Lead Designer in Loughborough

In short… If we were a restaurant, this person would be our head chef. The Creative Director owns the vision: the menu, the standards, the direction of the restaurant. You're the head chef who makes it happen on the pass. You're accountable for the level of everything that leaves the studio, you give creative direction to the team, and you run the 'kitchen', so the quality is consistent every single time.

We describe this as a "player-coach" role. You lead from the front with your own design work while keeping the wider studio running like a well-oiled machine. You sit at the intersection of strategy and execution, working closely with our founder and Creative Director to operate creatively within clear guardrails. You're free to make the calls, and you own the outcome. This is not a role for someone who wants to hide behind a screen. It's for a designer who wants ownership, influence, and a direct line to how the studio grows.

What you'll actually be doing and what we expect:

• Running the pass. You stay a designer at heart. You lead the execution of high-level brand identity, print and digital projects, and every file that leaves the studio is 'On Poynt' because you said so.
• Owning quality. You're empowered to make day-to-day creative calls and sign off internal work, so projects keep moving without constant escalation. You're the final line of defence: an uncompromising eye for detail and flawless accuracy, every time.
• Coaching the kitchen. You manage the day-to-day creative workflow for our middleweights and junior designers. You audit their work, sharpen their conceptual thinking, and level up their technical craft. You hold regular one-to-ones with each designer, catching issues early so nothing gets buried, and you give clear, honest "tough love" feedback when it's needed to protect the standard.
• Keeping projects healthy. You own the health of every project across Trello and our Bonsai CRM. You don't just track status, you spot the risks early, chase what needs chasing, and always have a plan, so nothing drifts.
• Thinking commercially. You approach every brief like a business problem. You can articulate exactly how a design decision moves the needle for a client and solves a real commercial challenge, not just why it looks good.
• Leading the room. You front client presentations with confidence, translating complex creative thinking into something relatable and strategically grounded.

You'll thrive here if you're…

• A "why" thinker. You don't just execute a style, you understand the substance underneath it. "Why are we doing this? What difference does it make for the client?" is your default question, at every stage.
• Operationally savvy. You know how a creative studio actually runs, and you can organise a wider team while still producing your own work. You still pick up design when it counts, but you know your bigger impact is making the whole team think and work better, not doing everything yourself. You bring order to the kitchen without killing the creativity.
• A technical master. Goes without saying. You're likely the most technically proficient person in the room on the Adobe Creative Suite. You understand the real nuances of print production, digital assets and brand systems, not just the surface.
• A natural leader. You're a sociable, confident communicator who inspires the team to follow your lead, and you're comfortable holding a high bar.

Requirements:

• A proven track record in a fast-paced agency environment, several years at Senior level, genuinely ready for a significant step up.
• An extensive portfolio showing original creativity and commercial results.
• Expert knowledge across print, digital and brand identity.
• Strong presentation and articulation skills, written and verbal.
• Experience in project management or leading a small team of designers.
• Able to work in-studio, 5 days a week. This is not a hybrid or WFH role.

Who we are:

We don't do "pretty" for the sake of it. At On Poynt, we're obsessed with work that actually works. We're a high-performance creative agency sitting at the intersection of bold strategy and flawless execution. We help brands stop blending in and start moving the needle, replacing fluff and vanity metrics with considered, precise design that solves real commercial challenges. We're a lean, fast-moving team that partners with clients to question, refine and elevate their vision. If you're tired of agency ego and want to build work that's strategically sound, mouth-watering, and that designers actually care about, you'll fit right in.

What we offer:

• £40k salary, defined by experience
• 23 days annual leave plus bank holidays (pro-rata)
• A vibrant studio where creativity sits at the heart of everything
• An office shared with Marmalade and Hudson, our company dogs
• A genuine spectrum of clients, and the chance to make a real mark on the brands we build
• Training and upskilling opportunities
• (A lot of) company socials

How to apply: Send your CV, a covering letter and your portfolio to . Please note: this is a UK-based, in-studio role. Applications from outside the UK or for freelance and contract arrangements won't be considered.