Associate Creative Director

About the role

Tin Can is building a safer, simpler way for kids to connect - without smartphones. We're creating screen-free, delightful devices and services that let families call the people who matter most, free from the noise of today's digital world. We're building a bold, authentic, nostalgic, and kinda quirky brand that resonates with folks who want something simpler & better for their kids than the tech-infused lives we're currently living (and who have a sense of humor about it). As we gear up to scale to thousands of families, we're ready to bring on an Associate Creative Director to help make it happen. You will own the creative leadership and hands-on making necessary to turn ambitious concepts into exceptional, on-brand work across every customer journey. You will act as the critical right hand to the Head of Creative, ensuring that strategy, craft, and execution are inseparable. You will build and mentor a small creative crew, elevating their work while maintaining a relentless focus on detail. If you are energized by building enduring brands and making work that feels both culturally relevant and timeless, this is your role.

Key facts

What you'll do

• Partner closely with the Head of Creative to help execute the creative vision across the brand at every touchpoint.
• Lead the day-to-day creative workflow, mapping out projects from brief to polished delivery while maintaining momentum.
• Establish and uphold a high bar for craft, consistency, and brand expression across physical and digital experiences.
• Manage, mentor, and inspire a small team of designers and copywriters, providing thoughtful feedback that elevates quality and confidence.
• Break down complex projects into clear, actionable workstreams, assigning resources based on team strengths and business priorities.
• Identify resource gaps early, advocate for additional support when needed, and help refine creative processes as the team scales.
• Serve as a primary creative contributor on high-impact initiatives, writing briefs, developing concepts, and executing design across packaging, web, product launches, social, email, retail, events, and more.
• Review work throughout the creative process, ensuring strategic alignment, cohesion, and a distinct brand voice in every asset.
• Partner cross-functionally with Marketing, Product, Operations, CX, and Leadership to solve problems creatively and proactively.
• Stay plugged into culture, design, and emerging creative trends, bringing fresh inspiration without chasing every passing fad.
• Contribute and pitch bold, "crazy" ideas that push the brand forward, embracing concepts that make you ask, "is this crazy?" because that is a good thing.
• Own end-to-end creative ownership for signature initiatives, ensuring that each project reflects the brand's nostalgic, quirky, and heartfelt personality.
• Collaborate with strategy partners to translate research and insights into creative direction that feels intuitive and deeply human.
• Mentor junior creatives through structured feedback sessions, helping them strengthen concepting, execution, and storytelling skills.
• Balance long-form strategic thinking with meticulous attention to detail, moving fluidly between big-picture vision and pixel-perfect execution.

Requirements

• 7+ years of experience in brand, design, or creative roles, with a track record of leading projects and managing creatives in both design art and copy.
• A portfolio demonstrating strong conceptual thinking alongside exceptional design execution across diverse mediums.
• Experience leading teams of creatives in service of supporting cross-departmental design & copy needs across multiple brand channels, including packaging, digital, social, web, campaigns, experiential, and marketing.
• Excellent creative judgment and an instinct for what makes work feel culturally relevant, distinctive, and ownable within a family-focused context.
• Strong organizational and project management skills - you know how to juggle multiple priorities without sacrificing quality or clarity.
• Experience writing or refining creative briefs and translating strategy into actionable, inspiring creative direction for teams.
• Ability to give clear, constructive feedback that elevates both the work and the confidence of the people making it.
• Comfort balancing leadership with hands-on execution, moving seamlessly from directing a concept to refining details.
• Strong communication skills and confidence presenting work to stakeholders and leadership with clarity and conviction.
• A collaborative mindset with a bias toward making things happen, even when constraints or ambiguity are present.
• Experience with industry-standard tools including Adobe Creative Suite and Figma to produce high-quality creative outputs.
• Willingness to deeply immerse in the Tin Can brand ethos, aligning creative decisions with the long-term vision for kids' screen-free connection.
• Commitment to maintaining brand consistency while still allowing room for bold, innovative creative experiments.
• Openness to contributing across disciplines, understanding that great creative often lives at the intersection of design, copy, and strategy.

Nice to have

• Experience with kids' or family products and an understanding of the nuances in messaging to parents and children.
• Background in both packaging/print and digital campaign work, demonstrating versatility across physical and screen-based media.
• Familiarity with letterpress, debossing, or other physical production techniques that enhance the tactile, nostalgic feel of the brand.

Practical notes

Seattle-based role.

Full-time engagement.

Candidates must be comfortable contributing across a wide range of creative outputs and team responsibilities.