Art Director

Role overview

Grey Shopper in Düsseldorf is looking for a mid-level Art Director to support shopper-focused accounts, with a strong emphasis on storyboards, motion work, and asset creation. You’ll be working in a well-established setup with creative direction in place and two Senior Art Directors available as steady support, so this is not a lone role but a structured position inside an experienced team.

About the agency

Grey Shopper is a shopper-marketing agency for brands that want to win at the shelf. Using solid shopper insights, the team builds concepts, campaigns, and activations across the full path to purchase — from initial inspiration to purchase in-store. The agency covers core shopper disciplines such as trade marketing, POS activation, and retail promotions, and connects them with social media, retail media, and brand experience to shape a seamless shopper journey with measurable impact at the point of sale. The team of around 20 people in Düsseldorf works with flat hierarchies and clients such as P&G, Volvo, and QVC, and partners closely with account and strategy teams. Creative work is treated as full ownership from the first strategic idea through final delivery.

Your role

You will handle mid-level art direction across shopper accounts, with primary responsibility for an international account managed in English, while also contributing to additional accounts within the team.

What you will do

• Adapt KV layouts, create asset variants, and develop layouts for POS materials and activation assets.
• Build storyboards for moving-image formats, including both concept thinking and visual development.
• Develop motion ideas and execute them independently in After Effects.
• Work closely with Senior Art Directors and the Creative Director on a day-to-day basis.
• Translate briefs into visual solutions independently while staying connected to the team.

Your setup

• Creative Direction sets the direction and signs off on final outputs.
• Two Senior Art Directors provide sparring, feedback, and professional backing.
• You take on the typical workload of a mid-level AD, with clear team support behind you.

What we are looking for

The ideal candidate brings 2 to 3 years of agency experience as an Art Director, preferably with exposure to POS or shopper work. If you have not worked in POS yet but are eager to learn the craft, you are still welcome to apply. What matters most is solid mid-level routine in everyday execution, curiosity, and enthusiasm for the work.

Storyboard experience is essential. You should be able to think through moving-image narratives visually and turn them into frames or sketches.

Motion skills are a strong advantage, especially if you can both develop concepts and implement them yourself in After Effects. The team is looking for someone who can do more than brief others and is willing to create hands-on.

You should be confident using the Adobe Creative Suite, including Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, and After Effects. Fluent German and strong English are required, as one of the major accounts is managed in English, including briefs, calls, and coordination with international stakeholders.

You should be proactive, reliable, and able to challenge briefs constructively. Smart use of AI tools is welcome. The role is preferably based in Düsseldorf and largely office-based, since the team values in-person collaboration, especially during storyboard and motion phases.

Account context

Most of the work is focused on shopper materials such as promotional assets, activations, POS mechanics, and motion adaptations. This is sophisticated shopper craft with a direct impact at shelf level, rather than large-scale brand campaign work. Candidates who mainly think in brand-campaign mode are unlikely to enjoy the role. Those who want to produce strong shopper work in a stable team and use motion and storyboarding as real creative playgrounds should fit well.

What is on offer

• A clearly defined mid-level role with strong senior support.
• An established art team operating under experienced creative direction.
• A friendly, constructive team culture with a positive working atmosphere.
• Regular work on storyboards and motion, not just adaptation tasks.
• Flat hierarchies and short decision paths to senior management.
• An agency where strategic planning and strong consulting have been central since the beginning, not just support functions but drivers of creative work.
• Access to a broad set of AI tools, including LLMs, image models, custom GPTs, agents, and automation workflows.
• The opportunity to help shape a boutique unit within a global network, with meaningful room to influence how things are done.

Additional benefits

• Location: Düsseldorf.
• Work from Abroad: up to 45 days per year, combining 20 working days and 25 vacation days.
• 33 days of annual leave.
• In Düsseldorf, a healthy canteen and a café serving quality coffee and drinks such as Americano, Flat White, Chai Matcha Latte, and sometimes even lemon tart.
• Employee discounts across hundreds of brands.
• Contribution toward a public transport ticket or bike leasing.
• Subsidized and improved access to Wellhub for gyms, yoga, swimming, climbing, Headspace, and more.
• TELUS Employee Assistance Programme for counselling and crisis support.
• Access to the WPP learning platform Future Readiness Academy.

Contact

If this sounds like the right challenge, Kai Schlüter would be happy to receive your application.