Senior Art Director (Social)

Company: VML
Location: Portland
Posted on: January 26, 2026

Job Description:

About VML VML is a leading creative company that combines brand experience, customer experience, and commerce, creating connected brands to drive growth. VML is celebrated for its innovative and human first, award-winning work for blue chip client partners including AstraZeneca, Colgate-Palmolive, Dell, Ford, Microsoft, Nestlé, The Coca-Cola Company, and Wendys. The agency is recognized by the Forrester Wave™ Reports, as a Leader among Marketing Creative and Content Service Providers, Commerce Services, Global Digital Experience Services, Global Marketing Services and, most recently, Marketing Measurement & Optimization. In addition, VML’s specialist health network, VML Health, is one of the world’s largest and most awarded health agencies. VML’s global network is powered by 26,000 talented people across 55 markets, with principal offices in Kansas City, New York, Detroit, London, São Paulo, Shanghai, Singapore, and Sydney. Who we are looking for: VML is seeking a witty, culturally fluent and conceptually strong Senior Art Director for our Portland office. As the Senior Art Director focusing on social media, you will help shape the creative vision and deliver social content for our client’s owned social channels. Equal parts concept-driven and craft-obsessed, you bring fresh thinking, a strong premium brand design sensibility, and a deep understanding of ever-evolving social and cultural trends. You also have basic social content creation skills in shooting, editing, and creating content yourself. You’ll partner with a Senior Copywriter and collaborate with a small, nimble team of designers and copywriters, collaborate with strategy, and partner closely with clients to deliver work that’s on brand, on trend, and on time. What you’ll do: Concept and Create | This is not a traditional advertising role. You’ll not only concept bold, engaging social posts, but you are ready to shoot the content and may even be featured in it too. You’ll ideate on and execute bold, engaging social content for Instagram, Facebook, X, and Threads based on strategic briefs to drive conversation and cultural relevance for clients. Craft | Stay informed about industry trends, best practices, and emerging technologies in social media and digital marketing. Client facing | Regularly connect with clients to create a partnership that builds trust in our thought leadership and ideas. Present your creative work and articulate the bigger ideas or concepts behind it. Collaborate | Work with creative leads, copywriters, strategists, producers, and social managers to bring ideas to life. Cultivate | Stay ahead of platform shifts, language trends, and creative best practices in the social landscape. What you’ll need: Minimum 5 years’ experience in an agency setting with a focus on tech brands and social media. A portfolio that demonstrates strong conceptual thinking, elevated visual craft, and versatility across social platforms and formats. Deep understanding of how brands show up natively on social media—and how to shape a distinct, ownable visual presence. Strong visual instincts, attention to detail, and appreciation for the craft of art direction and design for social. A social-first mindset with an instinct for relatable, insight-driven hooks, from static to motion to creator-style content. Experience working with creator/influencer content, UGC, and social-native organic content. Ability to work under tight deadlines, manage multiple projects simultaneously, and collaborate as part of a fast-paced, cross-disciplinary team. Strong communication and presentation skills, with comfort articulating visual ideas to internal teams and collaborative clients. Patience and openness when addressing feedback from creatives, strategists, account leads, and client-side stakeholders throughout the content development process. Passion for internet/tech culture, design, branding, and how they intersect in the social space. An interest in health and/or fitness is a strong plus. High proficiency in Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign); Figma, After Effects, and motion tools are a strong plus. What we offer: Passionate, driven people | We champion a culture of people that do extraordinary work. Consciously cultivated culture | We aim to embody the behaviors to build an inclusive community that is in it together, bringing both positivity and active listening into the workplace as we simultaneously strive to empower creative bravery. Competitive benefits | What we offer full time hires ranges from the full spectrum of group health coverage options (medical, dental, vision) to a generous 401k match (100% dollar-for-dollar match, up to 5% of salary contribution), and a variety of paid time off offerings that reflect our investment in all aspects of your overall life balance and wellness. Growth-minded opportunities | We aim to nurture a culture of real-time feedback, growth-oriented mindset, and plenty of training opportunities through VML and WPP, so you can continue to grow personally and professionally. The base salary range for this position at the time of this posting is indicated below. Individual compensation varies based on job-related factors, including location, business needs, level of responsibility, experience, and qualifications. We offer a competitive benefits package $60,000—$140,000 USD We believe the best work happens when were together, fostering creativity, collaboration, and connection. Thats why we’ve adopted a hybrid approach, with teams in the office an average of four days a week. If you require accommodations or flexibility, please discuss this with the hiring team during the interview process. WPP (VML) is an equal opportunity employer and considers applicants for all positions without discrimination or regard to characteristics. We are committed to fostering a culture of respect in which everyone feels they belong and has the same opportunities to progress in their careers.

Keywords: VML, Hillsboro , Senior Art Director (Social), Design, Graphic Design & CAD , Portland, Oregon