Creative Lead

TMG is seeking a Creative Lead to serve as the firm's senior in-house creative resource — a role that spans hands-on motion and digital design, direct client-facing work, and firm-wide creative support for teams across TMG. This person is as fluent in animated GIFs and HTML5 display banners as they are in building a polished pitch deck, a client-ready report, or an executive's presentation on short notice. They're trusted to own client relationships directly rather than working solely through a manager.

Beyond day-to-day design execution, this person will help shape how TMG pitches and sells creative services: joining new-business conversations, scoping creative deliverables, and identifying opportunities to expand the creative work TMG does for existing clients. 

This is a hands-on design role, a business-development role, and a firm-wide creative resource all at once. This role may occasionally require extended or flexible hours to meet client and project deadlines.

Applicants for the Creative Lead position must submit a portfolio that clearly demonstrates a range of high-quality design work. Your portfolio should reflect both technical proficiency and strategic design thinking, with a focus on versatility and execution across formats.

Please include:

•  A diverse collection of work across digital, social, animated, and print design
•  At least two examples of motion or animated work (e.g., animated social GIFs, HTML5 display banners, or short-form video/motion graphics)
• At least one example of brand identity development, pitch/presentation design, or multi-format campaign assets
• At least one example of a presentation, report, or deck built for internal or executive use to demonstrate range beyond digital/social work
• Examples of work built or presented for an external client where you were the primary or sole client contact, including how you handled feedback, pushback, or revisions in real time
• Projects that showcase creative problem-solving, design systems thinking, and leadership in execution
• Descriptions of your role in each piece, including whether you were the sole designer, creative lead, or part of a team

A link to your portfolio must be included with your application (PDF or web-based). Applications without a portfolio will not be considered.

Key Responsibilities

Design & Motion

●      Lead the design and animation of digital assets, with a primary focus on animated social content (GIFs, Reels/short-form video) and HTML5/rich-media display advertising, alongside social graphics, email creatives, pitch decks, and print

●      Maintain and evolve visual identity systems, including brand style guides, pitch decks, and scalable design templates

●      Stay ahead of visual and motion trends and proactively propose new formats and content ideas

Client & Business Development

●      Serve as lead creative point of contact on select client accounts, presenting work directly, articulating creative rationale, and managing feedback and revisions with minimal oversight

●      Participate in new-business pitches and proposals, helping scope creative deliverables, timelines, and budgets for prospective clients

●      Identify opportunities to expand creative scope with existing clients (e.g., proposing new formats, campaigns, or service lines that grow the relationship)

●      Collaborate effectively across strategy, digital, and communications teams within TMG to ensure creative work supports broader campaign goals

Firm-Wide Creative Support

●      Serve as the go-to creative resource for teams across TMG, building presentations, pitch decks, reports, infographics, and polished emails for strategy, communications, and firm leadership as needed

●      Translate dense written content (research findings, strategy memos, client reports) into clear, visually compelling decks and documents

●      Maintain a consistent visual standard across firm-wide materials so that decks, reports, and emails feel unmistakably "TMG" regardless of which team produced the request

●      Help establish and manage an intake process for firm-wide creative requests, balancing Digital team priorities against requests from other departments

Process & Growth

●      Support pitch and proposal design for new business opportunities

●      Provide creative direction or feedback to freelancers or contract designers brought on for overflow work, as needed

●      Manage multiple concurrent design projects and deadlines independently, with minimal day-to-day direction

Required Skills

• Strong motion design skills with demonstrated experience producing animated GIFs, HTML5/rich-media display ads, and short-form animated or video content for paid and organic social
• Advanced presentation-design skills in PowerPoint, Google Slides, or Keynote, with the ability to turn dense or technical content into clear, polished decks quickly and under deadline pressure
• Proficiency in Adobe Creative Suite (Illustrator, Photoshop, InDesign, After Effects) and/or Canva
• Experience developing content for Meta, LinkedIn, TikTok, and programmatic/display ad platforms, including familiarity with platform-specific ad specs and file-size constraints
• Proven track record owning client relationships end-to-end — not just presenting finished work, but leading client conversations, fielding pushback in real time, and being trusted by internal teams to represent TMG's creative point of view without oversight
• Comfort scoping creative deliverables for proposals — translating a client ask into formats, timelines, and level of effort
• Ability to work across multiple internal teams and stakeholders at once, prioritizing competing requests without losing quality or missing deadlines
• Strong portfolio showcasing brand, campaign, motion, digital, and presentation/deck design work
• Able to work independently and collaboratively with internal and external stakeholders

Qualifications

• 7+ years of experience in graphic design and motion/animation, preferably in an agency, brand, or campaign environment
• Demonstrated client ownership: candidates should be able to speak to specific instances of leading a client relationship solo, including moments of pushback or difficult feedback.

Preferred (Not Required)

• Experience contributing to new-business pitches, proposals, or scopes of work
• Working knowledge of HTML5 ad-building tools (e.g., Google Web Designer) for building rich-media banners
• Proficiency in photo editing, retouching, and color correction to enhance asset quality
• Familiarity with captioning and subtitle standards for accessibility in digital content
• Working knowledge of Digital Asset Management (DAM) tools for organizing, tagging, and versioning creative files
• Basic understanding of HTML/CSS and how design translates into front-end development
• Experience collaborating with web developers, ensuring that creative assets work across devices and platforms
• Comfort working in fast-paced, sprint-style environments, using project tools like Asana, ClickUp, or Trello

Compensation & Benefits

• Competitive salary commensurate with experience; plus a discretionary bonus, if applicable
• Salary range: $100,000-$125,000 USD, based on experience and technical depth
• Healthcare (medical, dental, vision) for you and your family.
• Paid time off (PTO), federal holidays, and end-of-year break.
• Paid parental leave.
• Professional development budget, gym/cell stipend, and 401K with employer match.

Work Environment

This position is based in our Washington, DC office with a hybrid schedule (3 days in-office, 2 days remote). Hybrid schedules are subject to change based on business needs. Occasional travel may be required. TMG offers a collaborative and high-energy environment with the opportunity to grow and do meaningful work.

The Messina Group provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment on the basis of race, color, creed, ethnicity, gender identity or expression, religion, age, national origin, disability, genetics, marital status, sexual orientation, veteran or military status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, interviewing, hiring and firing, internal promotions, training opportunities, selection of vendors and consultants, provision of services, compensation and benefits.

Nothing in this job description is intended to create a contract of employment, and employment with TMG is at-will.