Creative Innovation Lead in Manchester

The Creative Innovation Lead plays a pivotal role in shaping the future of the in-house creative capability. Working closely with the Creative Director, this role combines creative leadership with ownership of innovation, AI adoption and the continuous evolution of creative ways of working.

As a senior member of the creative leadership team, the Creative Innovation Lead provides creative direction across a broad range of integrated campaigns and communications while driving the implementation of emerging technologies that enhance creative quality, efficiency and effectiveness. The role acts as both a creative leader and innovation catalyst, championing experimentation, embedding AI-enabled workflows and developing future-ready creative capabilities across the studio.

Key Responsibilities:

• Creative Leadership: Partner with the Creative Director to shape and evolve the creative vision and capability. Lead creative development across integrated campaigns, brand communications and marketing initiatives. Provide creative direction, feedback and quality assurance across all studio output. Champion exceptional creative standards while ensuring work remains commercially effective and strategically aligned. Support Creative Leads, designers and content creators in developing ideas from concept through to execution. Facilitate creative reviews and help teams solve complex creative challenges. Present and articulate creative ideas confidently to senior stakeholders, building trust through clear rationale and strategic thinking. Promote creative excellence, innovation and collaboration across the team.
• AI & Creative Innovation: Lead the strategic adoption of AI across the creative department, identifying opportunities to enhance creativity, speed, quality and efficiency. Evaluate, implement and optimise AI-powered creative platforms and emerging technologies, including tools such as Adobe Firefly, ChatGPT, Pencil and future solutions. Develop and embed AI-enabled workflows that enhance, rather than replace, human creativity. Create frameworks, prompt libraries, best-practice guidance and governance to ensure responsible and effective AI usage. Drive rapid concept generation, creative exploration, personalisation and production through AI-enhanced processes. Identify opportunities to automate repetitive tasks and streamline creative operations. Act as the department's subject matter expert for creative AI, providing guidance and recommendations to stakeholders and leadership teams. Monitor industry developments, emerging technologies and innovation trends, translating insights into practical opportunities for the studio. Pilot and test new technologies, measuring value and scalability before wider implementation.
• Capability Development: Build AI confidence and capability across the creative team through coaching, mentoring, workshops and hands-on support. Design and deliver structured learning programmes focused on emerging technologies, innovation and future creative skills. Foster a culture of curiosity, experimentation, learning and continuous improvement. Support career development through coaching, creative feedback and development planning. Help identify future skill requirements and contribute to recruitment, succession planning and capability-building strategies. Encourage knowledge-sharing and best-practice adoption across the creative function.
• Studio Operations: Partner with the Creative Operations Manager to maintain an efficient, collaborative and high-performing creative studio. Support the continuous improvement of creative processes, briefing standards, production workflows and delivery models. Work closely with project management and production teams to ensure creative excellence is delivered within agreed deadlines and budgets. Help prioritise workloads, manage creative resource challenges and resolve issues as they arise. Ensure brand governance, design standards and quality expectations are consistently maintained across all outputs. Use data and performance insights to identify opportunities for workflow optimisation and operational improvement.
• Stakeholder Partnership: Build strong and trusted relationships with marketing, brand and business stakeholders across the business. Act as a strategic creative partner, helping stakeholders maximise the effectiveness and impact of creative solutions. Champion innovation by demonstrating how AI, emerging technologies and new approaches can improve marketing outcomes. Translate complex business challenges and briefs into compelling creative opportunities. Influence stakeholders through expertise, insight and a strong understanding of both creative and commercial objectives. Support the Creative Director in shaping the future direction of the in-house creative function.

Knowledge & Experience:

• Essential: Significant experience in creative leadership roles within agency, in-house or integrated creative environments. Demonstrable experience implementing and scaling AI-driven creative workflows and technologies. Outstanding portfolio demonstrating conceptual thinking and creative excellence across multiple channels and formats. Proven experience introducing innovative creative technologies, processes or ways of working. Strong understanding of AI applications across creative development, content production and design operations. Experience coaching, developing and inspiring creative teams. Excellent communication, presentation and stakeholder management skills. Strong understanding of branding, design systems and integrated campaign development. Experience implementing AI platforms and driving adoption within creative teams. Knowledge of workflow optimisation, automation and creative operations. Experience working within a complex, regulated or matrix organisation. Strong working knowledge of Adobe Creative Cloud, Figma and AI-powered creative tools.
• Desirable: Experience leading creative transformation or change initiatives. Understanding of responsible AI governance and adoption frameworks. Experience measuring and reporting the impact of AI and innovation initiatives. Knowledge of emerging technologies across content creation, personalisation and digital experiences.