Job Information
Publicis Groupe Vice President, Creative Director, Copywriter in Chicago, Illinois
Company description
A global creative constellation built for what’s next—uniting the human vision of the Leo Burnett network with the innovation of Publicis Worldwide.
Leo is HI × AI: Human Insight, Human Ideas, Human Impact—supercharged by the data and technology to move faster, go further, and deliver everywhere.
Leo brings together 15,000+ people across 90 countries, combining global scale with creative firepower to drive outsized impact for brands.
Overview
At Leo, our vision is to be the most loved and respected agency brand in the world. Our guiding principle— What helps people, helps business —shapes how we build brands, lead teams, and show up in culture.
Our superpower is modern brand stewardship : creating work that is creatively ambitious, culturally resonant, and built to drive real business results. We believe strong ideas deserve strong craft—and that great writing happens when curious, opinionated thinkers collaborate across disciplines to create language that connects.
The Vice President, Creative Director (copy) is a senior creative leader who advances this ambition through writing excellence, talent leadership, and deep partnership across the agency.
Responsibilities
As a senior partner to Creative, Strategy, Business Leadership, and Production, the Vice President, Creative Director ensures verbal thinking is embedded early, executed brilliantly, and scaled thoughtfully across the agency.
As Leo’s most senior writing leader and verbal steward, this role sets the bar for clarity, voice, and narrative craft—defining the writing vision, pushing the work further than it’s ever been, and holding accountability for creative excellence, talent growth, and the role writing plays in modern brand stewardship across integrated, omnichannel experiences.
Writers at Leo create clear, compelling, unmistakably on‑brand work across integrated omnichannel campaigns—spanning in‑store, digital, and print. The Vice President, Creative Director models and champions these behaviors across the entire writing discipline.
Writers are expected to
Write copy for integrated omnichannel campaigns, including retail, digital, social, experiential, and print
Develop brand voices, messaging frameworks, and verbal systems that bring ideas to life
Craft headlines, scripts, long‑form content, and storytelling platforms that are clear, human, and persuasive
Help shape cohesive verbal and messaging frameworks for brands
Deliver work that is grounded in the brief, aligned to strategy, and true to the brand
Partner closely with designers to ensure words and visuals work seamlessly together
Collaborate with producers and production teams to bring ideas to market with clarity and efficiency
Show up to brainstorms, critiques, and reviews with ideas—and opinions
Maintain high standards of craft and clarity, even when timelines are tight
Juggle multiple workstreams without dropping the ball
Responsibilities
The Vice President, Creative Director, Copy will:
Champion bold, culturally fluent writing that balances craft, strategy, and effectiveness—work that helps people and helps business
Ensure excellence and consistency across all written output, from brand voice and messaging systems to campaign and experience execution
Partner closely with other Creative Directors, Executive Creative Directors, and Strategy to shape ideas early—ensuring writing is integral to creative thinking, not an afterthought
Stay steeped in culture, language, and emerging platforms—bringing what’s happening in the world into the work and our clients’ brands
Serve as a senior creative partner to clients, confidently articulating, defending, and evolving writing ideas with clarity and strategic intent
Translate client and business challenges into compelling verbal ideas that build brands and drive growth
Lead, mentor, and inspire senior and mid‑level writers, building a strong bench and future creative leadership pipeline
Create a culture of high standards, curiosity, courage, and feedback—where writers can do the best work of their careers
Model inclusive, people‑first leadership that strengthens Leo’s culture and sense of community
Champion Leo’s HI x AI philosophy—leveraging technology to enhance creativity, not replace it
Push past “good” to deliver standout, unforgettable work that elevates Leo’s creative reputation and cultural impact
Qualifications
10–12+ years of copywriting experience within a creatively driven agency environment, with demonstrated leadership experience
Proven ability to lead high‑performing teams and deliver culturally resonant, results‑driven work
Exceptional writing craft paired with strong strategic thinking and creative judgment
Deep experience across brand voice, messaging systems, and integrated campaign development
A strong portfolio of integrated omnichannel work; retail experience is a plus
Experience partnering with senior clients and internal executive leadership
Confidence presenting to clients and selling the work with clarity and conviction
Demonstrated commitment to developing talent and strengthening agency culture
Bachelor’s degree in English, Journalism, Communications, or related field preferred; evaluated holistically based on leadership impact and portfolio
Additional information
Our Publicis Groupe motto “Viva La Différence” means we’re better together, and we believe that our differences make us stronger. It means we honor and celebrate all identities, across all facets of intersectionality, and it underpins all that we do as an organization. We are focused on fostering belonging and creating equitable & inclusive experiences for all talent.
Publicis Groupe provides robust and inclusive benefit programs and policies to support the evolving and diverse needs of our talent and enable every person to grow and thrive. Our benefits package includes medical coverage, dental, vision, disability, 401K, as well as parental and family care leave, family forming assistance, tuition reimbursement, and flexible time off.
If you require accommodation or assistance with the application or onboarding process specifically, please contact USMSTACompliance@publicis.com.
Compensation Range: $159,695 - $229,425/ year. This is the pay range the Company believes it will pay for this position at the time of this posting. Consistent with applicable law, compensation will be determined based on the skills, qualifications, and experience of the applicant along with the requirements of the position, and the Company reserves the right to modify this pay range at any time. Temporary roles may be eligible to participate in our freelancer/temporary employee medical plan through a third-party benefits administration system once certain criteria have been met. Temporary roles may also qualify for participation in our 401(k) plan after eligibility criteria have been met. For regular roles, the Company will offer medical coverage, dental, vision, disability, 401k, and paid time off. The Company anticipates the application deadline for this job posting will be 4/30/2026.
All your information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines.