Creative Director

Disclaimer: Please be advised that the most accurate and up-to-date information about our open roles—including job descriptions, compensation, and benefits—can only be guaranteed on our official job board. For the latest listings and details, please visit: .JOIN US ON OUR MISSION TO BECOME THE #1 RETAIL TRADING PLATFORM IN THE WORLDWelcome to the dynamic world of NinjaTrader! As an industry-leading trading platform and futures broker, we're empowering traders to take control of their financial destiny. How do we do it? We provide cutting-edge products and services that enhance the trading journey. Whether a seasoned pro or just starting out, NinjaTrader equips traders with award-winning software and brokerage services to navigate the world's leading financial markets with confidence. Our growth story is nothing short of exhilarating. Since 2003, NinjaTrader has been dedicated to understanding and supporting traders on their journey toward trading triumph. Through those efforts, our user base has grown to over 2 million users and we have become the number one rated futures brokerage worldwide. But we're not stopping there. We're constantly evolving, pushing boundaries, and modernizing the futures industry. Our commitment to innovation means users will always have access to dynamic tools, real-time support, and a community of like-minded traders. So, why work at NinjaTrader? Here, you're not just part of a team; you're part of a movement. We empower employees to reach new heights in their careers by providing a dynamic culture focused on social connection, professional development, and employee recognition initiatives. Sounds too good to be true? Take it from our employees. Join us as we redefine what's possible in trading, advocate for our customers, and continue our journey toward becoming the world's top retail-focused trading platform in the world. What you'll do:NinjaTrader is hiring a Creative Director to own how the company looks, sounds and feels across every marketing surface a consumer encounters. This is the senior-most creative role in the marketing organization, reporting directly to the CMO.Our brand strategy and positioning are sharp, but the visual expression lags behind.. This is an opportunity to level up our visual identity to reflect the dynamic and growing nature of the brands we have in market. Then your job is to make it real — operationalize it, extend it into the places it doesn't yet reach, and defend it as volume scales. After that, you own the creative standard for the group.This is a hands-on leadership role. You will set direction, and you will still be in the file. We are not hiring someone to run a review calendar.Trading is a category of noise: identical charts, identical claims, identical stock photography of men in headsets. The mandate is to make NinjaTrader unmistakable.In this role you will:The marketing identity systemOperationalize the incoming brand identity system — typography, color, photography and illustration direction, motion language, iconography, layout systems — and extend it into the surfaces it does not yet coverOwn the marketing design system: build it to scale across campaign, web, lifecycle and partner surfaces, and to hold up when other hands use itEstablish the governance that keeps the system intact — standards, documentation, review, and the authority to say noAct as the final quality gate on brand expression across marketingCreative output and storytellingConcept and direct integrated campaigns from brief to launch — video, social, paid, OOH, sponsorship, eventsDevelop the narrative, not just the look. You will shape the story a piece of video tells, then art-direct the production that delivers itOwn marketing web and landing page design, including the pages that carry acquisition and conversion volumeDirect lifecycle and product marketing creative so the experience stays coherent from first impression to funded accountStay personally in the work on hero projects — concepting, designing, writing direction, cutting with the editorTeam and partnersHire, manage and develop a small in-house design team; set the critique culture and the standardBrief, direct and evaluate agencies, production partners and freelancers; own creative quality of outsourced workBuild the operating rhythm — briefs, reviews, handoffs — that lets a small team ship at volumeGrow into broader creative ownership over time, including copy and video productionCross-functional leadershipPartner with Product Design on shared brand guidelines so marketing and platform surfaces stay recognizably the same brand. Product Design owns the product design system; you own the marketing one. The two are deliberately scoped differently and should stay that wayWork with performance marketing to build creative that is testable, iterable and measured against funnel outcomesOperate fluently inside a regulated marketing environment, partnering with compliance early rather than treating review as a downstream taxWhat you'll need:8+ years of brand and creative experience, with 2+ years leading a team as an ACD, CD or design leadA portfolio built on systems, not one-offsStorytelling range — able to develop narrative, not only art-direct someone else's scriptRange across brand campaign work and performance creativeA desire to remain hands-on — actively driven to stay in the work, not just direct itFluency with AI tooling in the creative processA track record of managing designers and directing external agenciesComfort with performance dataBonus Points for:Fintech, brokerage, trading, crypto or exchange experience, or genuine curiosity about markets and retail tradersExperience operationalizing an inherited identity system rather than only building from scratchExperience running a marketing design system alongside a separately owned product design systemExperience in a constrained or regulated environment — finance, healthcare, insurance, pharma or gamingPracticing a craft outside the day job — photography, film, writing or illustrationAgency background plus in-house leadership experienceCompensation:The salary range for this role will be $166,000.00 - $216,000.00 USD. In addition, this position will also receive an annual target bonus of 15%. Bonus pay at NinjaTrader is based on individual performance (50%) as well as company/team performance (50%).Salary and bonus earnings are only two components of the total compensation package offered by NinjaTrader. NinjaTrader offers a 401K plan through ADP under which the company will match up to 3.5% of employee contributions. Annual paid time off allowance accrues at a rate of 23 days per year plus seven paid holidays.Location:This role is based in Chicago, IL. *There may be remote flexibility for exceptional candidates in the following states: California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, Washington DC, Wisconsin.Hybrid:For Chicago-based employees, we follow a hybrid work schedule: In-office Tuesday through Thursday, with remote work on Mondays and Fridays. In addition to these weekly remote days, we offer:20 additional flex remote days annually5 Company Wide Office-Optional weeks tied to major holidaysOur Core Benefits Include:Generous PTO7 Paid Holidays Annually + 5 Conditional Holidays Annually1 Service Day Annually401k with 3.5% Company MatchPaid Parental Bonding LeaveHealth, Vision, Dental CoverageLife and Disability Insurance Covered 100% by NinjaTraderWe are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, gender, gender identity or expression, or veteran status. We are proud to be an equal opportunity workplace.