Upfield
Associate Creative Director
Upfield, Hackensack, NJ
About Upfield!
We are the largest plant-based company in the world, and we believe in doing what's right for our people, our customers and the planet. At Upfield our purpose is clear: we make people healthier and happier with nutritious and delicious, natural, plant-based products that are good for you, our planet; and with packaging that's free from plastic. We've got iconic brands like Country Crock, Violife, and Imperial that people all over the world know and love. We've been a trusted category leader since 1871 and yet we feel like we're only just getting started. Performance, Passion, and Care define who we are as a company, how we work every day, and the responsibility we feel toward our Associates, our consumers, our business partners, and our world.
We are a highly entrepreneurial fast-paced team running a multi-billion business across 60+ countries with the mindset of a start-up! We are agile, creative, fast-to-market, and obsessed with customers and consumers.
Position Overview:
At Upfield, our mission is to enhance health and happiness through delicious, plant-based nutrition products. We are seeking an Associate Creative Director to lead the creative strategy and execution for the global Violife brand. This role will be a key player in the Design and Consumer Experience Hub, reporting directly to the Head of Design and Consumer Experience.
As an Associate Creative Director, you will collaborate closely with the internal Design Team and external partners to deliver impactful, innovative brand experiences. This role requires a blend of creative leadership and hands-on design execution, ensuring that ideas are brought to life with precision and excellence across all touchpoints. You will be instrumental in crafting and executing compelling visual narratives that resonate on both global and local levels, maintaining a balance between creative direction and hands-on design involvement.
Key Responsibilities:
Experience and Skills Required:
Desired Traits:
This role offers an exciting opportunity to influence the Violife brand on a global scale, contributing to Upfield's mission to enhance health and happiness through plant-based nutrition. If you are a creative visionary with a passion for transformative design, we invite you to apply.
Upfield is an equal-opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.
What's next
If this position sounds interesting, please hit the apply button now!
We understand your resume might not be up to date and recommend that you apply with what you have or your LinkedIn Profile. Upfield is dedicated to building an inclusive and diverse workplace, we understand that you might not meet all the requirements stated in the description, but we encourage you to apply anyway. You might be the right candidate for this role or other roles.
Upfield is an employer committed to diversity and inclusion in the workplace and equal opportunities for all. We recruit based only on values, qualifications, performance, skills, behaviours, experience, and knowledge. We ensure job advertisements are free from unintentional bias.
No personal characteristics should be a barrier to joining Upfield. We prohibit discrimination and harassment based on race, color, sex, religion, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, genetic information, pregnancy, or other personal characteristics.
#LI-HYBRID
We are the largest plant-based company in the world, and we believe in doing what's right for our people, our customers and the planet. At Upfield our purpose is clear: we make people healthier and happier with nutritious and delicious, natural, plant-based products that are good for you, our planet; and with packaging that's free from plastic. We've got iconic brands like Country Crock, Violife, and Imperial that people all over the world know and love. We've been a trusted category leader since 1871 and yet we feel like we're only just getting started. Performance, Passion, and Care define who we are as a company, how we work every day, and the responsibility we feel toward our Associates, our consumers, our business partners, and our world.
We are a highly entrepreneurial fast-paced team running a multi-billion business across 60+ countries with the mindset of a start-up! We are agile, creative, fast-to-market, and obsessed with customers and consumers.
Position Overview:
At Upfield, our mission is to enhance health and happiness through delicious, plant-based nutrition products. We are seeking an Associate Creative Director to lead the creative strategy and execution for the global Violife brand. This role will be a key player in the Design and Consumer Experience Hub, reporting directly to the Head of Design and Consumer Experience.
As an Associate Creative Director, you will collaborate closely with the internal Design Team and external partners to deliver impactful, innovative brand experiences. This role requires a blend of creative leadership and hands-on design execution, ensuring that ideas are brought to life with precision and excellence across all touchpoints. You will be instrumental in crafting and executing compelling visual narratives that resonate on both global and local levels, maintaining a balance between creative direction and hands-on design involvement.
Key Responsibilities:
- Customer Insight: Develop a deep understanding of customers and craft memorable, end-to-end brand experiences that resonate with their needs and desires.
- Strategic Vision and Execution: Balance long-term creative strategies with short-term impactful activations, ensuring both are executed to a high standard. Your role will require hands-on design involvement to bring ideas to life.
- Creative Leadership: Lead and inspire creative teams across various workstreams, ensuring alignment with the brand's vision while remaining actively involved in design execution.
- Design Excellence: Deliver world-class creative work by overseeing the entire design process-from concept to execution-ensuring high standards in both direction and design output.
- Toolkit Development: Develop comprehensive brand and activation toolkits with clear guidelines, ensuring consistency across all consumer touchpoints.
- Visual Storytelling: Create and execute compelling visual stories across mixed media, ensuring cohesive brand narratives at every stage of the consumer journey.
- Brand Language: Partner with cross-functional stakeholders to define and codify brand language across various mediums, including visual and sensory elements.
- Creative Process Management: Manage the entire creative process from brief to final delivery, with a strong focus on both design direction and hands-on execution of key design elements.
- Design Element Definition: Define all design components, including identity, typography, iconography, illustrations, animations, and more. Ensure meticulous attention to detail in the selection of design materials and finishes.
- Project Management: Ensure that creative projects are delivered on time and on budget, balancing creativity with effective project management to produce world-class results.
- External Collaboration: Work closely with freelancers, agencies, and external partners as needed to extend creative capabilities and ensure flawless execution.
Experience and Skills Required:
- Proven Experience: Significant experience in creative leadership roles, such as Associate Creative Director, Senior Designer, or Art Director, with a robust portfolio showcasing a blend of creative direction and hands-on design execution.
- Graphic Design Skills: Mastery of Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign), with a strong foundation in design principles, typography, color theory, and layout.
- Digital Expertise: Familiarity with digital design, including social media, web design, and video editing. Knowledge of 3D rendering or prototyping tools is a plus.
- Print and Production Knowledge: Experience managing print production processes, color management, and collaborating with vendors to ensure high-quality packaging and material execution.
- Design Versatility: Ability to visualize and execute brand identity across various formats, including packaging, digital, and environmental design.
Desired Traits:
- Creative Leadership: A visionary thinker who can inspire creative teams while actively contributing to design execution.
- Collaboration: Strong ability to work across functions, leading creative initiatives and ensuring alignment with strategic goals.
- Innovation and Curiosity: A quick-thinking, entrepreneurial spirit with a passion for innovation and pushing creative boundaries.
This role offers an exciting opportunity to influence the Violife brand on a global scale, contributing to Upfield's mission to enhance health and happiness through plant-based nutrition. If you are a creative visionary with a passion for transformative design, we invite you to apply.
Upfield is an equal-opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.
What's next
If this position sounds interesting, please hit the apply button now!
We understand your resume might not be up to date and recommend that you apply with what you have or your LinkedIn Profile. Upfield is dedicated to building an inclusive and diverse workplace, we understand that you might not meet all the requirements stated in the description, but we encourage you to apply anyway. You might be the right candidate for this role or other roles.
Upfield is an employer committed to diversity and inclusion in the workplace and equal opportunities for all. We recruit based only on values, qualifications, performance, skills, behaviours, experience, and knowledge. We ensure job advertisements are free from unintentional bias.
No personal characteristics should be a barrier to joining Upfield. We prohibit discrimination and harassment based on race, color, sex, religion, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, genetic information, pregnancy, or other personal characteristics.
#LI-HYBRID