Senior Art Director

About Schaefer

At Schaefer Advertising, our purpose is simple:
Make Life Better.

That purpose guides everything we do. We believe great work starts with great people, strong relationships, and a culture that encourages curiosity, collaboration, and continuous growth.

For more than 30 years, we’ve helped organizations solve business problems through thoughtful strategy, strong creative, and lasting partnerships. We care deeply about our clients, our community, and each other. We believe the best ideas come from teams that trust one another and enjoy working together.

If you’re looking for a place where you can grow as a leader, make a meaningful contributions, and help shape the next chapter of a respected and established independent agency, we’d love to meet you.

Some agencies treat art direction as a step between the idea and the file. We don't.

Our clients hire us because the work is considered — because a campaign feels like it belongs to them and to nobody else. That happens when someone owns the craft: the photography, the typography, the system, the details that separate work people notice from work people scroll past.

This role is that person. You will set and hold the visual standard across our portfolio, partnering closely with the VP/Creative Director.

This is a craft-first role by design. We are investing in depth, not just headcount, and we want someone who takes visible pride in what leaves the building.

This is a hands-on role. You will concept, art direct, and design across brand campaigns, integrated advertising, environmental and out-of-home, digital, social, and motion — from first territory exploration through final production files.

You will art direct original photography and video, working with photographers, filmmakers, stylists, and retouchers to make sure what gets shot is what the concept actually needs. You will build visual systems that hold together across channels, markets, languages, and years — and package them so teams outside Schaefer can execute them correctly without a creative in the room.

You will also raise the craft ceiling around you. You'll partner with our Copywriters, Art Directors and Production Artist, direct freelance designers and specialists, and help our creative team get better.

Within your first 12 to 18 months you will have:

• Raised the visible craft standard across the portfolio, in ways clients and the team can both point to.
• Become a trusted conceptual art direction partner to the VP/Creative Director
• Owned original photo and video direction on at least one flagship campaign from concept through final delivery.
• Built or meaningfully strengthened a brand system that others can execute from without losing the intent.
• Developed a working rhythm with our Copywriters, Art Directors, Designers and Production Artist that makes the whole team faster and sharper.
• Directed freelance creatives effectively, with clear briefs and useful feedback.
• Brought new tools, techniques, or production approaches into how we work — and taught them to others.

• Concept and art direct campaigns across brand, integrated advertising, out-of-home, digital, social, motion, and environmental work.
• Own typography, composition, color, image selection, and detail — the choices that make work feel intentional rather than assembled.
• Develop presentation-ready concepts. Much of our work is presented essentially final, with imagery and assets that are immediately usable.
• Design for the medium: legibility at highway speed, hierarchy in a feed, restraint on a wall.
• Kill your own work when a stronger idea is available, and make the case for the idea worth protecting.

• Art direct original photo and video shoots — casting, wardrobe, location, styling, lighting, and shot lists tied to the concept.
• Partner with photographers, filmmakers, retouchers, and animators to get the intent onto the screen.
• Curate and edit imagery with a strong point of view, including from existing client libraries.
• Prepare final files and specs correctly for print, OOH, broadcast, and digital production.

• Build…