Associate Creative Director, Art; Commerce​/Shopper

Who We Are

VML is a leading creative company that combines brand experience, customer experience, and commerce, creating connected brands to drive growth. VML is celebrated for its innovative and award-winning human-first work for clients including AstraZeneca, Colgate-Palmolive, Dell, Ford, Microsoft, Nestlé, The Coca-Cola Company, and Wendy's. In 2026, VML was named Campaign’s Global Network of the Year and ranked #2 Creative Network of the Year at Cannes Lions.

VML’s global network spans 55+ markets with principal offices in Buenos Aires, Kansas City, London, New York, São Paulo, Shanghai and Singapore.

VML is part of WPP, the trusted growth partner for the world's leading brands. Powered by exceptional talent and our agentic marketing platform WPP Open, WPP unites cutting-edge media intelligence and data solutions, creativity, production, enterprise solutions and expert strategic counsel.

For more information, please visit  and follow along on Linked In #WeAreVML.

Who we are looking for:

VML is seeking a dynamic and experienced Associate Creative Director (Art) with a killer attitude and infectious energy to join our creative team. If this sounds like you and you’re a next-level designer, conceptual thinker and collaborator with some retail/shopper expertise and experience with large global clients, please read on and reach out.

In this role, you’ll be in our New York City office on the creative commerce team for one of our largest and most important CPG clients. This role is part of a multi-agency model called WPP Unite, working hand in hand with sister agencies at WPP.

You’ll work collaboratively with end-to-end commerce, brand, social, strategy and media teams as a creative commerce leader, translating full-funnel ambitions into unmissable commerce campaigns. You’ll oversee and execute visual and strategic concepts, tactics, toolkits and breakthrough activations across multiple markets for multiple brands.

You should be able to lead and own an array of client projects with minimal oversight, bringing executional excellence, conceptual savvy and dynamic presentation skills together to make award-worthy work.

What you’ll do:

• Concept and collaborate on creative commerce activation and campaign ideas that can be executed in markets across North America

• Provide a strong, expert POV on design elements including messaging hierarchy, typography, layout and color

• Guide the development of exploratory concept boards, leveraging diverse insights and references to inspire fresh ideas on proactive pitches

• Adapt brand platform ideas into commerce tactics and toolkits seamlessly, with application to retailer needs and strategies

• Champion a social-first approach to creative, staying ahead of cultural trends and platform innovations to ensure campaigns resonate with modern audiences

• Serve as a visionary mentor and creative powerhouse to inspire*
  * ** and guide creative team members

• Clearly articulate big ideas in client-facing pitch decks and finesse revisions under tight deadlines with an eye for detail

• Collaborate with multidisciplinary teams across the agency to ensure timely deliverables

• Anticipate team and client needs, project risks and participate in driving resolution

• Inspire clients and co-workers through strong work, a collaborative spirit and excellent communication

Who you are:

• ** A Designer **| An innovator with a design-eye and taste that can communicate an idea simply, yet with the subtleties and nuance that elevates good to great.

• ** Open and collaborative **| Our team is close-knit and supportive and we’re working with a lot of unknowns – you must be a champion of team environments that are comfortable and encouraging, especially working across disciplines.

• ** Optimistic and resilient **| Dig in…