Associate Creative Director, Copy - Hybrid

About EAB

At EAB, our mission is to make education smarter and our communities stronger. We work with more than 2,800 institutions to drive transformative change through data-driven insights and best-in-class capabilities. From kindergarten to college to career, EAB partners with leaders and practitioners to accelerate progress and drive results across enrollment, student success, institutional strategy, data analytics, and advancement. We work with each partner differently, tailoring our portfolio of research, technology, and marketing and enrollment solutions to meet the unique needs of every leadership team, as well as the students and employees they serve.

At EAB, we serve not only our partner institutions but each other—that's why we are always working to make sure our employees love their jobs and are invested in their communities. See how we've been recognized for this dedication to our employees by checking out our recent awards.

For more information, visit our Careers page.

About Hybrid

Recently acquired by EAB, Hybrid is a globally recognized and award-winning agency that operates as a full-service marketing partner for the education sector, connecting universities with students worldwide. Powered by unrivaled insight, advanced technology, and AI-driven enrollment strategies, our integrated marketing solutions help education brands grow. We tackle the sector’s toughest challenges head-on and continuously strive for excellence, staying on the pulse of emerging trends. When you join our division of EAB, you become part of a tight-knit, ambitious, supportive, and rapidly growing team. You’ll work on big ideas with talented colleagues who respect your input, challenge your thinking and push you to do your best work. Visit our website to learn more about our story

The Role in Brief:

Hybrid is seeking an Associate Creative Director, Copy to lead with ideas and words. This concept-first, copy-led role translates strategy and audience insight into distinctive brand platforms, integrated campaigns, and compelling stories for higher education partners. Working alongside the Executive Creative Director, Art Director, and strategy team, this individual will shape ideas from the earliest stages of a brief, develop brand voices, and personally write and oversee creative copy across channels. The role is client-facing and includes presenting creative work, supporting new-business pitches, and helping grow the U.S. creative team. Strong visual judgment and close partnership with designers are essential; hands-on graphic design is not required.

Primary Responsibilities:

• Translate research, audience insights, and strategy into original creative platforms, campaign concepts, and emotionally resonant narratives.

• Partner with strategy and account teams to sharpen briefs, identify the central creative challenge, and develop ideas from early discovery through execution.

• Develop brand positioning, messaging frameworks, taglines, tone of voice, and distinctive brand stories for higher education partners.

• Personally write and oversee copy across brand campaigns, paid digital, social, video, websites, print, and other integrated channels.

• Apply strong editorial judgment to refine headlines, scripts, narratives, and campaign copy for clarity, originality, consistency, and craft.

• Collaborate closely with art direction, designers, paid media, strategy, and account teams to bring ideas to life across formats.

• Provide clear creative feedback and review work for quality, brand consistency, and production readiness.

• Present creative recommendations to clients and senior stakeholders, explain the rationale behind concepts, and navigate feedback.

• Partner with the Executive Creative Director on pitches and new-business opportunities in the U.S. market.

• Mentor writers and creatives and help build an ambitious, collaborative creative culture in the Philadelphia office.

Basic Qualifications:

• 6+ years of experience as a copywriter or conceptual creative within an agency or in-house brand team, including experience leading ideas and collaborating with creatives.

• Portfolio demonstrating original concepts and strong writing across brand, campaign, and content work.

• Hands-on experience developing brand platforms, positioning, messaging frameworks, and tone of voice.

• Ability to write compelling copy and adapt voice across audiences, formats, and channels.

• Ability to translate audience insights and complex ideas into clear, emotionally engaging creative concepts.

• Strong editorial judgment and an eye for design and typography, with the ability to give useful feedback to designers.

• Excellent presentation and stakeholder communication skills, including comfort presenting creative recommendations to clients.

• Collaborative approach to creative leadership, feedback, and developing others.

Ideal Qualifications:

• Experience with mission-driven organizations, education, or higher education marketing.

• Scriptwriting and concept development for video, motion, and social-first campaigns.

• Experience developing and presenting creative concepts for new-business pitches.

• Experience with integrated campaigns across brand, paid media, web, and experiential channels.

• Curiosity about applying AI and data to strengthen creative thinking and personalize content.

• Experience mentoring junior copywriters or managing a small creative team.

If you’ve reached this section of the job description and are unsure of whether to apply, please do! At EAB, we welcome new perspectives and learn from each other’s unique experiences. We would encourage you to submit an application if this is a role you would be passionate about doing every day.

Compensation:

The anticipated starting salary (base) range for this role is $95,000 - $105,000 per year. Actual salary varies due to factors that may include but not be limited to relevant experience, skills, and location. At EAB, it is not typical for an individual to be hired at or near the top of the starting salary range for their role.

This hire will additionally be eligible for discretionary bonus or incentive compensation. Variable compensation may depend on various factors, such as individual and organizational performance.

Benefits:

Consistent with our belief that our employees are our most valuable resource, EAB offers a competitive and inclusive benefits package. Our benefits currently include:

• Medical, dental, and vision insurance plans; dependents and domestic partners eligible

• 20+ days of PTO annually, in addition to paid firm and floating holidays

• Daytime leave policy for community service and flextime for fitness activities (up to 10 hours per month each)

• 401(k) retirement savings plan with annual discretionary company matching contribution

• Health savings account, healthcare and dependent care flexible spending account, and pre-tax commuter plans

• Employee assistance program with counseling services and resources available to all employees and immediate family

• Wellness programs including gym discounts, incentives to promote healthy living, and family access to the leading app for sleep, meditation, and relaxation

• Fertility treatment coverage and adoption or surrogacy assistance

• Paid parental leave with phase back to work program for birthing and non-birthing parents

• Access to milk shipping service to support nursing employees during business travel

• Discounted pet health insurance coverage for dog and cat family members

• Company-provided life, AD&D, and disability insurance

• Financial wellness resources and membership in a robust employee discount program

• Access to employee resource groups, merit-based advancement, and dynamic professional growth opportunities

Benefits kick in day one; learn more at eab.com/careers/benefits.

This opening is not eligible for visa sponsorship at this time; EAB will thus consider candidates who possess U.S. work authorization that does not require employment-based visa sponsorship now or in the future.

At EAB, we believe that to fulfill our mission to “make education smarter and our communities stronger” we need team members who bring a diversity of perspectives to the table and are committed to fostering a workplace where each team member is valued, respected and heard.

To that end, EAB is an Equal Opportunity Employer, and we make employment decisions on the basis of qualifications, merit and business need. We don’t discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, non-disqualifying physical or mental disability, national origin, veteran status or any other basis covered by appropriate law.