Associate Creative Director, Art

Charlotte, NC / Charleston, SC / Columbia, SC - Full time

If you're the kind of creative who's always chasing a better idea, keeping one eye on culture and tinkering with a new tool, we'd like to meet you.

Chernoff Newman is hiring an Associate Creative Director, Art. We’re looking for an idea-obsessive, digitally minded type who can dream it up, make it real, and sell it with conviction. Someone who follows the industry, stays current on culture, and never loses sight of craft. You'll manage teams and own client relationships while being supported by the agency CD and GCD.

We're an integrated agency built to move minds and the needle. We've got the energy of a small shop and the skills of a much bigger one, and the work we make actually matters: to our clients, to the communities they serve, and to the people on the other side of the screen. For more than 50 years, Chernoff Newman has helped brands rooted in the South say what matters — to the people who matter — in the moments that matter most. As an integrated communications agency, we don't hand work across silos. Strategy, creative, media, digital, social and public relations sit on the same teams. And on the same brief.

What you'll do

Chase the big idea. Lead concepting on integrated campaigns, rebrands and one-off activations alike, from long-term brand platforms to fast-moving, single-moment executions. You’re at ease brining those ideas to life across channels, from social to broadcast and PR-driven moments.

Make it, not just manage it. Stay hands-on in Adobe Creative Suite, Figma and emerging design tools. Concept, mock up and make. Be comfortable in AI tools and workflows, using them to support your work – not replace it.

Think digital-first. Build ideas that live natively across social, web, experiential and emerging platforms, and know why something works on one channel and dies on another. You might be asked to craft a post, prop up a landing page, or be part of a large-scale web build – and you need to be comfortable with it all.

Sell it. Present and defend work to clients, and build their confidence in bold thinking.

Raise the bar around you. Partner with copy, strategy, PR, media and digital teams, and mentor other art directors and designers.

Bring culture into the building. Track trends, platforms and industry developments, and bring those ideas to the table.

Who you are

You're a strong Senior Art Director who's ready for the next leg up, or a current ACD looking for a different home. Either way, you've got:

• A portfolio full of ideas, not just executions. Integrated campaigns, activations, digital and social work that show how you think as much as how you design.
• Real digital fluency. You're at home in Adobe Creative Suite, Figma, Claude & more. And you genuinely enjoy tinkering with new tools, plugins and platforms to see what they can do.
• A finger on the pulse. You know what's happening in culture and in advertising, and you have opinions about both.
• Presentation skills. You can tell the story behind the work.
• A collaborative streak. You make the people around you better, and you're not precious about where good ideas come from.

Bonus points (not required, but a plus):

• Motion, After Effects, or prototyping skills
• Experience with experiential, guerrilla or earned-first ideas
• Playing with AI tools in smart, responsible ways
• Work for public-sector, health, nonprofit or cause-driven brands

Benefits

Health Care Plan (Medical, Dental & Vision)

Retirement Matching Plan (401k)

Life Insurance (Basic)

Short Term & Long Term Disability

Paid Time Off (Vacation, Sick & Holidays)

Family Leave

Training & Development

Our best work is achieved when we bring diverse perspectives, backgrounds and skillsets together to solve problems for our clients. In addition to diversity of thought, we value diversity of people and are committed to a workforce that’s inclusive of our community and culture.

This is a hybrid position. You’ll work in office three days a week, with flexibility to work remotely up to two days per week. Office locations: Charlotte, NC, Charleston, SC and Columbia, SC.

Pay Range: Industry competitive, commensurate with experience.