Responsibilities

• You have overall responsibility for the quality of everything creative that leaves the building, across both agency brands.
• You set the standard.
• You review work before it goes out.
• You decide what is good enough and you say so early, when it is still cheap to change.
• You stop ideas that are off brief before they eat a week.
• You turn strategy into ideas.
• You work closely with the Chief Strategy Officer to turn customer insight, strategic propositions and brand challenges into creative platforms and big ideas.
• Strategy and creative work well together here. We are always looking to make that partnership produce better work, and you will lead that.
• You lead the work.
• You are hands-on across advertising, brand, campaign, packaging, retail, social and video.

Requirements

• 8+ years in creative agencies, currently leading a team. Head of Creative, Associate Creative Director, Senior Art Director with reports, or equivalent.
• Still hands-on. As comfortable creating the work yourself as reviewing someone else's.
• A serious love of craft. Typography, art direction, the cut of an edit.
• A portfolio with genuine ideas in it, not just well-executed layouts. We want to see the thinking.
• Proven experience leading and mentoring creative teams, including freelancers.
• Confident presenting your own work to senior clients and defending an idea without being precious about it.
• Practical fluency across advertising, brand identity, campaign, packaging, design and video. Broad, not siloed.
• Real understanding of video and film, from concept and storyboard through to direction and edit.
• Working knowledge of AI tools in a production and concepting context. We use them and expect you to have an opinion.
• Commercially aware. You understand that creative time costs money, that margins matter, and how to scope work realistically without compromising the ambition.

Benefits

• Salary: £65,000 FTE. £52,000 at 4 days a week
• Contract: Fixed term, 4 January 2027 to 17 December 2027. 4 days a week preferred, full-time possible. Some handover days may be required in advance of the start date.
• Hybrid working: 3 days per week in the office
• Flexible hours: 08:00-18:00
• Annual leave: 25 days (FTE) plus bank holidays
• Pension: Penfold
• Recognition: Employee of the Quarter and Year Awards, including an extra half-day holiday for quarterly winners