Creative Director
Washington, D.C.
Valinor Hub /
Remote
Valinor's mission is to get more products into the hands of the warfighters and public servants who need them. We are a new type of company building hardware and software products for the defense and broader government market. Our company is centered around two key beliefs: We believe that too many products are sitting stuck in the Valley of Death because government go-to-market is too difficult to navigate. We also believe that far too many problems are going unsolved because they do not fit the traditional venture capital mold.
Valinor is taking lessons learned from innovative corporate structures and employing a hub-and-spoke model that allows us to go after problems of any shape or size, all backed by a proven go-to-market platform. Our goal is to dramatically lower the cost and time it takes to build a product in this space, increasing speed to value for technologists and end users. Our process: We hire the best and brightest software or hardware engineers that have a deep passion to build for a mission - our Builders. At the hub, we have our all-star-team of go-to-market operators that provide our Builders with the access, infrastructure, and support necessary to build product faster and cheaper in this space. At each spoke, we create a subsidiary company focused on an individual product, incentivizing the Builder directly in the success of the product and fueling a lean, decentralized engineering team.
Backed by General Catalyst, Founders Fund, and Red Cell Partners, Valinor was founded in 2024 and has established strategic partnerships with Palantir, Anduril, and Helsing. We are building the dream team, and we want you on it.
We're seeking a Creative Director to help build the brand and tell the story for Valinor and our product companies. This is an extremely unique opportunity to be the first creative hire and help us develop the constellation of Valinor brands.
What you will do
- Lead creative strategy at the Hub: Define and execute the overall creative and brand strategy in alignment with the company mission.
- Develop and own the Valinor brand architecture: Build out a system for developing brands for each product subsidiary (incl. names, logos, brand guidelines), working closely with Builders and Growth teams.
- Create content to tell the Valinor story: Create awesome visual and written content (e.g. think blog posts, social media, or other marketing assets) that helps tell the Valinor story both internally and externally.
- Work on special projects and tell us what we should be working on: As the first Creative hire, we're going to look to you to tell us how we should best be telling and showing the Valinor story. Come to us with ideas.
Who are we looking for
- Experience: 5+ years of brand, design, storytelling experience. You've built and grown multiple brands.
- Grit and hands-on mentality: We are an early-stage startup, so you'll need to be hands-on-keys. You won't have a big team under you (to start), so you'll need to be able to do the work yourself. We also expect that you'll have many phone-a-friends you can make to bring in external help when needed.
- Passion for the mission: While you do not need government or defense experience, you'll need to be passionate about the end customers we are working for and driven by the desire to make the world a better place.
- Proven portfolio: Show us brands, creative projects, and writing samples you’ve developed.
What Valinor offers
- Competitive salary, equity packages, and benefits, including health, dental, and vision insurance - fully covered for employees.
- Unlimited PTO and two-week company holiday at the end of every calendar year.
- We are a pro-mental health and pro-family company - we actually encourage employees to spend time with themselves and their families. Valinor also provides fertility benefits to those just beginning that journey.
- Fun work environment - we like to laugh and take care of each other, but we also deeply respect the mission in front of us.
- Headquartered in Washington DC with additional coworking spaces throughout the country. Remote employees encouraged to apply. We also host team offsites and colocations around the U.S.
Employees will have access to information, materials, and technologies subject to U.S. export controls, i.e., EAR and/or ITAR, and must be U.S. Persons, as defined by 22 C.F.R. § 120.62, based in the United States.
Valinor is an equal-opportunity employer committed to creating a diverse and inclusive workplace. The Valinor team is made up of incredibly talented and unique individuals, who together are disrupting industry norms by creating new paths towards the future of defense and government technology. All qualified applicants will be treated with respect and receive equal consideration for employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, uniform service, Veteran status, age, or any other protected characteristic per federal, state, or local law, including those with a criminal history, in a manner consistent with the requirements of applicable state and local laws, including the CA Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance. We actively encourage members of recognized minorities, women, Veterans, and those with disabilities to apply, and we work to create a welcoming and supportive environment for all applicants throughout the interview process. If you are someone passionate about working on problems that have a real-world impact, we'd love to hear from you!
