Senior Creative Manager, Performance Design (Remote US)

Directive Consulting • Irvine, CA

6d • Remote

About The Position

We're looking for a Senior Creative Manager to lead our Performance Design department — a team that sits at the intersection of creative craft and performance marketing. This is not a traditional creative manager role. You'll be equally responsible for the strategic direction of the department and the day-to-day development of the people and work within it. You'll inherit a team with strong momentum, an established methodology, and a clear positioning — and your job is to scale it.
This role reports to senior leadership and manages the full Performance Design team, including designers, project management, and motion contractors.

Requirements

• 5+ years in creative roles within performance marketing, paid media, or growth-focused agency environments
• Proven track record managing creative teams and balancing creative quality with business outcomes
• Comfortable presenting department strategy to VPs and CMOs just as much as reviewing a creative brief
• Strong understanding of how a creative department operates as a business
• Direct experience managing or having visibility into P&L, margin, and resourcing decisions
• You think like an owner and make decisions with financial impact in mind
• Hands-on experience with AI creative tools — generative image, AI-powered video, design analytics, or similar
• Knows how to integrate AI into real production workflows, not just demo it
• Strong communicator who can translate creative thinking into business language
• Track record of building trust with both creative practitioners and senior leadership

Nice To Haves

• Experience with platforms like EyeQuant, Creatify, or Superside is a plus

Responsibilities

• Own the creative vision and quality standard for the Performance Design department
• Ensure all work meets both craft and conversion benchmarks — great looking and built to perform
• Review and elevate creative across paid social, display, video, and landing page formats
• Lead, coach, and develop a multidisciplinary team of designers, project managers, and motion contractors
• Set clear expectations, foster accountability, and build a culture where creative people do their best work
• Identify growth opportunities for team members and actively invest in their development
• Partner closely with paid media and client success teams to ensure creative is data-informed from the start
• Represent the department in new business pitches and client conversations
• Articulate the value of Performance Design as a strategic capability, not just an execution function
• Own and manage the department P&L
• Monitor margins, manage resourcing decisions with financial impact in mind, and ensure the department operates as a profitable, scalable business unit
• Think and operate like an owner
• Lead adoption of AI creative tools across the team
• Identify where emerging technologies can sharpen output and improve efficiency
• Build AI into real production workflows — not just as a proof of concept

Benefits

• Compensation for this role includes a competitive base salary
• Medical, dental, vision plans, disability, and life insurance coverage for you and your family that fit your lifestyle
• Including a 100% employer-paid plan for you and a 50% employer contribution for your dependents
• Mental - Access to certified therapists through Spring Health, membership to Headspace
• Physical - Gympass
• Time Off - Unlimited PTO (2-week minimum), Paid Company Holidays, Your Birthday Off, End of Year Recharge (Closed December 24 - January 1), Paid Parental Leave
• Financial - Traditional and Roth 401(k) with a 3% company match
• Bonus - Annual bonus based on tenure, which scales in total amount over time
• Annual Anniversary Trip with peers and executive leadership for fun and entertainment!

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Education Level: No Education Listed