About Zoic Labs
Zoic Labs is an Experience Engineering company, focused on the strategic design and development of immersive, interactive and user-centric experiences.
We blend principles of UX/UI design, psychology, advanced technology, and storytelling to create seamless, engaging, and functional digital and physical interactions. Our dynamic and multi-disciplinary team has deep expertise in video game, XR, and web tool design and leverages a robust product development pipeline.
We work for a diverse mix of government and commercial clients.
The Role
We're looking for a Creative Director to help ideate, define, and present solutions with cutting-edge look, feel, and function across a variety of client experiences. You'll work where design, psychology, storytelling, and emerging technology meet, turning early ideas into interactive prototypes that show clients what's possible and what their users need.
You'll lead the front end of our creative process: understanding client goals, generating original concepts, prototyping them quickly across game, XR, and web platforms, and presenting them in ways that build confidence and buy-in. Collaborating with our designers, developers, and project leads, you'll carry the strongest ideas forward in alignment with clients and stakeholders, so bold creative visions become experiences that are intuitive, functional, and ready for real-world use.
Your work will span commercial and government clients, from engaging consumer-facing experiences to mission-focused training and operational tools. Each comes with its own users, constraints, and definition of success.
This role suits someone who thrives in early-stage ambiguity, moves easily from sketch to working build, and is equally comfortable working remote, onsite with clients, or on the road with our business development team. Some of the most important work happens in those first meetings, where reading the room and sketching out what's possible on the spot is what earns the engagement.
What You'll Do
- Generate and pitch original creative concepts for immersive, interactive, experiential and gamified experiences (primarily web tools, VR/AR/XR are a plus).
- Join business development trips and take the lead in early client conversations, listening for how their teams work today and where the friction is, then thinking out loud with them about what a better experience could look like.
- Evaluate existing customer workflows, offer novel solutions and help guide clients in connecting the dots on what functionality is missing.
- Translate abstract client goals and brand strategy into tangible concept art, storyboards, mockups, or interactive prototypes.
- Partner with UX/UI designers, developers, and project leads throughout our process from discovery through rapid prototyping.
- Contribute to brainstorms and design sprints across both government and commercial engagements, adapting tone and approach to each.
- Explore emerging tools, platforms, and technologies (game engines, AI, spatial computing, etc.) and identify practical ways to bring them into client work.
- Support the creation of case studies, pitch decks, and thought leadership content that showcase Zoic Labs' creative approach.
- Help maintain a point of view on where experience design and interactive storytelling are headed, and bring that thinking back into the studio.
- A portfolio demonstrating original creative concepts across digital and/or physical experiences (web, games, XR, installations, or similar).
- Strong ideation and storytelling skills, with the ability to communicate concepts visually and verbally.
- Confidence in front of clients, with the listening skills to surface pain points in a first meeting and the instincts to sketch out ideas in real time.
- Comfort working in quick-paced, rapid-prototyping environments.
- Familiarity with design and prototyping tools (Figma, Adobe Creative Suite, or similar); experience with Unreal Engine or Unity is a strong plus.
- Curiosity about user and human-centered design, and what makes an experience genuinely engaging.
- Ability to flex between government and commercial client contexts, including working within security-conscious constraints.
- A collaborative mindset. This role works closely with designers, developers, and producers, not in isolation.
- Experience with AR/VR/MR headset or tablet-based application design.
- Prior experience with government or defense-related creative projects.
- Background in game design, exhibit design, or experiential/environmental design.
- Exposure to data visualization or geospatial tools.
Additional Info
- Candidates will need to be located in the U.S and able to successfully pass and obtain a DoD clearance.
- This is a remote (work-from-home position)
- Pay Range: 140k-160k DOE(The actual base salary offered will depend on a variety of factors, including without limitation, the qualifications of the individual applicant for the position, years of relevant experience, level of education attained, certifications or other professional licenses held, and if applicable, the location of the position)
- Zoic Studios participates in the eVerify program
- This job description contains the basic requirements for the position and is NOT intended to be a complete list of responsibilities; other duties may be assigned
- Due to the volume of applications we receive across our different openings we regret that only those selected to interview will be contacted
Security Clearance:
Successful applicant for this position must be eligible to obtain a DoD clearance or government customer access to classified/sensitive material. A current DoD clearance is not required to be eligible for this position, however the successful applicant will be required to obtain a DoD clearance or government customer access within a reasonable time after the offer is extended and must be able to maintain the applicable clearance. *US Citizenship is Required. By applying to this position, you are agreeing to complete a National Security Clearance Pre-Screen Questionnaire, if one is required, to evaluate your general ability to obtain the required security clearance or government customer access associated with this position.
Skills Required
- Portfolio demonstrating original creative concepts across digital and/or physical experiences
- Strong ideation and storytelling skills, with the ability to communicate concepts visually and verbally
- Confidence working directly with clients and ability to surface pain points during initial meetings
- Ability to sketch and develop ideas in real time
- Comfort working in fast-paced, rapid-prototyping environments
- Familiarity with design and prototyping tools such as Figma or Adobe Creative Suite
- Curiosity about user-centered and human-centered design
- Ability to work across government and commercial client contexts, including security-conscious constraints
- Collaborative ability to work with designers, developers, and producers
- Ability to work remotely, onsite with clients, and on business development trips
- Located in the United States
- Ability to successfully pass and obtain a DoD clearance or government customer access
- US citizenship
- Experience with Unreal Engine or Unity
- AR, VR, or MR headset or tablet-based application design experience
- Prior government or defense-related creative project experience
- Background in game design, exhibit design, or experiential/environmental design
- Exposure to data visualization or geospatial tools
What We Do
"Visual Evolution" is our mission-to evolve the story, art, and technology of the moving image, and through this evolution, broaden the audience for moving images. Partnership, integrity, and enthusiasm are the key founding principles at Zoic. Our projects are born in think tanks, where every idea has value and potential. Good ideas are fleshed out, and a plan for achieving a visual representation of the idea is set early in the creative process. During production we remain accountable to our word and, as changes occur, we change together. We believe that partnerships that remain intact finish with integrity. Most importantly, we love what we do. Zoic is a company of accomplished artists and producers who understand story, process, and relationships. Our team has a proven record of success. They are masters in their fields of 3D, Compositing, and Production Management. Their reputations, in turn, attract additional talent and encourage a strong work ethic. We have built a digital infrastructure, which is flexible and strong to support the staff. It is a "liquid" pipeline, designed by our team for rapid expansion and contraction. It is resolution- independent and changeable based on project needs. Leading visual technology firms provide additional support and insight to the latest methods. We work with these partners as we do with our creative partners: by promoting visual evolution as fast as technology allows. What we do can seem complex and foreign--even incomprehensible. It is our intention to educate and encourage others to embrace this change and together create something new.
