Tin Can is building a safer, simpler way for kids to connect — without smartphones. We’re creating screen-free, delightful devices and services that let families call the people who matter most, free from the noise of today’s digital world.
We’re building a bold, authentic, nostalgic, and kinda quirky brand that resonates with folks who want something simpler & better for their kids than the tech-infused lives we’re currently living (and who have a sense of humor about it). As we gear up to scale to thousands of families, we’re ready to bring on an Associate Creative Director to help make it happen.
The RoleWe're looking for an Associate Creative Director who's equal parts creative leader, systems thinker, and hands-on maker. This person is the right hand to the Head of Creative, helping translate big-picture vision into exceptional day-to-day execution across every brand touchpoint.
You'll lead a small but mighty creative team, turning ambitious briefs into thoughtful work while ensuring projects stay on brand, on schedule, and creatively sharp. You'll also roll up your sleeves—driving campaign concepts, key initiatives, and jumping into projects where your creative instincts can have the biggest impact.
If you're energized by building brands, making great work, mentoring creatives, and sweating the details without losing sight of the big picture, we'd love to meet you.
What you'll doPartner closely with the Head of Creative to help execute the creative vision across the brand.
Lead the day-to-day creative workflow, ensuring projects move efficiently from brief to delivery.
Maintain a high bar for craft, consistency, and brand expression across every customer touchpoint. Manage, mentor, and inspire a small team of designers and creatives, providing thoughtful feedback and helping elevate the quality of the work.
Break down complex projects into actionable workstreams, assigning resources based on team strengths and priorities.
Identify resource gaps, advocate for additional support when needed, and help improve creative processes as the team grows.
Serve as a creative contributor on high-impact work: writing briefs, developing concepts and executing design across campaigns, packaging, web, product launches, social, email, retail, events, and more.
Review work throughout the creative process, ensuring quality, cohesion, and strategic alignment.
Partner cross-functionally with Marketing, Product, Operations, CX, and Leadership to solve problems creatively and proactively.
Stay plugged into culture, design, and emerging creative trends, bringing fresh inspiration without chasing every trend.
Contribute and pitch crazy ideas to keep pushing the brand forward. If your ideas make you say, “is this crazy?” That's a good thing.
7+ years of experience in brand, design, or creative roles, with experience leading projects and managing creatives both in design art and copy.
A portfolio demonstrating strong conceptual thinking alongside exceptional design execution.
Experience leading teams of creatives in service of supporting cross-departmental design & copy needs across multiple brand channels, including packaging, digital, social, web, campaigns, experiential, and marketing.
Excellent creative judgment and an instinct for what makes work feel culturally relevant, distinctive, and ownable.
Strong organizational and project management skills—you know how to juggle multiple priorities without sacrificing quality.
Experience writing or refining creative briefs and translating strategy into actionable creative direction.
Ability to give clear, constructive feedback that elevates both the work and the people making it.
Comfort balancing leadership with hands-on execution.
Strong communication skills and confidence presenting work to stakeholders and leadership.
A collaborative mindset with a bias toward making things happen.
Experience with Adobe Creative Suite and Figma
Love making great work as much as leading it.
Can zoom out to think strategically, then zoom in to finesse the smallest design details.
Naturally bring clarity to ambiguity.
Have strong creative instincts and know when to push an idea further—or when simple is stronger.
Experience with kids' or family products
Background in both packaging/print and digital campaign work
Familiarity with letterpress, debossing, or other physical production techniques
You'd be helping Tin Can go from viral sensation to loyal fandom while trying to give kids something real back—plus you get to put "made a landline cool again" on your resume. If you love the puzzle of making the brand cool for both parents AND kids, you will thrive.
Skills Required
- 7+ years of experience in brand, design, or creative roles
- Experience leading projects and managing creatives (design and copy)
- Portfolio demonstrating strong conceptual thinking and strong design execution
- Experience supporting cross-departmental design and copy needs across multiple channels (packaging, digital, social, web, campaigns, experiential, marketing)
- Excellent creative judgment and cultural relevance instincts
- Strong organizational and project management skills
- Experience writing or refining creative briefs and translating strategy into creative direction
- Ability to give clear, constructive feedback to elevate work and people
- Comfort balancing leadership with hands-on execution
- Strong communication skills and confidence presenting to stakeholders and leadership
- Collaborative mindset with a bias toward making things happen
- Experience with Adobe Creative Suite and Figma
- Experience with kids' or family products
- Background in both packaging/print and digital campaign work
- Familiarity with letterpress, debossing, or other physical production techniques
What We Do
Tin Can is a screen-free phone for kids that gives them the independence to call friends and family—without giving them a smartphone. Built like a modern landline, Tin Can connects over Wi-Fi and uses a simple mobile app for parents to control who can call in and out. There’s no browser, no app store, no camera, no spam—just voice. It’s a safer, saner way for kids to communicate and gain a bit of freedom without the baggage of adult tech. We believe that real connection doesn’t require a screen. And that childhood is better when it’s full of imagination, not notifications. Tin Can started in one neighborhood in Seattle, where we hand-installed 40 early prototypes and watched them spread by word of mouth. Now, Tin Can is being used by kids in over 30 states—with no marketing, no paid ads, just families telling other families. We’re growing fast, and so is the movement of parents looking for a better way to let their kids be independent, without handing over the internet in their pocket. Our newest Tin Can is fully custom hardware, designed from the ground up to be beautifully simple. It works out of the box, connects through our app, and comes with smart features like emergency calling, quiet hours, and a free Can2Can plan that lets any two Tin Cans call each other with no subscription required. Tin Can is built for the 4–13 age range—when kids are old enough to want a phone, but not quite old enough to manage one. We’re on a mission to bring back the freedom of the old-school landline, updated for today’s families.
