Head of Creative Services (Luxury Fashion House) [AQ-23145]

An iconic, globally celebrated luxury fashion and footwear house is seeking an exceptional Head of Creative Services to architect and lead the operational engine behind its global brand image. Reporting directly to the Vice President of Brand Image and partnering closely with the Chief Marketing Officer, you will hold the bird’s-eye operational view across the entire creative lifecycle. You will bridge high-concept creative ambition with operational and commercial rigour, transforming runway concepts, seasonal drops, and product activations into flawless, 360° multi-channel campaigns delivered on time, on budget, and to exacting luxury standards worldwide. This is a strategic creative operations and project leadership role designed for an operational architect. It is built for a leader who excels at designing workflows, establishing governance, and leading cross-functional alignment across global regions.

Please note: This role requires direct, hands‑on creative operations or project delivery experience within traditional luxury fashion, prestige footwear, or high‑end leather goods and accessories. Candidates whose backgrounds are exclusively rooted in hospitality, beauty/cosmetics, consumer tech, FMCG, or mass‑market high‑street retail will not be considered.

The ideal candidate understands the nuances, velocity, and aesthetic sensitivities of global luxury fashion—from seasonal drop calendars (Spring/Summer, Autumn/Winter, Cruise, and Capsule collections) to the rigorous visual codes of prestige footwear and leather craftsmanship.

Key Responsibilities

• Creative Workflow Architecture & Operational Governance
• End-to-End Campaign Delivery: Architect, implement, and govern the global creative delivery roadmap across global campaigns, product launches, and seasonal drops across EMEA, APAC, and North America.
• Governance & RACI: Establish standardised RACI frameworks, approval gateways, and delivery milestones to eliminate operational bottlenecks between Creative, Marketing, Merchandising, Digital, and Regional teams.
• Production Calendars: Build, maintain, and enforce seasonal master calendars that synchronise brand image development with commercial go‑to‑market and retail intake dates.
• Systems & Automation: Champion modern workflow optimisation tools (e.g., Asana), Digital Asset Management (DAM) protocols, and emerging AI tools to streamline briefing ingestion, asset tagging, and tracking.
• Status & Reporting: Maintain absolute operational transparency across all active workstreams, acting as the primary source of truth for senior leadership, the VP of Brand Image, and the CMO.
• 360° Multi‑Channel Integration & Regional Localisation
• Channel Alignment: Partner closely with channel leaders across Visual Merchandising (VM), Retail Operations, E-Commerce, PR, Social Media, CRM, and Wholesale to ensure campaign toolkits are comprehensive, integrated, and delivered early.
• Commercial Synergy: Collaborate directly with Merchandising to ensure creative assets reinforce commercial priorities, focus categories, and hero product allocations.
• Asset Toolkits & Versioning: Supervise the end‑to‑end versioning, resizing, and localisation of visual assets for global markets, ensuring regional relevance without compromising central brand equity.
• Performance Marketing Balance: Oversee the translation of high‑fashion editorial assets into high‑converting digital and performance formats while preserving luxury prestige.
• Production Oversight, Budgets & Vendor Management
• Strategic Production Management: Oversee the delivery of campaign shoots, motion capture, and post‑production workflows (including retouching, grading, and mastering) delivered via external agencies and production partners.
• Financial Control: Direct annual and project‑level creative services budgets, rigorously tracking spend, burn rates, and reconciliations to optimise cost‑per‑asset.
• Partner & Vendor Negotiations: Source, vet, and maintain relationships with top‑tier creative agencies, production partners, directors, photographers, and retouchers, negotiating competitive commercial rates, usage rights, and IP protection globally.
• Compliance & Rights Management: Secure and document all talent contracts, model usages, music licensing, and intellectual property rights in coordination with Legal.
• Team Leadership & Creative Partnership
• Functional Leadership: Directly lead and mentor the Creative Services team (currently including a dedicated Project Manager, with planned scope to scale the function as the department grows).
• Stakeholder Diplomacy: Act as the diplomatic “glue” between visionary creative leaders and commercial executives, presenting structured operational options that solve creative challenges without stifling artistic ambition.
• Cross‑Functional Culture: Cultivate a culture of accountability, operational precision, and mutual respect between creative image teams and commercial business units.

Candidate Profile & Qualifications

• Demonstrated Luxury Pedigree: Substantial experience leading Creative Operations, Creative Project Management, or Creative Services within a recognised luxury fashion, luxury footwear, or luxury accessories brand.
• Operational Mindset (Not a Line Producer): Proven success building operational systems, delivery frameworks, and RACI matrices from the ground up, rather than functioning purely as an on‑set line producer or art buyer.
• Fashion Rhythm Fluency: Deep, intuitive understanding of global luxury fashion cycles, sample availability constraints, and seasonal retail timelines.
• Global Scope: Demonstrated experience orchestrating asset deliveries across multi‑region landscapes (EMEA, US, APAC), with a strong command of localisation requirements.
• Financial & Commercial Fluency: Strong budget‑management skills with demonstrable experience overseeing multi‑hundred‑thousand to multi‑million‑pound campaign production allocations.
• Exceptional Communication & EQ: Proven ability to command the room with senior executives (CMO, CEO, Commercial Directors) while maintaining high trust and creative rapport with Art Directors, Designers, and Stylists.
• Systems Acumen: Proficiency in modern enterprise project management software (Asana, Monday.com, or Jira), DAM systems, and workflow tools.

What We Offer

• Competitive Compensation: £70,000 – £90,000 base salary, tailored to expertise and track record.
• Summer Fridays: Enjoy early finishes on Fridays throughout June, July, and August.
• Guaranteed Winter Holiday: Global office closure between Christmas and New Year.
• Generous Annual Leave: 25 days paid holiday plus UK bank holidays.
• Flexible Hybrid Model: Collaborative Central London headquarters (Victoria area), operating on a hybrid model (3–4 days on‑site).
• Luxury Perks: Comprehensive private medical and dental coverage, generous pension contributions, substantial luxury product allowances, and access to exclusive global sample sales.

Client Description

Our client is an iconic global luxury brand famed worldwide for setting the gold standard in luxury footwear, leather accessories, and high‑fashion drops. Operating as a flagship house within an international luxury group, they combine exceptional creative ambition with global commercial scale. Known for high‑visibility global campaigns and an agile, trend‑setting visual culture, they offer a collaborative, Central London‑based environment where operational architecture directly powers world‑class creative output.

Aquent is an equal-opportunity employer. We evaluate qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, veteran status, and other legally protected characteristics. We’re about creating an inclusive environment-one where different backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives are valued, and everyone can contribute, grow their careers, and thrive.

#J-18808-Ljbffr