About the role

As Design Lead you'll lead the design team's delivery of exceptional visual work across all touchpoints for your assigned brand. Reporting to the Principal Creative, you'll manage a team of graphic designers and digital designers, ensuring high-quality design output that brings creative concepts to life and maintains brand consistency.

What you’ll be doing

Creative direction

• Work in genuine creative partnership with a Copywriter to develop integrated campaign ideas where the concept drives both the visual and verbal thinking equally.
• Generate bold, culturally relevant ideas that scale seamlessly across all channels while bringing fresh creative thinking and unexpected connections to every brief.

Design direction & leadership

• Lead the design execution of campaigns and brand work, translating creative concepts into outstanding visual design
• Set design standards and quality benchmarks for all visual work, defining what excellent design looks and feels like
• Partner with the Principal Creative at the ideation stage, contributing original creative concepts and ideas

Design excellence & problem solving

• Oversee design production across all channels – digital, print, social, outdoor, retail – maintaining consistency as concepts adapt across formats and applications
• Find creative solutions when briefs have complex constraints or technical challenges – balancing creative ambition with practical realities of budget and timeline
• Outstanding design skills with a strong portfolio demonstrating craft and versatility across all media – digital, print, motion and animation, and environmental

Brand governance & quality

• Champion and evolve the brand’s visual identity, ensuring every piece of creative work meets the highest standards of design quality, consistency, accessibility, and brand integrity

Team management & development

• Manage and inspire your team of graphic and digital designers day-to-day, building a collaborative, supportive culture where designers thrive
• Assist the Studio Managers to help allocate the work out strategically across the team based on skills, capacity, and development needs – balancing workload sustainably and preventing burnout

Organisation & planning

• Manage multiple projects simultaneously with excellent organisational skills and a systematic approach to file management and version control

Collaboration & workflow

• Work closely with the Principal Creative to execute their vision; partner with copywriters, digital designers, and strategists to create integrated work
• Engage with Account Managers on realistic timelines and delivery; coordinate with production partners, printers, and suppliers on technical requirements

Design systems & process

• Develop and maintain design templates, toolkits, and systems that enable efficiency without sacrificing creativity
• Establish design processes and workflows that balance quality with speed; implement quality control checkpoints throughout
• Ensure design files are properly organised, named, and archived; maintain asset management standards across the team

Communication

• Communicate and present creative work effectively, confidently articulating design decisions, embracing feedback, and constructively challenging briefs to achieve the best outcomes.

Essential Skills / Experience

Essential experience

• Strong previous experience in graphic design or visual design roles
• Experience in managing or leading design teams
• Strong portfolio demonstrating design excellence across multiple channels and formats
• Experience working on integrated campaigns from concept through to execution
• Background working on major consumer brands, ideally in telecommunications or technology
• Proven track record of maintaining brand consistency across diverse applications
• Experience managing design production and working with suppliers
• Demonstrable experience mentoring or developing junior designers

Technical proficiency

• Expert-level Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign)
• Strong skills in digital design tools (Figma, Sketch, or similar)
• Knowledge of file preparation, technical specifications, and production processes across web, social, print, and outdoor
• Understanding of photography, illustration, and image-making direction
• Working knowledge of motion design/animation tools (e.g after effects) to support concepting and short-form animation content

Desirable Skills / Experience

• Previous in-house agency or brand-side design experience
• Background in both digital and traditional design disciplines
• Award-winning design work or industry recognition
• Experience developing design systems or brand guidelines
• Understanding of UX/UI design principles
• Familiarity with motion design or basic animation
• Experience with agile working methodologies

Our Package

Tailored benefits make a real difference. That’s why we offer a comprehensive range to support your growth, wellbeing, and everyday life. You can design the package to suit you and your lifestyle. Your core benefits include:

• 10% on target annual bonus
• Access to an online private GP 24/7 for you and your immediate family
• Market-leading paid carers leave with up to 2 weeks off
• Equalized maternity, paternity, and adoption leave – 18 weeks’ full pay and 8 weeks’ half pay
• Discounted EE and BT products, including mobile and broadband
• Market leading Pension scheme – 5% from you and 10% from us
• Holiday purchase scheme

You can select additional benefits, including healthcare, dental, gym memberships and more when you’re ready.