Job Description: Associate Creative Director (PR & Creative)

JOB SUMMARY

As an Associate Creative Director, you will play a key role in shaping the strategic narratives, ideas, and cultural relevance of our work across clients and new business pitches.

Reporting to the Creative Director, this is a copy-first, narrative-led role — focused on translating insights into compelling storylines, campaign platforms, and PR-driven ideas that can travel across content, community, and coverage. Visual language is a key component too, but secondary to messaging.

You will lead the development of press-worthy, culturally tapped-in concepts, ensuring every idea is grounded in insight, built to earn attention, and designed to resonate in today’s media landscape.

This is not a design-first role. It’s a narrative-first role — where the strength of the idea lives in the story before the aesthetic.

JOB RESPONSIBILITIES

Creative Development (Clients & New Business)

Reporting to the Creative Director, you will collaborate with Strategy, Accounts, and Creative teams to develop bold, insight-driven ideas across existing clients and new business pitches.

• Translate briefs into compelling creative territories, narratives, and campaign platforms
• Develop PR-led ideas designed to generate coverage, conversation, and cultural relevance
• Lead and contribute to brainstorming sessions with trend-driven, culturally tapped-in thinking
• Shape ideas across multiple touchpoints, including:
  • PR moments & stunts
  • Influencer campaigns
  • Mailers & unboxing experiences
  • OOH & experiential activations
  • Social-first content
• Ensure all ideas are strategically grounded, creatively strong, and executionally feasible

Narrative & Concept Development

• Own the development of narratives that anchor campaigns and creative platforms
• Craft press angles, headlines, and hooks that make ideas easy to amplify across media and social
• Build language systems and campaign territories that scale across channels
• Partner closely with Strategy to translate insights into clear, ownable storytelling

Collaboration & Team Integration

• Work cross-functionally with Accounts and Strategy to align creative with client needs and timelines
• Act as a key creative partner on accounts, helping elevate the quality of thinking and execution
• Provide guidance and feedback to junior creatives and team members
• Contribute to a collaborative, ideas-first culture across the agency

New Business & Pitch Development

• Play a role in shaping pitch narratives and creative concepts
• Develop clear, compelling, and sellable ideas that differentiate the agency
• Contribute to building high-impact presentations and decks
• Help translate creative thinking into client-ready storytelling that drives wins

KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS (KPIs)

• Creative impact: Quality and originality of ideas across client work and pitches
• Narrative strength: Ability to develop clear, compelling, and ownable storytelling
• Cultural relevance: Ideas that tap into trends, behaviours, and conversations
• PR impact: Strength of concepts to generate earned media and social traction
• Team contribution: Collaboration, and elevation of creative output

REQUIREMENTS

EDUCATION

Degree in Marketing, Communications, Design, or a related field.

EXPERIENCE

• 5–6+ years of experience in an agency, PR or brand-side creative role
• Experience across PR, social, and integrated campaigns
• Proven ability to develop insight-driven, culturally relevant ideas
• Experience in beauty, wellness, food or lifestyle brands is an asset
• Strong portfolio showcasing campaign thinking across multiple touchpoints

SKILLS

• This is a bilingual role, ideating campaigns that must resonate across French Canada, English Canada and at times, the US market. 
• Exceptional copywriting and storytelling ability — able to turn insights into sharp, compelling narratives
• Strong understanding of PR-driven creativity and earned-first thinking
• Deep cultural awareness — chronically online, with a strong point of view on trends and audience behaviour
• Ability to develop big ideas through narrative first, then translate into execution
• Strong collaboration skills — able to work seamlessly with Strategy, Accounts, and Design
• Confident presenter with the ability to sell ideas through narrative clarity and conviction
• Comfortable operating in a fast-paced, high-expectation environment
• You are both strategic and culturally fluent — equally comfortable building a campaign platform as you are spotting what’s trending and turning it into something ownable.

Sip Into Success: Our Blended Perks & Benefits

• Awesome Leadership: We're all about collaboration, creativity, and respect. Our values include playing nice, brewing big and being dependable.
• Health & Wellness: Full-time permanent employees get medical, vision, and dental benefits after three months.
• Profit Sharing: Eligible for Merit + Bonuses after 1 year.
• Flexible Workweek: Enjoy flex hours with hybrid options.
• Holiday Chill: We close down for a paid break during Christmas (subject to change).
• Wellness Perks: Premium Calm app subscription and access to Perkopolis.
• Work from Anywhere: After a year with us, work from wherever you want for up to 3 weeks!

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY

1Milk2Sugars is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. All qualified applicants will receive consideration without regard to race, colour, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, or veteran status.

As part of our recruitment process, AI tools may be used to summarize interview discussions.