Associate Creative Director, Copy

Associate Creative Director, Copy

Location: Raleigh, NC; New York, NY; or Washington, D.C.

Work Model: Hybrid (In-office 3 days/week)

Reports to: Head of Copy, North America

About the Role

APCO is seeking a leadership-minded Associate Creative Director (Copy) to join our North American creative team, reporting directly to our Head of Copy. As a strategically driven global communications and public affairs firm, we help clients break through and make an impact in an increasingly distracted environment.

In this role, you will be responsible for the strategic direction of our projects as well as the career paths of our talent, ensuring our work is exceptional and our team is continuously growing.

We are looking for a storyteller capable of generating big, bold, attention-grabbing ideas—concepts that are rooted in strategy and undeniably creative. You must understand the full ecosystem of an integrated campaign, speaking fluently to how creative drives performance across paid, earned, and digital channels to solve business problems.

Given the scale of our firm, success in this role requires the ability to navigate the complexities of a large, multi-sector agency. You must be comfortable advocating for the needs of the creative team while maintaining strong partnerships with client leaders, and be willing to stretch beyond your title to deliver results.

Responsibilities:

• Creative Leadership: Serve as a strategic lead on brand reputation, corporate communications, and integrated marketing campaigns. You will not just execute; you will determine the best, not just the easiest, solutions to complex challenges.
• Integrated Campaign Strategy: Connect business objectives with creative strategy. You will architect campaigns that work across the spectrum of paid, earned, shared, and owned media, understanding how a creative concept adapts and performs in each unique channel.
• Concept & Craft: Demonstrate exceptional writing versatility, mastering both punchy short-form copy and engaging long-form narratives. You will concept big ideas and simplify complex topics for various audiences, creating everything from foundational verbal brand elements (positioning, mission, vision, values) to campaign manifestos, scripts, digital ads, website content, and articles.