Senior Creative Technologist - Experiential Marketing Agency

The role of Senior Creative Technologist bridges the gap between experiential concept and what is technically viable. A specialist in tech-first idea generation is needed to join our growing creative technology team. Our digital offerings span a wide range of contexts, channels and purposes; from live-events to virtual events, from screen based content to VR experiences, AR storytelling, drone games and even marble runs. To maintain our position at the forefront of change requires us to deliver technology based experiences that raise the bar for our industry, meeting an ever growing client demand by championing purposeful & exciting work.

GPJ does not need someone from a developer background, purely added on to the creative team as an afterthought or to execute projects. We need someone who will help shape the vision and big idea and then engage the right team of experts to deliver. A tech-focused expert who is appointed to add their voice to the creative team, inspiring them by introducing new tech opportunities and partners. Imagining something different, more engaging or exciting – always looking beyond the boundaries of current knowledge for new possibilities. In doing so, our Senior Creative Technologist can actively approach stakeholders with more than just a mood board. They can go armed with prototypes early on in the process that really bring the vision to life and prove we can deliver. This role has an open remit to forge the next chapter in our digital evolution. Working with our GPJ Lab team to contribute to our technology innovation practice and focused on elevating creative work through the use of technology.

Key Responsibilities

• Deliver brilliant, inspiring tech concepts/ideas, including appropriate use of VR, AR, projection, websites, apps, games and interactive installations for our clients.
• You’ll be working on large scale projects as well as small.
• Suggest the right experts to bring in to a project to the Creative Director and support them to execute award winning/critically acclaimed experiences, activations and campaigns.
• Help to sell tech focused ideas by developing concepts to a stage where they can be costed and delivered.
• Pitch and deliver R&D work on specific Lab projects focused on the application of emerging technologies for experiential.
• Aided by internal teams and suppliers where required.
• Partner and collaborate with creative department peers (especially Associate Creative Directors and Senior Designers) and with colleagues from Account Management, Production and Strategy to share best practice and ensure tech is considered as part of pitches and projects.
• Communicate with internal teams across the agency to progress projects.
• Be a conduit between teams and help them to deliver to the highest quality through technology insights.
• Keep abreast of innovation and industry standards and share this with the organisation.
• Work with the Creative Director to build trusted relationships with the Clients, present to and land creative tech concepts.
• Contribute in face-to-face pitches and presentations.
• Understand the Client’s business and communications need and their key proposition in order to deliver work that’s on brief.
• Collaborate with technical production to define hardware requirements.
• Work closely with Digital Producers to share knowledge on the reality of using these technologies in a live environment.
• Help determine risks to project delivery and plan for these.
• Build relationships with our roster of development suppliers and where appropriate leverage their skills in ideation as well as execution.
• Drive the digital education of members of the GPJ team, making sure technology is front of mind when designing experiences.
• Development management skills through line management of a junior team member who supports the creative technology function.
• Be a champion for technology excellence and innovation at the agency & help upskill teams.
• Support with the development of thought leadership or marketing initiatives.
• Attend industry events and provide feedback for the team.

About you

You’ll have working knowledge of key technology platforms and may come from a variety of backgrounds - creative tech, a digital creative or an inventor. Most importantly, you’ll understand the creative and design process and be able to insert yourself within a project to drive desired outcomes and ways of working. A natural problem solver, you’ll be able to work within the budget constraints to find the most effective solution and when things don’t go to plan, you’ve got plan B, C and D up your sleeve. Excellent communication, presentation & interpersonal skills. Comfortable presenting to senior colleagues and clients. Have a portfolio displaying the depth of your creativity and digital expertise.

Background, Skills and Experience

You could come from different backgrounds; Digital Creative, Digital Production, Developer, Product Design or other. But, you’ll have demonstrable knowledge and experience of working with technology and digital techniques and be able to apply those to come up with visionary concepts. You will have experience working with designers and developers with different digital skill sets, leveraging their knowledge to help deliver work. You will talk their language and then work out how this can be best communicated to less digitally savvy colleagues and clients. Broad client experience consistent with our portfolio of progressive and sector defining client brands. Experience of the live environment / experiential delivery and its specific pressures. Demonstrable experience of successfully generating and pitching ideas and overseeing technology aspects through to delivery. Experience being client facing with often complex global brand organisations.