Lead Designer (advertising agency)

This is an opportunity to play a defining role at an independent award-winning advertising agency working with ambitious international clients.

You’ll be joining a small team where your work will have real influence and visibility. Design isn’t a support function here it sits at the heart of everything they do. The pace is fast, the ambition is high, and there’s genuine room to shape both the work and the future direction of the agency.

We’re looking for a Designer to help set the creative benchmark.

This is a Design Lead / Design Director role for someone who treats design as a strategic and creative discipline, not just a final layer of polish. You’ll help shape the agency’s visual output, build distinctive brand worlds, and define what “great” looks like as the agency continues to grow.

This is a hands‑on role for someone highly conceptual, quick‑thinking, and ambitious with the potential to grow alongside the business.

What You’ll Do

• Define and uphold the visual standard across all client work
• Lead the creation of distinctive, ownable brand worlds
• Develop strong, compelling look and feel systems that bring ideas to life
• Build visual languages and design systems that feel intentional and original
• Translate creative and strategic thinking into exceptional design outputs
• Explore multiple routes quickly before refining and sharpening the strongest idea
• Work at pace in a collaborative, high‑energy environment
• Partner closely with creative, strategy, and client teams to shape the work

What We’re Looking For

• A senior designer with strong experience in highly regarded advertising agencies
• Someone who doesn’t see themselves as “making ads”, but as building brands and brand worlds
• A conceptual thinker who leads with the idea, not just the execution
• An original mind constantly seeking fresh visual approaches
• Strong instinct for bold, confident, culturally relevant design
• Comfortable moving fast without compromising on craft
• Confident working independently and taking ownership
• Curious, ambitious, and excited by the opportunity to help shape a growing agency

Hybrid (4 days on‑site) / Central London