Associate Art Director

Job Description

Job Description

Who We Are

Kargo creates powerful moments of connection between brands and consumers to build businesses. Every day, our 600+ employees work to radically raise the bar on what agentic AI, CTV, eCommerce, social, and mobile can do to deliver unique ad experiences across the world's most premium platforms. Taking a creative science approach to all we do, we continuously innovate solutions that outperform industry benchmarks and client expectations. Now 20+ years strong, Kargo has offices in NYC, Chicago, LA, Dallas, Sydney, Auckland, London and Waterford, Ireland.

Who We Hire

Techies who want to build the future. Creatives who want to design it better. Communicators to win business. Collaborators to build it. Data pros who turn numbers into insights. Product builders who turn ideas into innovations. Anyone eager to be on a team that doesn't stop to ask what's next, because they're already building it.

Mission

Elevate Kargo's brand expression across every surface — from sales decks and event activations to social, sizzles, and industry moments like Cannes. This role owns the craft and consistency of Kargo's visual identity, partnering with the Design Director to translate strategy into design work that distinguishes Kargo in a crowded ad tech landscape.

This is a hybrid role requiring onsite presence 4 days per week.

Outcomes — What Success Looks Like in 6–12 Months

• Raise the creative bar on sales and marketing collateral. Deliver a refreshed system of bespoke presentation templates, one-pagers, and pitch assets that the sales org adopts as default, measurably reducing ad-hoc design requests.
• Anchor the visual identity of flagship events. Lead end-to-end creative for at least one tentpole moment (e.g., Cannes, NewFronts, CES, or a regional summit), from concept through on-site execution, producing work that earns internal and industry recognition.
• Build a scalable creative operations rhythm. Establish clear intake, prioritization, and milestone communication for incoming ticket requests so cross-functional partners know what to expect and when.
• Expand Kargo's social and sizzle output. Produce a consistent stream of motion, animation, and short-form video assets that strengthen Kargo's voice across LinkedIn, industry channels, and internal comms.
• Codify and evolve the brand system. Contribute meaningful updates to brand guidelines, templates, and asset libraries so the broader org can self-serve on-brand work without sacrificing quality.

Skills — Core Technical Capabilities

Required:

• 6+ years of design experience at a media company, ad agency, in-house brand, or comparable creative environment
• Portfolio demonstrating mastery across typography, layout, photography, illustration, and composition, with strong motion/animation work
• Expert command of Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, After Effects) and Figma
• Ability to concept and execute across formats — branding systems, presentations, event environments, social, and video
• Strong project management instincts: juggling multiple workstreams, setting priorities, and communicating status without being asked
• Fluency in Google Suite, PowerPoint, and Asana for day-to-day production and collaboration

Preferred:

• Experience designing for live events, experiential activations, or large-format environments (e.g., drone shows, booth design, signage)
• Background in ad tech, media, or B2B brands selling into marketers and agencies

Competencies — Behaviors We Like to See

Craft Obsession

• Sweats the details others miss — kerning, hierarchy, motion timing — and pushes work past "good enough"
• Brings a point of view on design trends and culture, and translates it into Kargo's voice rather than chasing aesthetic fads

Concept-to-Delivery Ownership

• Comes to brainstorms with bold ideas and the conviction to defend them, then sees them through production without losing fidelity
• Proactively flags risks, dependencies, and timeline slippage before they become fire drills

Cross-Functional Fluency

• Translates business asks from sales, events, and marketing partners into creative direction without needing perfect briefs
• Coaches non-designers on what good looks like, raising the quality of work across the org

Pace Under Pressure

• Manages a high volume of concurrent requests — from a Cannes activation to a same-day sales deck — without dropping balls
• Stays positive and collaborative when priorities shift, deadlines tighten, or feedback comes in late

In accordance with applicable federal, state, and local pay transparency laws, the anticipated base salary range for this position is listed below. Actual compensation may vary based on factors such as geographic location, work experience, education, and skills.

U.S Salary Range

$95,000—$105,000 USD

Our Laurels

• AdAge Best Places to Work
• ThinkLA Partner of the Year
• Built In Best Places to Work
• Cynopsis 2025 Top Women in Media - Jeannine Shao Collins
• Martech Breakthrough Awards - Best Overall Adtech Company
• Digiday Media Awards Best Event
• Cynopsis Media Impact Awards-Best CTV Platform
• Martech Breakthrough Awards-CTV Innovation
• Adweek Media Plan of the Year Awards - Best Use of Insights

Follow Our Lead

• Big Picture: kargo.com
• The Latest: Instagram (@kargomobile) and LinkedIn (Kargo)

Kargo is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to building an inclusive and diverse workplace where all employees and applicants are treated with respect and dignity. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, ethnic origin, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, disability, marital or family status, national origin, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable local, state, or federal law. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment.

Pursuant to applicable fair chance laws, including the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance and the Los Angeles Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring, Kargo will consider qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records for employment.