Creative Director (Contract, Portland-Based)

We’re looking for a hands-on, inspiring leader who’s passionate about design—with the skills to guide a team in designing and building smart, impactful digital experiences. You bring deep experience in both brand and product design, and you’re confident leading visual systems and storytelling across platforms.

You understand how to build strong relationships with clients and internal teams, and you can sense when to zoom in to elevate the work or zoom out to maintain clarity and momentum. You’re not precious about any one idea—because you know the right solution comes from exploration, iteration, and collaboration.

This contract role will run from May 12 through August 29, at 20 hours per week, and will require in-person presence at our Portland, OR office.

What You'll Do

• Collaborate with other disciplines and clients to understand what a project needs at any given moment to move the work forward
• Help establish the bar for design thinking and execution on your team—shaping brand systems, shipping work, and defining best practices
• Lead concepting and visual direction across projects that include brand identity development and responsive websites
• Deliver elegant, strategic design solutions through hands-on exploration, iteration, and storytelling
• Make sense of complex systems and guide teams toward smart, scalable design approaches
• Influence your team with thoughtful, brave creative leadership—pushing the work and people forward
• Present creative work with clarity, confidence, and a compelling narrative
• Communicate proactively and consistently with team members and clients
• Support the overall health of your projects, helping balance timelines, business goals, and team needs
• Help identify opportunities for growth and new work within existing relationships
• Foster collaboration through thoughtful feedback, inclusive leadership, and a team-first mindset
  
  
  
  
  

What You'll Bring

• Demonstrated experience leading brand and digital design teams from concept through delivery
• Strong background in visual design, brand systems, and UI/UX for web and digital products
• Confidence presenting and selling in work to clients and partners
• Experience mentoring and guiding teams with clarity and actionable feedback
• A thoughtful, inclusive approach to collaboration and leadership
• Comfort navigating ambiguity and helping others stay focused and motivated
• Expertise in current industry tools, including Figma and Illustrator
• Strong visual and verbal communication skills—able to clearly articulate strategy and creative intent
• A steady, adaptable approach in fast-paced environments
• Must be available to work onsite in our Portland, OR studio
  
  
  
  
  

Pay Range

• The expected pay range for this role is $110-127 per hour (on a W-2), but will depend on the level in which you are engaged
• Our company has three regional pay bands that it adheres to depending on your location, we reference them as US 1, US 2, and US 3
• US 3 is our base pay. Examples of cities in US 3 are Portland, Houston and Miami
• US 2 pay is 7.5% higher than US 3 to meet the market rates. Examples of cities in US 2 are Los Angeles, Chicago and Seattle
• US 1 pay is 15% higher than US 3 to meet market rates. Examples of cities in US 1 are Brooklyn and San Francisco
• If you are curious which region you are in, please apply and get connected with our recruiting team!
  
  
  
  

We're looking for a hands-on, inspiring leader who's passionate about design—with the skills to guide a team in designing and building smart, impactful digital experiences.