Associate Director, Custom Creative Design

Los Angeles, California

Description

Position at IGN

About Us:

IGN Entertainment, a division of Ziff Davis, Inc., is one of the world’s largest gaming and entertainment media platforms and the go-to destination for fans to explore and celebrate games, film, TV, comics and much more. Across its 16 digital properties, IGN Entertainment reaches more than 490 million monthly users in 110 countries and engages with 85 million fans on social media. Its portfolio includes favorites such as IGN, Eurogamer, Digital Foundry, Rock Paper Shotgun, and MapGenie, delivering daily content across 46 platforms, including YouTube, TikTok, X, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and connected TV. Through its online digital store Humble Bundle, IGN Entertainment has donated over $250 million to more than 38,000 charities worldwide, underscoring its commitment to making a positive impact. Headquartered in Los Angeles, IGN Entertainment's content is localized in 20 languages. Learn more at corp.ign.com.

Job Summary:

IGN is looking for an exceptional Associate Design Director to work within our creative solutions team. This role will oversee and be a part of creating the custom design-based components of the commercial campaigns that IGN Entertainment runs for its clients. This can be anything from custom ad units, to microsites, to motion graphics, to promotional material and more. To excel in this role you must be able to manage a team of designers and work on multiple projects at once, whilst communicating ideas clearly both verbally and in written form. You will work alongside the global design teams, project managers and sales teams, and report into the Global Design Director.

The successful candidate will need to be an influential and persuasive leader, whilst being a proactive team player that’s keen to maintain the high standards we strive for with each campaign we deliver. You will be providing direction, guidance and inspiration on multiple campaigns, so excellent time management and organisation is critical, as is a creative mind and an obsessive attention to detail.

Responsibilities Include:

This role will generate and execute creative ideas and concepts which fulfil the advertising and marketing needs of our clients, and manage a team of US-based designers who do the same. This includes:

• Ideating and working closely with the team to take mock designs and ideas from initial concept to final working builds
• Providing direction, guidance and inspiration to the team in the creation and development of sold and internal projects such as site graphics, banner ads, and microsites
• On all projects the team is responsible for: making sure client and internal brand guidelines are stuck to
• Designing and building compelling sold digital experiences (e.g. ads, microsites, promo collateral etc) as well as mocks that will help sell a concept or pitch through
• Being the face of the design team internally in the US and participating in meetings and presentations with teams across the business
• This could see you advising on anything from the feasibility of creative ideas, technical considerations for new ad formats, resourcing needs - as well as any other information specific to the work the design team fulfils on
• Working closely with the Sales team and participating in client-facing calls to help brainstorm first-to-market design ideas and form a productive creative partnership with our clients
• Assessing and tracking the design project pipeline, allocating resource, and advising on what to outsource where necessary
• Collaborating with Creative Strategy, Sponsorship, Revenue Operations, Brand Design, Product, Sales Leadership, and Editorial Operations to incorporate their projects and needs into the team’s workflow
• Providing insight and direction for the project management team when needing design resources

Desired Skills and Experience:

• 5+ years experience working in digital media, both as a hands-on designer and as a creative leader
• Strong design ability and fluency in Adobe Creative Suite, particularly Photoshop and Illustrator
• Experience with Celtra, Webflow or similar digital building tools
• Expert knowledge in front end web development, specifically HTML, CSS and JavaScript
• Experience with responsive and adaptive design and a keen eye for detail in regards to UI/UX
• Strong project management skills and a deadline oriented approach to projects
• Excellent conceptual thinking and problem solving skills
• Excellent interpersonal abilities to effectively communicate with all internal and external teams and all levels of management alongside a collaborative mindset
• Self-motivated, proactive and able to manage multiple tasks and deadlines
• Intimate knowledge of online and mobile advertising with proven ability to create compelling, sophisticated products
• Up-to-date understanding of the changing digital landscape as it pertains to design, advertising and development changes
• An openness to implement and evolve processes and best practices
• Lead by example, showing a willingness to dive into the creative process and contribute hands-on when needed
• Experience managing and developing small-medium sized teams

Nice to have but not essential:

• Knowledge of DFP/Google Ad Manager
• Experience working alongside technical specialists and freelancers
• Experience working across global time zones

Work Environment:

• Work Schedule: Standard full-time working schedule, M-F. Other than if there is a project-specific need, there is no expectation for this role to work weekends or holidays.
• Due to the global nature of this team, there will be some requirements to start earlier for calls with the UK, but flexible hours can be applied in these instances.
• Travel Requirements: No travel is required for this role.
• Physical Requirements: This role involves typical office and computer-based activities, including prolonged periods of sitting or standing and frequent use of hands, fingers, and vision for tasks such as operating a computer, mouse, and keyboard.
• Work Model: This role will operate a hybrid schedule with 3 days per week based in our LA office, 2 days from home.

Our Culture and Values

At IGN, we believe diversity stimulates creativity, promotes the exchange of new ideas, and enriches our personal and professional lives. We are committed to championing diversity in all that we do, weaving fairness and equity into the fabric of our organization, and achieving a safe, welcoming, inclusive, and antiracist culture where everyone belongs and everyone can thrive.

Here’s the good stuff about us…

• You’ll make an impact. We reach 490MM monthly unique users. We’re big time, but we’re not afraid to give you real opportunities to be epic and make a difference immediately.
• We’ve got a big presence, but a small team.
• We have fun. It’s all about games and games are fun. Anyone can offer a casual work environment, flexible hours, and benefits. We can offer that and a place where you can squad up with your coworkers in the arcade/game room.
• We’re passionate about what we do. IGN employees understand our users, because they are our users. We have a personal interest in providing the best possible product.

IGN Entertainment offers competitive salaries in addition to robust health and wellness focused benefits including medical, dental, vision, life and disability benefits; Flexible Spending accounts, 401(k) with company match, an Employee Stock Purchase Plan, Pregnancy and Parental leave, Family Planning Support via Maven, Flexible Time Off, Volunteer Time Off, Fitness Reimbursement as well as employee-focused engagement and education programs, including Employee Resource Groups and company-sponsored events. If you’re seeking a dynamic work environment where you can see the direct impact of your performance, then IGN is the place for you.

Ziff Davis is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive and equitable environment for all employees. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, sex, gender, gender expression, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status. We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us to request accommodation.

Salary Disclosure: Ziff Davis provides a range for the base pay. Factors that may be used to determine your actual pay may include your specific job related knowledge, skills, experience, and geographic location. The base pay for this position ranges from $110,000 to $135,000, 401K with company match, medical, dental, vision, and life insurance, short and long-term disability, and a flexible time off policy.

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