Senior Social Designer - 12 month FTC in London

This is a senior, hands-on design role in a high-volume social studio, working on the account for one of our brand new FMCG clients. You'll be responsible for the quality and consistency of visual output across always-on and campaign work — balancing strong creative thinking with efficient delivery. You'll also help build the design infrastructure that allows the team to produce, adapt, and localise content at scale.

Success in this role looks like consistently high-quality visual work delivered at pace, clear improvement driven by performance insight, and a design system that makes the whole studio more effective.

As Senior Social Designer, you'll drive the visual craft of the studio — translating ideas into platform-native assets that are engaging, on-brand, and built to perform. You'll work hands-on across static, motion, and short-form video design, while building scalable systems that enable high-quality output to travel efficiently across markets. Based in London on a hybrid basis (2–3 days per week), you'll collaborate closely with Content Creators, Strategists, Social Media Managers, and the Social Creator Lead.

We support flexible working and are open to different arrangements. We offer reasonable adjustments throughout the recruitment process.

What you will be doing

• Social-First Design Execution
  • Create high-quality visual content across static assets, motion graphics, and short-form video design support — including titles, overlays, and transitions.
  • Ensure all design work is platform-optimised for TikTok, Instagram, YouTube Shorts, and other relevant channels — on-brand, consistent, and ready to publish.
  • Maintain strong visual craft standards across every output, regardless of volume or turnaround time.
• Content Creation Support at Scale
  • Work closely with Content Creators to bring concepts to life visually and enhance content through considered design.
  • Produce assets at pace across always-on content, campaign activations, and reactive or trending content opportunities.
• Scalable Design Systems
  • Create and maintain templates, layout systems, and modular design assets that enable content to be adapted quickly, localised across markets, and repurposed across formats.
  • Document design systems clearly so they can be used consistently across the team.
• Multi-Market Adaptation
  • Adapt visual content for different markets, ensuring visual consistency, cultural relevance, and formatting and language accuracy.
  • Support efficient versioning of assets across markets and platforms, setting clear standards for how adaptation is approached.
• Performance-Driven Design
  • Work with Data and Social teams to understand which visual approaches perform best, and use engagement signals to inform layout, format, and creative decisions.
  • Continuously refine design approaches based on what the data shows — iterating quickly and sharing insight with the wider team.
• Collaboration and Workflow
  • Partner closely with the Social Creator Lead, Content Creators, Strategists, and Social Media Managers to ensure all work aligns with strategy, meets deadlines, and passes brand, legal, and compliance approval processes.
  • Communicate proactively on timelines, asset status, and any risks to delivery.
• Creative Quality and Standards
  • Uphold high visual standards across all content formats, campaigns, and markets.
  • Stay current on platform design trends, social creative best practice, and emerging visual formats — applying relevant insight to day-to-day output and sharing with the team.
• Budget and Production Management
  • Manage project-level production budgets including cost estimation, purchase orders, invoicing, and reconciliation.
  • Source and negotiate rates with freelancers and production partners as needed, driving cost efficiency without compromising quality.
  • Flag budget risks early and elevate where required.

What you need to be great in this role

• Strong design capability across static and motion formats, with a portfolio demonstrating high-quality social-first work.
• Proficiency with Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, Illustrator, After Effects, Premiere Pro), CapCut, Canva, Figma, or equivalent tools.
• Deep understanding of platform design best practices and what drives visual engagement across key social channels.
• Demonstrated ability to manage multiple design projects simultaneously, delivering consistently strong work at pace and under time pressure.
• Experience building and maintaining design systems, templates, and modular asset libraries that enable efficient, high-volume production.
• Background in high-volume, always-on content environments — agency, in-house, or embedded studio.
• Experience delivering social design for consumer brands, with FMCG background an advantage.
• Familiarity with multi-stakeholder environments involving strategy, social, data, and client teams.
• Experience managing project-level production budgets, including cost estimation, supplier negotiation, purchase orders, and reconciliation.
• Advanced use of Gen AI tools relevant to social design — including tools that support ideation, asset generation, content variation, and production workflow optimisation.
• Experience designing AI-assisted workflows for personal use and sharing effective approaches with the wider team.
• Ability to train others on responsible and effective use of AI tools within a design context.
• Agentic thinking for complex, multi-step design and production challenges — breaking problems down systematically and driving efficient execution.
• Strong understanding of AI capabilities and limitations, with rigorous human oversight applied to all AI-assisted outputs.
• Experience working across multiple markets or languages, or in embedded in-house or studio environments.
• Familiarity with paid social design requirements — safe zones, format variants, and performance testing.
• Experience designing for creator or influencer-led content.
• Experience building design systems or localisation frameworks at studio level.
• Formal qualifications are welcome but not required. Equivalent experience counts, whether gained through work, study, volunteering, or self-directed learning.