Chief Creative Officer at Thesis

Reports to: CEO

Department: Creative

Classification: Exempt

Salary: Competitive base salary plus performance-based incentives

Who We Are

We are Thesis. Proudly headquartered in Portland, OR, while serving clients globally for over 20 years. Thesis is a creative agency that drives business success through marketing across technology, strategy and operations.

THE JOB

Thesis is seeking a visionary Chief Creative Officer to define the future of creativity for our agency, our clients, and the industry.

As Chief Creative Officer, you will shape our creative philosophy and elevate our capabilities. You’ll build a world-class multidisciplinary team spanning design, writing, motion, creative technology, AI, design systems, storytelling, and scaled production. You'll inspire exceptional work while redefining how modern creative organizations operate in an AI-enabled world.

You will continually raise the creative standard across the agency while creating an environment where extraordinary talent is empowered to do the best work of their careers.

This role is equal parts visionary, operator, coach, storyteller, futurist, and builder.

You believe creativity isn't simply what agencies produce, it's the competitive advantage businesses use to transform brands, shape culture, and drive growth.

As a member of the executive leadership team, you'll partner with the CEO and leadership to evolve Thesis, define what's next, unlock new capabilities, and inspire our people and our craft.

As a Person, You Are

• A visionary who inspires people to believe in something bigger than themselves.
• An exceptional creative leader with uncompromising standards and contagious optimism.
• Someone who raises the ambition of every room.
• A builder of iconic teams, not just great campaigns.
• Fearlessly opinionated yet deeply collaborative.
• A mentor who develops leaders, not followers.
• A tastemaker with exceptional creative instincts and business acumen.
• A relentless champion for craft who believes details matter.
• An operator capable of scaling creative excellence across boutique craftsmanship and enterprise production.
• A student of culture, technology, design, storytelling, AI, and emerging consumer behavior.
• A future thinker who sees AI and automation as accelerants—not replacements—for human creativity.
• An inspiring communicator who aligns teams around ambitious visions.
• A trusted executive who influences clients, earns confidence from leadership teams, and elevates partnerships.
• A leader who makes everyone around them better.

IN THIS ROLE, YOU WILL:

Define Creative Vision & Steward the Thesis Brand

• Establish and evolve Thesis's creative vision, philosophy, standards, and point of view.
• Serve as executive steward of the Thesis brand—leading creative identity, thought leadership, marketing, and brand expression to elevate awareness and strengthen market positioning.
• Foster a culture where bold ideas thrive and creativity becomes a competitive advantage.

Build a World-Class Creative Organization

• Recruit, develop, and inspire exceptional talent across creative direction, design, writing, motion, production, AI, creative technology, design systems, and emerging disciplines.
• Create an environment where high performers thrive and future leaders emerge.
• Lead organizational design, succession planning, coaching, and performance management to scale creative excellence.

Set the Creative Standard

• Champion extraordinary ideas from concept through execution while establishing a high bar for quality across every client, discipline, deliverable, and touchpoint.
• Create systems that allow world-class craft to exist at both boutique levels and enterprise scale without compromise.
• Protect the integrity of the work while continually raising expectations for what's possible.
• Modernize workflows through AI, automation, integrated technology, and scalable creative systems.
• Create repeatable excellence without creating bureaucracy.

Shape the Future of Creative

• Define how creativity evolves in an AI-enabled world.
• Lead the agency's creative roadmap across AI, automation, design systems, workflow innovation, and emerging platforms.
• Build new capabilities that keep Thesis at the forefront of modern creativity.

Drive Client Transformation

• Serve as executive creative partner to senior client leadership.
• Solve business challenges through bold creative thinking.
• Lead transformative engagements that redefine brands, launch products, shape behavior, and drive measurable growth.
• Build trusted executive relationships grounded in strategic partnership.

Inspire Bold Thinking

• Create an environment where teams think bigger, move faster, and pursue work that shapes culture.
• Encourage intelligent risk-taking, experimentation, and creative exploration.
• Empower teams to challenge assumptions and continuously elevate the work.

Grow the Agency

• Partner with executive leadership on agency positioning, marketing, recruiting, and proactive business development.
• Lead major pitches and presentations that inspire confidence and unlock transformational partnerships.
• Elevate the agency through award-winning work, thought leadership, speaking engagements, and industry influence.

Lead Through Others

• Develop leaders across every creative discipline.
• Build a culture of accountability, mentorship, feedback, inclusion, and continuous learning.
• Recognize talent, coach potential, address underperformance, and create clear growth pathways.

EXPERIENCE & QUALIFICATIONS

• 15+ years leading world-class creative organizations within agencies, consultancies, studios, or global brands.
• Proven success building multidisciplinary creative teams across design, writing, motion, production, creative technology, and emerging disciplines.
• Portfolio of transformational work spanning integrated campaigns, brand systems, digital experiences, storytelling, and innovation.
• Demonstrated success leading organizations through growth and transformation.
• Deep understanding of modern marketing, consumer behavior, retail, digital ecosystems, performance marketing, and brand building.
• Exceptional executive presence with experience presenting to C-suite leaders and Fortune 500 organizations.
• Strong understanding of AI, creative technology, workflow automation, and the future of creative organizations.
• Experience leading high-volume creative production while maintaining exceptional quality.
• Track record of recruiting, developing, and retaining outstanding creative talent.

WORK ENVIRONMENT AND PHYSICAL DEMANDS

• Reasonable accommodations are available to enable qualified individuals to perform the essential functions of this role.
• Standard office equipment and computer use.
• Extended periods of sitting and keyboard work.
• Occasional lifting, pushing, or pulling up to 25 pounds.
• Hybrid work model with in-office collaboration Tuesday–Thursday and remote work Monday & Friday.
• Travel as needed for clients, production, recruiting, speaking engagements, and industry events.

RELATIONSHIPS

• Reports to: CEO
• As a member of the executive leadership team, you'll partner with the CEO and leadership to evolve Thesis, define what's next, unlock new capabilities, and inspire our people and our craft.
• A trusted executive who influences clients, earns confidence from leadership teams, and elevates partnerships.

VALUES

Be Lean, Take Action

We believe in thinking big, rolling up our sleeves, and getting the job done. And while we love a good plan, we believe in using process as an engine, not a brake.

Say What You Mean, Mean What You Say

We’re all here to learn, grow, and evolve together, which requires connecting, conflicting, and embracing. Honesty and ideas are welcome; ego is not.

Show Up Fully

We invite you to bring your whole self to work — your perspective, cultural background, lived experiences — while creating room for others’ strengths to complement your own. What makes you remarkable is welcome at Thesis.

Inclusion And Encouragement

We know that experience can show up in many ways, and we encourage you to apply even if you don't meet 100% of the qualifications. If you're passionate about strategy, eager to grow, and excited to contribute your perspective, we'd love to hear from you.

At Thesis, we believe the best ideas come from bringing together diverse voices, experiences, and ways of thinking. Diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging are not checkboxes—they are essential to how we work, collaborate, and create. We are committed to fostering an environment where all employees can thrive and where every individual is treated with respect and dignity.

Thesis is an Equal Opportunity Employer and is committed to the full inclusion of all qualified individuals. We provide reasonable accommodations throughout the hiring process for applicants with disabilities. If you require an accommodation, please contact Human Resources at [email protected].

As part of our commitment to equitable hiring practices, we do not request or consider applicants' salary history when making hiring decisions.