Art Director - Contract

We are looking for an experienced and creative Art Director to join our Creative Hub team immediately in Abu Dhabi and lead the visual direction of live events, experiential projects, brand activations and marketing campaigns.

The successful candidate will be responsible for translating creative concepts into engaging visual experiences, from initial ideas and key visuals through to final execution. The role requires a hands-on creative leader with strong design expertise, the ability to manage multiple projects and a collaborative approach to working with creative, marketing, production and technical teams.

Duties & Responsibilities:

• Lead the creative direction of live events, experiential projects, brand activations and event marketing campaigns.
• Develop creative concepts, campaign identities and key visuals, overseeing adaptations across static, digital and video content.
• Direct event branding, stage design, spatial graphics and visual experiences from concept through to final execution.
• Translate client and marketing briefs into engaging, practical and innovative creative solutions.
• Ensure creative consistency across event branding, marketing campaigns and all visual touchpoints.
• Guide 2D, 3D and motion design development, ensuring quality and consistency throughout the creative process.
• Collaborate closely with marketing, production, technical and project management teams to deliver integrated creative solutions.
• Present creative concepts and design proposals to internal and external stakeholders, balancing creative ambition with budgets, timelines and technical requirements.
• Oversee final creative outputs and on-site execution, ensuring delivery aligns with the approved creative vision.
• Lead, mentor and support Graphic Designers, Video Editors and freelance creative resources as required.
• Delegate tasks, manage workloads and establish priorities across multiple event and campaign projects.
• Review creative work, provide constructive feedback and maintain high standards of design quality.
• Encourage collaboration, creative thinking and continuous improvement within the team.

Job Specifications:

• Minimum 7 years of relevant design experience , ideally across live events, experiential projects, brand activations or marketing campaigns.
• Bachelor's degree in Design, Fine Arts or a related discipline, or equivalent professional experience.
• Strong portfolio demonstrating art direction, creative concepts, campaign key visuals, event branding and experiential design.
• Advanced proficiency in Adobe Creative Cloud , particularly Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign.
• Strong understanding of static, digital and video content production.
• Experience guiding 2D, 3D and motion design projects from concept through to delivery.
• Knowledge of Adobe After Effects and Premiere Pro is an advantage.
• Familiarity with AI-assisted creative tools and 3D/CAD software is desirable.
• Proven ability to translate creative briefs into compelling visual concepts and practical design solutions.
• Strong communication, presentation and stakeholder management skills.
• Ability to manage multiple projects, competing deadlines and creative priorities effectively.
• Collaborative, adaptable and comfortable working in a fast-paced environment.
• Strong attention to detail, creative judgement and problem-solving capabilities.
• Experience leading or mentoring creative teams is highly desirable.

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