Job description

About EAB At EAB , our mission is to make education smarter and our communities stronger. We work with more than 2,800 institutions to drive transformative change through data-driven insights and best-in-class capabilities. From kindergarten to college to career, EAB partners with leaders and practitioners to accelerate progress and drive results across enrollment, student success, institutional strategy, data analytics, and advancement. We work with each partner differently, tailoring our portfolio of research, technology, and marketing and enrollment solutions to meet the unique needs of every leadership team, as well as the students and employees they serve. At EAB, we serve not only our partner institutions but each other—that's why we are always working to make sure our employees love their jobs and are invested in their communities. See how we've been recognized for this dedication to our employees by checking out our recent awards . For more information, visit our Careers page. About Hybrid Recently acquired by EAB, Hybrid is a globally recognized and award-winning agency that operates as a full-service marketing partner for the education sector, connecting universities with students worldwide. Powered by unrivaled insight, advanced technology, and AI-driven enrollment strategies, our integrated marketing solutions help education brands grow. We tackle the sector’s toughest challenges head-on and continuously strive for excellence, staying on the pulse of emerging trends. When you join our division of EAB, you become part of a tight-knit, ambitious, supportive, and rapidly growing team. You’ll work on big ideas with talented colleagues who respect your input, challenge your thinking and push you to do your best work. Visit our website to learn more about our story The Role in Brief: Hybrid, a division of EAB, is seeking an Associate Creative Director to help lead and grow our U.S. creative offering. Working closely with the Executive Creative Director and Art Director, you will develop creative strategies, deliver high-quality brand and campaign work, and support the growth of our Philadelphia creative team. This client-facing role combines strategic creative leadership with new business development. You will pitch alongside the team, build client relationships, and collaborate with global creative colleagues to deliver compelling work for higher education partners. Primary Responsibilities: • Help win and deliver U.S. creative work for higher education partners, presenting ideas and participating in new business pitches. • Partner with the Executive Creative Director to develop Hybrid’s U.S. creative offering and support the growth of the Philadelphia team. • Provide strategic creative direction across brands and campaigns, guiding projects from initial concept through completion. • Collaborate with the global creative team to deliver high-quality work and build a collaborative creative culture in Philadelphia. • Manage, motivate, and support creative team members, providing clear direction and constructive feedback. • Work with account and creative leadership to prioritize workloads, coordinate resources, and oversee project delivery. • Review and approve creative work for design quality, accuracy, attention to detail, and production feasibility. • Partner with the Executive Creative Director and Director of Accounts to cultivate and maintain key client relationships. Basic Qualifications: • 6+ years of experience in the creative industry. • Strong graphic design skills and in-depth knowledge of branding, design, typography, and creative problem-solving. • Experience developing creative work across brands and campaigns. • Experience leading creative teams and overseeing projects from concept through completion. • Strong presentation and communication skills, with the ability to explain creative ideas and build rapport with clients. • Ability to collaborate across teams, manage competing priorities, and maintain close attention to detail. Ideal Qualifications: • Experience in an agency environment, balancing creative work across multiple clients and projects. • Experience developing brands and integrated campaigns for higher education institutions. • Demonstrated success presenting creative concepts in new business pitches and helping win client engagements. • Experience building and mentoring creative teams, with a focus on developing talent and maintaining high creative standards. • A portfolio demonstrating strategic thinking, strong design execution, and creative work aligned with client goals. • Experience collaborating with account management, strategy, and production teams to deliver cohesive campaigns. • Ability to translate audience insights and client objectives into compelling creative concepts. • Experience working with motion design, video, or other digital storytelling formats. If you’ve reached this section of the job description and are unsure of whether to apply, please do! At EAB, we welcome new perspectives and learn from each other’s unique experiences. We would encourage you to submit an application if this is a role you would be passionate about doing every day. Benefits: Consistent with our belief that our employees are our most valuable resource, EAB offers a competitive and inclusive benefits package. Our benefits currently include: • Medical, dental, and vision insurance plans; dependents and domestic partners eligible • 20+ days of PTO annually, in addition to paid firm and floating holidays • Daytime leave policy for community service and flextime for fitness activities (up to 10 hours per month each) • 401(k) retirement savings plan with annual discretionary company matching contribution • Health savings account, healthcare and dependent care flexible spending account, and pre-tax commuter plans • Employee assistance program with counseling services and resources available to all employees and immediate family • Wellness programs including gym discounts, incentives to promote healthy living, and family access to the leading app for sleep, meditation, and relaxation • Fertility treatment coverage and adoption or surrogacy assistance • Paid parental leave with phase back to work program for birthing and non-birthing parents • Access to milk shipping service to support nursing employees during business travel • Discounted pet health insurance coverage for dog and cat family members • Company-provided life, AD&D, and disability insurance • Financial wellness resources and membership in a robust employee discount program • Access to employee resource groups, merit-based advancement, and dynamic professional growth opportunities Benefits kick in day one; learn more at eab.com/careers/benefits . This opening is not eligible for visa sponsorship at this time; EAB will thus consider candidates who possess U.S. work authorization that does not require employment-based visa sponsorship now or in the future. At EAB, we believe that to fulfill our mission to “make education smarter and our communities stronger” we need team members who bring a diversity of perspectives to the table and are committed to fostering a workplace where each team member is valued, respected and heard. To that end, EAB is an Equal Opportunity Employer, and we make employment decisions on the basis of qualifications, merit and business need. We don’t discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, non-disqualifying physical or mental disability, national origin, veteran status or any other basis covered by appropriate law.

Requirements

Must-haves

Help win and deliver U.S. creative work for higher education partners, presenting ideas and participating in new business pitches.
Partner with the Executive Creative Director to develop Hybrid’s U.S. creative offering and support the growth of the Philadelphia team.
Provide strategic creative direction across brands and campaigns, guiding projects from initial concept through completion.
Collaborate with the global creative team to deliver high-quality work and build a collaborative creative culture in Philadelphia.
Manage, motivate, and support creative team members, providing clear direction and constructive feedback.
Work with account and creative leadership to prioritize workloads, coordinate resources, and oversee project delivery.
Review and approve creative work for design quality, accuracy, attention to detail, and production feasibility.
Partner with the Executive Creative Director and Director of Accounts to cultivate and maintain key client relationships.
6+ years of experience in the creative industry.
Strong graphic design skills and in-depth knowledge of branding, design, typography, and creative problem-solving.
Experience developing creative work across brands and campaigns.
Experience leading creative teams and overseeing projects from concept through completion.
Strong presentation and communication skills, with the ability to explain creative ideas and build rapport with clients.
Ability to collaborate across teams, manage competing priorities, and maintain close attention to detail.
Experience in an agency environment, balancing creative work across multiple clients and projects.
Experience developing brands and integrated campaigns for higher education institutions.
Demonstrated success presenting creative concepts in new business pitches and helping win client engagements.
Experience building and mentoring creative teams, with a focus on developing talent and maintaining high creative standards.
A portfolio demonstrating strategic thinking, strong design execution, and creative work aligned with client goals.
Experience collaborating with account management, strategy, and production teams to deliver cohesive campaigns.
Ability to translate audience insights and client objectives into compelling creative concepts.
Experience working with motion design, video, or other digital storytelling formats.

Nice-to-haves

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Benefits

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401(K)

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Wellness