The Role
About the role:
HLK is growing and looking for a hands-on, forward-thinking Creative Director (Copy) to join our team! Based in our St. Louis or Chicago office, this hybrid role calls for an engaged leader who thrives on collaboration, builds big ideas, and delivers impactful results. As a Creative Director at HLK, you’ll roll up your sleeves to work across disciplines, inspire teams, and push our creative work to bold new places—driven by curiosity, thoughtfulness, and bravery, the values at the heart of everything we do.
Responsibilities
- Set the creative vision for campaigns, ensuring every idea is strategically sound, audience-driven, and built to make an impact
- Lead, mentor, and inspire a team of creatives—creating an environment where big thinking thrives, collaboration is second nature, and people grow
- Work hand-in-hand with account directors, strategists, and media teams to craft integrated, pitch-winning solutions
- Build and deliver compelling client presentations, championing ideas with clarity and confidence while helping your team sharpen their own present-to-sell skills
- Keep our creative sharp by staying ahead of trends, technologies, and cultural shifts—always pushing for fresher, more innovative ideas
- Bridge the gap between creative and other teams, streamlining processes and elevating the work at every touchpoint
- Tackle complex challenges—whether they’re client roadblocks or internal hurdles—with a strategic and solutions-first mindset
- Deliver bold, award-worthy ideas across digital, social, content, print, broadcast, and brand-building initiatives
- Consistently push creative boundaries to surprise, connect, and drive meaningful results for our clients
Qualifications
- 7+ years of creative leadership experience in a fast-paced agency, with a portfolio of award-winning, multi-channel work
- A track record of leading and inspiring teams as a Creative Director (Copy)—balancing hands-on execution with high-level creative direction
- A strategic mindset and strong collaboration skills, working seamlessly with account, planning, and media partners
- A roll-up-your-sleeves mentality—ready to go deep, solve problems, and jump into the work when needed
- Deep expertise across digital, social, content, print, broadcast, and brand-building campaigns
- A passion for innovation, keeping up with emerging trends and technologies to drive creative excellence
- Exceptional presentation skills, plus the ability to coach others on how to own the room and sell great work
- A problem-solving mindset—proactive, adaptable, and always thinking ahead
- A commitment to mentorship, helping grow the next generation of creative talent
- Strong communication and collaboration skills, uniting teams to work smarter and deliver stronger results
- A natural alignment with HLK’s core values—Be Curious, Be Thoughtful, Be Brave
- Experience in Agriculture or Finance is a plus
- Must be based in Chicago or St. Louis and able to work onsite
About HLK:
We believe in the power of people to drive brands. Together, we shape a brand's identity and inspire its next move.
We believe that brands have the power to influence people. We create brands in constant motion, on a mission to connect, surprise, and change behavior.
Our mission is to provide an environment where passionate problem solvers can thrive. Every day we encourage our people to do 3 things: Be Curious. Seek out the right problems to solve. Embrace criticism. Dig deeper and dream bigger. Be Thoughtful. Empathy transforms information into insight. We remove roadblocks to solutions, helping and supporting each other to solve client problems. And Be Brave. Take calculated risks, push the work, and move forward fearlessly.
There are many benefits to working at HLK, including the following:
A flexible work environment
A casual and creative atmosphere
Unlimited time off
Paid sabbatical
Parental leave
Medical insurance
Dental insurance
Vision insurance
401(k) plan with a company match
All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, race, color, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.
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The Company
What We Do
Hardworking people are at the heart of what we do. Those that put in an honest day’s work and have high expectations of themselves and the brands they choose. And every day we engage with them, turning conversations into interactions: digital, personal, and financial.
