Creative Director (Contract)

Our Purpose:

At Gardyn, we’re on a mission to make fresh, healthy food accessible to every home. We believe growing food should be simple, sustainable, and joyful and we’re building smart indoor gardening technology that helps people eat better while using fewer natural resources.

We’re a fast-growing, mission-driven company that cares deeply about impact, innovation, and how we show up for one another. Our work is rooted in curiosity, ownership, and thoughtful growth and we’re excited to bring on leaders who want to help scale something meaningful.

The Opportunity:

Gardyn is looking for a senior Creative Director to cover a 6-month maternity leave from July through December 2026. You’ll step in as the creative lead for a fast-moving DTC brand - owning the full creative output across paid media, email, website, and packaging while leading a small in-house team and managing agency and freelance partners.

What You’ll Do

• Own end-to-end creative direction across paid media, email, website, and packaging.
• Lead and inspire a small in-house creative team and manage relationships with external agencies and freelancers.
• Partner with Marketing, Product, and Ops to translate campaign briefs into visually compelling, on-brand executions.
• Maintain and evolve Gardyn’s brand guidelines, ensuring consistency in visual identity, tone of voice, and messaging across every touchpoint.
• Direct photo and video shoots - from concept and casting through final delivery - with an eye for lifestyle, food, and product content.
• Review and approve all creative output, providing clear, constructive feedback that elevates quality and keeps timelines on track.
• Collaborate with the Growth team on performance creative, using data and testing insights to iterate and improve conversion.
• Champion a culture of creative excellence, curiosity, and efficient production within the team.
• Ensure seamless handoff and documentation to support a smooth transition back to the returning Creative Director.

What You’ll Bring

• 8+ years of creative leadership experience, with a portfolio spanning digital-first DTC or consumer lifestyle brands.
• Experience with subscription or membership-based DTC brands.
• Demonstrated ability to lead creative teams and manage complex multi-channel campaigns independently.
• Strong conceptual and visual skills - you can write a creative brief and art-direct a shoot with equal ease.
• Experience with performance marketing creative, with an understanding of how to balance brand equity and conversion goals.
• Fluency in sustainability, wellness, food, or smart-home categories is a strong plus.
• Ability to onboard quickly, adapt to existing brand systems, and respect the creative vision already in place - while knowing when to push it further.
• Fluency with Adobe Creative Suite, Figma, and project management tools (Notion).
• Experience with AI-assisted design tools or workflows (Adobe Firefly, Midjourney, Higgsfield, or similar).
• Excellent communicator and collaborator - comfortable presenting creative decisions to senior stakeholders and giving/receiving direct feedback.
• Available to commit full-time for the duration of the engagement (July–December 2026).
• Background in food, plant, or home-goods lifestyle photography/video direction.

Engagement Details

• Type: Independent contractor (1099)
• Duration: July 2026 - December 2026 (approx. 6 months)
• Hours: Full-time commitment expected
• Location: Remote
• Rate: $90–$125/hr, commensurate with experience