APCO Worldwide

Associate Creative Director, Copy

Location: Raleigh, NC; New York, NY; or Washington, D.C.

Work Model: Hybrid (In-office 3 days/week)

Reports to: Head of Copy, North America

About the Role

APCO is seeking a leadership-minded Associate Creative Director (Copy) to join our North American creative team, reporting directly to our Head of Copy. As a strategically driven global communications and public affairs firm, we help clients break through and make an impact in an increasingly distracted environment.

In this role, you will be responsible for the strategic direction of our projects as well as the career paths of our talent, ensuring our work is exceptional and our team is continuously growing.

We are looking for a storyteller capable of generating big, bold, attention-grabbing ideas—concepts that are rooted in strategy and undeniably creative. You must understand the full ecosystem of an integrated campaign, speaking fluently to how creative drives performance across paid, earned, and digital channels to solve business problems.

Given the scale of our firm, success in this role requires the ability to navigate the complexities of a large, multi-sector agency. You must be comfortable advocating for the needs of the creative team while maintaining strong partnerships with client leaders, and be willing to stretch beyond your title to deliver results.

Responsibilities:

• Creative Leadership: Serve as a strategic lead on brand reputation, corporate communications, and integrated marketing campaigns. You will not just execute; you will determine the best, not just the easiest, solutions to complex challenges.
• Integrated Campaign Strategy: Connect business objectives with creative strategy. You will architect campaigns that work across the spectrum of paid, earned, shared, and owned media, understanding how a creative concept adapts and performs in each unique channel.
• Concept & Craft: Demonstrate exceptional writing versatility, mastering both punchy short-form copy and engaging long-form narratives. You will concept big ideas and simplify complex topics for various audiences, creating everything from foundational verbal brand elements (positioning, mission, vision, values) to campaign manifestos, scripts, digital ads, website content, and articles.
• Account Leadership: The selected candidate will work as a lead on a variety of accounts, from small to large-scale. You will partner with account managers to understand client business needs and spot opportunities for growth.
• Mentorship: Manage and nurture junior creatives (specifically copywriters) regarding skills development, career pathing, and performance.
• New Business: Lead new business efforts, pitch to "win the room," and earn the trust of potential clients by presenting original concepts with ease and authority.
• Collaboration: Lead presentations, workshops, and immersion sessions internally and externally. You will work across practice groups and offices to build inclusive environments for diverse teams.

A Bit About You

You are an innately curious, disciplined, and creative communicator with a passion for verbal branding and integrated campaigns. As a leader, you know what to say and how to say it, but you also possess a deep understanding of how the combination of art, copy, and channel strategy impacts audiences.

You are a holistic thinker: You don’t just write headlines; you understand how that headline interacts with a paid targeting strategy or an earned media pitch.

You are a problem solver: You are pragmatic, resourceful, and committed. You can examine details word-by-word but never lose sight of the global business impact of the work.

You understand the business of the business: You work with leadership to make profitable decisions that better our processes and performance.

Qualifications:

• A robust background with extensive (10+ years) experience in a client-facing, creative leadership role, preferably in a digitally integrated agency environment.
• BA or BS in Advertising, Journalism, Communications, or related field and/or a well-rounded portfolio showcasing your expertise in creative thinking, the written (or spoken) word, and the results of your compelling and emotionally engaging work.
• Proven leadership skills-from mentoring creatives to educating and guiding account staff through creative expertise.
• Strong ability to articulate clear creative direction and recommendations to improve on the creative process to keep work on budget and schedule.
• Excellent presentation skills and communication abilities with both colleagues and clients.
• Skilled in the art of prioritizing and managing work and resources across engagements based on short- and long-term need.
• Demonstrated knowledge of audience segmentation, content strategy, paid targeting, and earned media.
• Expertise in brand strategy, brand equity assessments, brand positioning, and messaging.
• Requirement: Must be based in (or willing to relocate to) Raleigh, NYC, or DC and able to work in-office 3 days a week.

Compensation Range:

The US base salary for this position ranges from $110,000/year to $140,000/year. Our compensation range for this role is inclusive of several US geographic markets. APCO targets an employee's pay within this range to be based on several factors, which include but are not limited to relevant education, skills, job-related knowledge, qualifications, work experience, credentials, internal equity and/or geographic location.

Careers at APCO

Through our recruitment, hiring and retention efforts, APCO is committed to building teams who bring the best possible expertise and robust perspectives to our clients. We embrace differences in experience, viewpoint and ideas, starting with our values and extending to our behaviors, policies and practices. We aim to create a positive work experience and welcoming environment where everyone feels they belong and can thrive.

We are proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer and encourage applications from all qualified candidates regardless of race, national origin, citizenship, native language, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, marital or parental status, religion, age, veteran status, neurodivergence, mental or physical disability, medical history, pregnancy, political belief or affiliation or any other characteristic protected by law.

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About APCO

APCO is a global advisory and advocacy firm helping leading corporations, foundations and governments navigate a complex world and create lasting impact.

Founded in 1984, with one woman’s vision and bold action, APCO has grown into an independent, majority women-owned firm of more than 1,200 employees with work spanning 80 markets around the world.

Headquartered in Washington, D.C., APCO is comprised of strategic advisers, consultants and creators, working together across borders and functions, to provide services and expertise on financial, competitive, political and societal issues.

APCO is a trusted partner to bold purpose-led leaders, lawmakers, government officials, NGOs, the media and other stakeholders in the health, energy, technology, transportation & infrastructure and food & consumer products sectors. For 40 years, the firm has provided public affairs, crisis & reputation, impact, corporate reputation and global solutions services.

APCO is renowned for its ability to champion clients’ interests and permission to operate, build their reputation and strengthen their standing. APCO’s integrated approach and team of tenacious and empathic talent create connections and winning strategies that accelerate progress and deepen impact.

By bringing diverse people and ideas together, and working beyond traditional boundaries, APCO builds the un/common ground upon which progress is made.