production and post.

Client & Project Leadership

• Support Creative and Account Directors in ongoing client management.
• Maintain strong working relationships with clients and confidently lead creative conversations and presentations.
• Collaborate with Account teams to solve creative challenges and support strong client relationships.
• Shepherd creative from concept through production, partnering closely with Producers and Project Managers to ensure successful delivery.
• Maintain clarity across teams and keep stakeholders informed of creative, production or post-production changes that may affect scope, timing, quality or delivery.

Quality & Craft

• Collaborate with Creative Directors to develop thoughtful, distinctive and impactful creative solutions across a wide range of clients.
• Establish and maintain a consistently high visual and conceptual standard from concept through final execution.
• Work within client brand systems while identifying opportunities to push the work creatively.
• Ensure consistency across static, motion, experiential and digital applications.
• Review creative at key milestones and ensure the original creative intent carries through production.
• Work strategically with internal teams to build, maintain and improve creative processes, workflows, systems and standards.

Leadership & Collaboration

• Lead, develop and mentor Designers, Art Directors and junior creative talent across projects.
• Direct and motivate multidisciplinary teams, including internal talent, freelancers, studios and agencies.
• Work with Operations and Creative leadership to identify staffing needs and build the right teams for each assignment.
• Help source, vet, recruit and manage creative talent and external partners.
• Maintain strong channels of communication across Creative, Production, Accounts, Project Management and other teams.
• Participate in and, where appropriate, lead creative reviews, status meetings, production reviews and post-production meetings.
• Help strengthen motion, animation and production knowledge across the broader Creative and Design teams.
• Maintain knowledge of current industry technology, trends, techniques and emerging creative practices.

What you will bring

• 7+ years of experience within a creative agency, design studio, production company or similarly fast-paced creative environment.
• 4+ years leading significant creative projects and multidisciplinary teams.
• A portfolio demonstrating strong design and creative direction across brand, campaign, content, experiential and/or digital work.
• Demonstrated experience directing motion design, animation, CGI, VFX and/or post-production work is required.
• Strong understanding of animation and post-production pipelines, including the ability to scope, brief, review and guide specialist teams.
• Experience taking projects from concept and pitch through production and final delivery.
• Strong design judgment and the ability to provide clear, actionable feedback across both static and moving-image work.
• Experience collaborating with Producers, production teams, external studios, artists and vendors.
• Ability to lead multiple projects and shifting priorities without sacrificing creative quality.
• Strong client-facing communication and presentation skills.
• Experience mentoring and developing creative talent.
• Curiosity around emerging creative technologies and new approaches to design and production.
• Able to work in person at our offices in New York.

Compensation: The annual base salary range for this position is $160,000–$175,000, commensurate with experience, skills, and qualifications.

Benefits include

• Medical, Dental and Vision coverage
• 401(k) with a 4% company contribution max match, eligible after 6 months of employment
• Fully covered yearly Citi Bike membership
• Talkspace membership
• Competitive PTO package
• End of Year Recharge paid time off
• Sabbatical Program option after three years of employment
• Parental Leave for all new parents

Everyone is welcome at MATTE - we’re passionate about building a team that reflects the diversity of our community and creating an environment where our differences are celebrated. MATTE provides equal employment opportunity (EEO) to all persons regardless of age, color, national origin, citizenship status, physical or mental disability, race, religion, creed, gender, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, genetic information, marital status, status with regard to public assistance, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local law. In addition, MATTE will provide reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities.