Hybrid Creative Director

at Mercari, Inc.

• Job title: Creative Director
• Job type: Full Time
• Experience level: Lead
• Salary: Not specified
• Degree requirement: No Education Requirement
• Location requirements: Hybrid, Minato City, Japan

About the role

• Creative Director leading integrated brand strategy and creativity for Mercari's Cross-border business. Ensures strong brand coherence and experience across global marketing and product teams.

Responsibilities

• Define and lead an integrated brand strategy across all customer touchpoints—marketing, product, and operations—aligned to the growth phase of the Cross-border business.
• Maximize Mercari’s brand value in global markets by defining, operating, and evolving a consistent visual identity and communication guidelines.
• Develop creative strategies that seamlessly integrate brand marketing initiatives with in-product online experiences and offline physical presence, ensuring a cohesive and continuous brand experience.
• Partner closely with Product teams to deeply understand evolving value propositions and experience intent, and collaborate with Marketing to optimize creative direction across the full user journey—from acquisition through retention.
• Collaborate with and lead internal creatives, external agencies, production partners, and global vendors by setting clear creative direction and ensuring high-quality outcomes.
• Continuously monitor global marketing trends, creative trends, and competitive landscapes to evolve Mercari’s services and brand presence.
• Represent the Creative organization and act as a connector across Product Managers, Engineers, Designers, and Marketers to maximize creativity-led synergy and impact across the organization.

Requirements

• 10+ years of professional experience as a Creative Director, Art Director, or equivalent role at an agency or in-house organization.
• Proven experience working in global environments or leading creative direction for global brands.
• Experience defining and driving integrated brand strategies for EC, platform, or marketplace businesses.
• Strong understanding of both marketing and product, with demonstrated experience integrating the two into cohesive communication and experiences.
• Extensive experience selecting, managing, and maintaining high quality standards with external partners (agencies, production companies, etc.).
• Strong literacy, curiosity, and motivation to apply emerging technologies—including generative AI—to creative work and business outcomes.
• Experience working on Cross-border e-commerce or large-scale services with international expansion.
• Experience building and operating design systems, and applying brand guidelines within product experiences.
• Proven track record of driving innovation through creativity in cross-functional, organization-wide initiatives.
• Experience in motion design, photography, or visual storytelling.
• English: Proficient (CEFR C1)
• Japanese: Independent (CEFR B2)