Art Director in Manchester

As an Art Director, you will originate and lead high-quality creative work across photography, video, CGI, and digital production, seamlessly bridging traditional and emerging production methods to deliver impactful and innovative output. You will take ownership of the visual direction of projects from initial concept through to final execution, ensuring a cohesive and compelling creative vision. In addition, you will play a key role in evolving creative standards by integrating new technologies and AI, helping to shape forward-thinking and cutting-edge approaches to content creation.

Key responsibilities

• Act as a creative conscience within the agency, maintaining high standards across all output.
• Constructively challenge and elevate every brief.
• Lead visual direction across shoots, CGI and digital production projects.
• Work closely with production teams to ensure ideas are executed to the highest standard.
• Understand and apply quality management and file management systems.
• Take responsibility for continuous personal development, particularly across emerging creative technologies.
• Originate big ideas and creative concepts across campaign content, photography, video, CGI and digital platforms.
• Direct and guide CGI and digital production, ensuring creative intent is maintained.
• Collaborate with creative, strategy and client services teams to deliver fully integrated campaigns.
• Liaise closely with production teams, photographers, directors, CGI artists and external partners.
• Manage time and resources effectively to meet deadlines and budgets.
• Ensure all work is quality controlled, accurate and delivered to the highest standard.
• Identify and resolve creative and production challenges across both traditional and digital outputs.
• Stay up to date with industry trends across photography, film, CGI, digital content and AI.
• Explore and integrate new tools, workflows and technologies, including AI.
• Communicate clearly at every stage of the creative process to ensure smooth delivery.

Required skills

• Strong experience in art direction across both traditional production (photography, video) and digital production (CGI, motion).
• Proven ability to originate and develop creative concepts from brief to execution.
• A strong visual eye with the ability to curate and communicate clear creative direction.
• Experience directing shoots and working with photographers, videographers and production teams.
• Preferably have a good understanding of CGI workflows and digital content production.
• Awareness and curiosity around AI in creative and production workflows.
• Storyboarding and layout skills to clearly communicate ideas.
• Strong presentation skills and confidence in client-facing situations.
• Ability to manage multiple projects and deadlines effectively.
• High attention to detail and commitment to quality.
• Proficiency in Adobe Creative Suite.
• Strong collaboration and communication skills.
• A proactive mindset with a drive to push creative standards forward.

Location and working hours

This role will be based from our Manchester office, 9am – 5.30pm, Monday to Friday. The role is open to hybrid working. There will be a requirement to work from our Leeds studio or travel to location when shooting. Occasional travel to our other offices may also be required.

What we offer

You will join a global team that backs each other and delivers joined-up brand journeys at scale for some of the world’s best brands. In addition, we offer a competitive salary and benefits including:

• Your birthday off.
• Additional holidays through salary sacrifice.
• Company sick pay.
• Cycle to work scheme.
• Pension contribution.
• Westfield Health cash plan.
• Childcare salary sacrifice.

How we work

We expect all our team members to share the same behaviour and culture code as Ride Shotgun:

• We make it happen: ownership matters here. We step up, back ourselves and get things done. Proactive, practical, proud of what we produce.
• We ride as one: one team, always. No egos, no drama. Trust is everything. We look out for each other and do our best work together.
• We question everything: we stay curious, challenge the expected and look for better ways to do things. That applies to our work, our thinking and ourselves.

How to apply

Apply via CharlieHR with your CV and a short note about why you would like to join Ride Shotgun. If you have any questions about the role or the process, you can contact us at futureriders@rideshotgun.global.

Equal opportunities statement

Ride Shotgun is an equal opportunities employer. We welcome applications from all backgrounds and will provide reasonable adjustments where needed.