Creative Director

We describe ourselves as the most contemporary global creative and media agency. We’re independent, born in social back in 2009; we come from New York and our founder Gary Vaynerchuk (known by his fans as GaryVee) and we have grown locally and authentically across the world. We are digital first, we’re creative and media - we’re all the things that the advertising industry isn’t. We have gone to the roots of where consumer attention is, building business transformation, building culturally and contextually relevant creative and distributing it via the modern comms plan.  We believe through and through that brand is built in social and that if brands listen to consumers, see their real time behaviour, know culture and platforms better than anyone, then we will build the most effective brands in the world. We are social through and through but we think big - our work scales to big ideas (we made 3 Superbowl ads this year).

VaynerMedia - and VaynerX (our version of a modern holding co) is growing at a crazy rate. New York is the mothership, and we have offices in London, APAC (Singapore, Bangkok, Australia, Tokyo), LATAM (Mexico City) and LA.  We have just been awarded AdWeek’s Breakthrough Media Agency of the Year and were #5 in AdAge’s A List (up from ‘Agency to Watch’ last year. Our first Campaign School Report for EMEA described us as “the cool exchange student forming roots” which we love a lot as it gets to the heart of what we are trying to do. 

VaynerMedia in EMEA is flying. We are 130 strong and doubled in headcount during the pandemic. Our clients include TikTok (social AOR, run out of London), Durex, Tinder, Kraft Heinz, WeWork, Indeed, among others. We’ve been running multiple local market campaigns - integrated media and creative, creative only, media only - across NL, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and there are more on the cards, which is why we are growing our presence in Amsterdam.

VaynerMedia Amsterdam is opening shortly, primarily to partner the many EU clients we have. We love Amsterdam - it’s an incredibly creative, innovative and exciting market. It has diverse talent representing many different countries and communities. It’s the perfect hub for our EU operations. And of course, it’s a great city. We believe in launching in a market bottom up - with incredible local people who understand and are excited about the ‘Vayner Way’ shaking things up, and building credibility and fame through our work. 

But ultimately we are people people. We are skills first rather than where you studied and who you know. We’re here to change advertising so we thrive on free-thinkers with big ambitions.

Sound like you?

The Role:

Hitting your stride as ACD or CD and looking for more? Then this could be for you. We're looking for a CD to be a founding member of the creative team as VaynerMedia expands into Amsterdam. You'll be a strong creative head, used to leading creative teams with a focus on the best work possible, guiding and shaping great ideas that hit the client briefs and make us all proud. This is a founding role for us, so you’ll be good on your feet, love the thrill of new biz and helping us bed in our founding fashion and beauty client. Adept at presenting, you understand the business of creativity, you are able to work alongside client partnership teams to build and grow clients. More than that, you're used to negotiating your way to the best creative answers for the campaigns whilst keeping clients on side. But that doesn't mean you won't challenge and know how to defend the work with grace and meaning.

Your skills will need to cover both AD and copy - able to guide teams as well as expertly craft concepts and campaigns that motivate and connect across campaigns and media. Your years of experience will have added a depth of understanding visual language to your core skills. You will have creators and creative teams around you as we form the Amsterdam office, as well as working with visual partners be they creators, designers, editors or film makers in London, and you know how to make the most of their skills and draw a team together.

Core Responsibilities:

• Founding member of the newest VaynerMedia office, establishing new clients and working as an integral team member to pitch and gain others
• Development and delivery of creative solutions for a variety of clients and industries. Ready to step in and roll your sleeves up when needed, as well as managing and approving the work of your creative teams
• Supporting your ECD to mentor and manage creatives and creative teams, including designers, writers and creators
• Collaborate cross-departmentally, and inter-ofice to develop a high variety of ideas that meets creative and strategic criteria (client briefs, feedback, client KPIs)
• Ideate and conceptualise engaging thinking that reflects brand guidelines; maintaining aesthetic, tone, and brand consistency across all deliverables
• Foster positive relationships among the internal brand teams, the creative department, direct reports, other agency partners, and clients
• Acts as quality control and brand steward for junior level team members and liaison between your team and your manager
• Significant advertising experience leading teams, developing and creating TTL, digital and platform specific social campaigns
• Fluent English and Dutch
• This role will have in-agency requirements, so a commutable distance to Amsterdam!

Desirable Skills:

• Ability to carry a concept from start to completion, and guide those on your team to do the same. Executing and delegating as needed.
• Award-winning campaigns that motivate and connect across a range of clients and media
• Able to spot the seed of an idea when you hear one from a more junior team member and understand how to nurture and enable it to grow into an impactful, change making campaign
• Strong knowledge of platform/industry/creative trends and best practises. Must be able to translate this knowledge into articulating and strategically applying to creative executions.
• Experience evaluating teams with the ability to supervise and train employees on an ongoing basis.
• A talent for wearing multiple brand hats and switching easily among brand voices.
• Ability to simultaneously manage multiple projects with tight deadlines
• Proficiency in gathering learnings and insights from platforms, consumer feedback and culture to make concise, relevant recommendations.
• A strong hands-on knowledge of the big social media platforms and their specific abilities/limitations. You play on the platforms and understand their differences.
• Love the thought of challenging the advertising industry, embracing change and be a keen adopter of new strategies and techniques

How we will support you:

We know talent is our most important asset and our people guide our work and our culture. The last year has challenged us like nothing before, and we are committed to providing the support and flexibility needed for people to do their best work and have fun doing it. We are an open minded bunch and we value diversity of thought and experience. Every person we hire will make us a more creative, innovative and happier agency. You are always welcome to bring an idea or opinion to our work and our ways of working.

We have newly launched an entity in Europe with Amsterdam being our first office in EMEA. We are currently in the process of reviewing our benefits offerings and are committed to providing a comprehensive programme for our people.

VaynerMedia is an Equal Opportunity Employer. This means that VaynerMedia provides equal employment opportunities to all staff members and job applicants without regard to gender, pregnancy, marital or civil partnership status, gender reassignment, race, disability, sexual orientation, religious belief, part time or fixed term employment, age or any other legally protected class.

This role is a full time role based in Amsterdam, candidates must be authorised to work in the Netherlands.