• Job Description

  Req#: DESIG006274

  Who are we?

  Marks is a consumer experience agency creating engaging moments across the entire brand spectrum – from brand design and packaging to content and consumer connections. Rooted in a deep understanding of human behaviour, we are uniquely constructed to enable brands to win in an age of constant change.

  A super-charged experience powerhouse - 700 people strong, with subject matter experts working collaboratively across 12 studios and 8 countries - we have helped some of the world’s biggest brands connect to their audiences and tackle the biggest challenges and opportunities of today’s consumer landscape.

  About the team

  This Marks Packaging Design team is a talented agency-within-an-agency. Constructed to service an exclusive retail client engagement – this group lives and breathes packaging craft across a versatile collection of brands and categories – from food & beverages to household essentials. A multidisciplinary group of problem-solvers, you’ll work alongside creatives, project managers, copywriters, CGI artists, photographers, and production artists alike, to bring new packaging designs, extensions, adaptations, and updates to life.

  This role is designated hybrid – working 3 days a week from our Chicago studio (located in the bustling Fulton Market neighborhood), as well as from home.

  About the Role

  This role is for a detail-obsessed design leader who thrives in structure, precision, and process. As Associate Creative Director, you will oversee a high-volume, fast-paced packaging adaptation team dedicated to one of our largest retail clients. You’ll lead the development of packaging extensions, regulatory updates, technical artwork refinements, and rollout systems across a vast portfolio of private label brands.

  You’ll be the go-to technical authority—bringing deep expertise in print production, regulatory requirements, and adaptive design execution. You’re not just comfortable with complexity—you excel at simplifying it. This position demands a strong sense of ownership, sharp organizational thinking, and the ability to guide a team through repeatable, scalable, and technically sound solutions. As a multidisciplinary problem-solver, you’ll lead creatives, project managers, copywriters, CGI artists, photographers, and production artists alike.

  This role is designated hybrid – working 3 days a week from our Chicago studio (located in the bustling Fulton Market neighborhood), as well as from home.

  The Associate Design Director will mentor and manage a group of Adaptive and Production Designers across and array of packaging design challenges – from new sub-brands, categories, line and format extensions. You will champion and understand the team; leveraging their strengths and supporting their development. The Associate Design Director leads by example, acting as an ambassador and advocate for our culture, brand, and community.

  Role expectations

  • Lead the team: Manage and mentor Adaptive and Production Designers, ensuring consistent, high-quality work across all packaging rollouts.
  • Be a system steward: Own the design fidelity and consistency of brand packaging across SKUs, formats, and categories.
  • Act as technical SME: Serve as the team’s expert in packaging production—guiding file prep, dieline integrity, print methods (flexo, litho, gravure), color management, and regulatory/labeling standards.
  • Optimize workflows: Collaborate with project managers and account teams to refine processes, improve speed to market, and reduce rework.
  • Ensure compliance: Interpret and apply legal, FDA, and retailer-specific requirements across packaging executions.
  • Bridge creative and production: Maintain the original design intent while adapting it to real-world constraints.
  • Client partnership: Present work with clarity, manage feedback constructively, and build trust through accuracy, reliability, and proactive guidance.
  • Hands-on support: Jump in when needed to build files, solve execution challenges, and unblock the team.
  • Support the Creative Director with the development of overarching creative ideas and concepts on creative projects ranging from packaging design refreshes, new sub-brands, and category extensions
  • Be client facing –ingesting design briefs for the team and presenting work back with compelling rationales and narratives
  • Manage and mentor a team of Adaptive and Production Designers
  • Ensure the delivery of projects are on time and following design intent

  The ideal person

  • Lives and breathes Packaging Design - gets excited to talk shop and always learn

  • Is a strong communicator and can confidently convey the rationale behind design solutions

  • Can guide and mentor the extended team through complex packaging executions and approaches – explaining the limitations and opportunities within
  • Possesses strong “hands on” design execution skills across a broad range of styles
  • Understands consumer purchase behavior and can think in design systems

  • Has an excitement for their discipline that is contagious

  • Has experience managing and/or mentoring people

  • Has an understanding of packaging print processes and their technical limitations

  • Brings a roll-up-your-sleeves-and-get-it-done attitude

  You Bring

  • Diploma/Degree in Communication, Graphic, or Packaging Design (or related field)
  • 7+ years (minimum) working in a Packaging Design role, preferably at a Director level
  • Well-rounded portfolio showcasing excellent understanding of brand building and packaging solutions

  • A deep understanding of Mac OS, Adobe Creative Suite (Expert knowledge of Illustrator, Photoshop, and InDesign), Microsoft Word, Excel, and Keynote.

  Our compensation reflects the cost of labor across several U.S. geographic markets, and we pay differently based on those defined markets. The U.S. pay range for this position is $75,125 - $100,167 annually. Ultimately, in determining pay, we will consider the successful candidate’s location, experience, and other job-related factors.
  
  Group benefits currently include a selection of health care plans with prescription drug coverage, dental plan, vision plan, basic and supplemental life insurance, a flexible spending account for medical and dependent care expenses or a health savings account based on plan selection, short/long term disability and 401(k) Savings Plan.

  Qualifications

  Education

  Required

  Bachelors

  Experience

  Required 7 years

  Years working in a Packaging Design role, preferably at a Director level

  Equal Opportunity Employer/Protected Veterans/Individuals with Disabilities
  This employer is required to notify all applicants of their rights pursuant to federal employment laws. For further information, please review the Know Your Rights notice from the Department of Labor.

• About the company

Notice