Chief Creative Officer, Marketing Agency, Riyadh

Chief Creative Officer — Riyadh

We’re working with a newly established, research-based, strategy-led marketing agency in Riyadh to find a founding Chief Creative Officer. Backed by one of Saudi Arabia’s most respected and diversified conglomerates, this agency is being built from the ground up to redefine the intersection of culture, strategy, and creativity across the MENAT region. This is a rare opportunity for a globally accomplished creative leader to shape something entirely new, with full autonomy to design the creative function, culture, and philosophy from scratch.

About the Chief Creative Officer Role

Reporting directly to the General Manager, the CCO will be the most senior creative voice in the agency — partnering closely with the CEO and Chief Strategy & Insights Officer to build a creative department where strategy and idea-making operate as a single discipline. This is a founding leadership role, not a continuation of an existing structure.

Key Responsibilities of the Chief Creative Officer

• Architecting the Creative Department from the ground up — team structure, standards, processes, and ways of working
• Defining and championing the agency’s creative philosophy, rooted in strategic rigour and platform fluency
• Partnering with the Chief Strategy & Insights Officer to integrate insight and ideation as one unified discipline
• Leading integrated creative output across brand campaigns, social, content, CRM, experiential, and emerging formats
• Building and mentoring the creative team, with a focus on developing local Saudi talent and clear career pathways
• Serving as a senior creative advisor in key client relationships, pitches, and industry thought leadership

About You — The Ideal Chief Creative Officer

• A builder by instinct — energized by designing a department from scratch rather than inheriting one
• A systems thinker who creates frameworks and processes, not just individual campaigns
• Deeply strategy-fluent, with genuine comfort partnering with strategic counterparts
• Multi-platform by nature, with no bias toward a single channel or format
• Culturally curious and humble — approaching the Saudi market as a student as well as a leader
• Confident at board level, entrepreneurial, and comfortable within a founding team environment
• This opportunity suits someone looking to move to the GCC to expand their global experience as it includes a full relocation package

Skills and Experience Required for the Chief Creative Officer Role

• Significant experience in senior creative leadership at internationally recognised agencies, at CCO or senior ECD level
• Demonstrable experience building or fundamentally re-architecting a creative department
• Significant cross-market experience across combinations of Europe, North America, Latin America, or APAC
• A portfolio spanning sectors, brands, and platforms — brand campaigns, digital, social, content systems, CRM, and experiential
• Proven track record of integrating strategy and creative, with experience mentoring talent at all levels
• Fluency in English required; experience with government or large international clients is a plus

Equal Opportunity

We are committed to equality of opportunity for all. You can access our Diversity and Inclusion Policy here.

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