At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead creative strategy and coach senior strategists in a dynamic performance creative environment.
- Company: Join Hambi Media, the UK's largest performance creative department within the Soar Group.
- Benefits: Enjoy 28 days holiday, private health insurance, and a flexible hybrid work model.
- Other info: Opportunity for continuous learning and career growth in a vibrant team.
- Why this job: Make a real impact on high-profile DTC brands while developing your leadership skills.
- Qualifications: 5+ years in creative strategy with strong coaching and performance expertise.
The predicted salary is between 60000 - 80000 £ per year.
Department: Creative Strategy | Performance Creative
Reports to: Head of Creative Strategy (with dotted line to the Chief Creative Officer on domain alignment)
Location: Hybrid, Central London (Camden Roundhouse)
Compensation: Competitive Base + Benefits Scheme + 28 Days Paid Holiday + Private Health
KPIs You’ll Own
- Blended Dept hit-rate - average creative hit-rate across all pods. Your headline KPI.
- Percentage of spend through ECD-produced ads - share of total Meta client spend flowing through creative we produced.
- Senior CS development trajectory - measurable craft uplift across all four Seniors over 12 months.
- New CS onboarding quality - time‑to‑billable and first‑90‑day output quality for every new joiner.
The Opportunity
We’re hiring a Creative Lead to join the Creative Strategy leadership team at the UK’s largest performance creative department. Hambi Media (ECD) is the creative engine of the Soar Group – the UK’s #1 independent Meta agency group. Our Creative Strategy department is the group’s single biggest revenue driver, producing performance creative across high‑production video, UGC, and static for 7‑9 figure DTC and e‑commerce brands. We manage over £100M in ad spend yearly and operate 13 creative pods. In this role you won’t own a pod or run an account directly; 40% of your time is billable. You will coach senior creative strategists, support risk mitigation, deliver departmental training, and oversee new‑joiner onboarding.
What You’ll Own
- Senior CS Strategic Coaching (Billable, 40%): Embedded coaching and management of 4‑5 Senior Creative Strategists on the strategic work of their biggest accounts. Help every Senior CS find the next layer of their craft: research depth, strategic synthesis and creative authority. Coach intentionally – reverse‑engineer your approach from knowing each individual.
- Risk Mitigation, Audits & Bottleneck Identification: Cross‑pod craft authority on Gold and Silver tier accounts – audit creative and support reset strategy alongside the Pod Creative Lead when performance dips. Identify performance bottlenecks before they hit monthly review – if a KPI is off track, it should never be a surprise. Run regular creative audits across the department, surface what’s working and what isn’t, and feed insight into the wider Creative Strategy leadership team.
- Departmental Creative Quality Bar: Set and uphold the quality bar for creative strategy output across the team. Drive the rollout of new craft skills in‑line with market shifts, including AI adoption.
- Team Domain Trainings & Frameworks: Translate frameworks, methodologies, and AI workflows set by the CCO into team‑wide up‑skilling sessions. Identify domain skill gaps across the department and design training to close them. Replace one‑to‑one with one‑to‑many. Run regular macro reports to identify creative insights, trends and gaps that can be funnelled into the team.
- New CS Onboarding: Own the craft component of every new Creative Strategist’s onboarding across their first 30‑60 days. Build and maintain the onboarding playbook (skills, frameworks, AI workflows, departmental gold‑standard examples).
How You’ll Spend Your Time
- Indicative time allocation:
- Senior CS coaching on their biggest accounts (billable) 40% of scope: Embedded strategic coaching, research and reporting support, persona development, reporting QC.
- Risk mitigation audits, bottleneck identification 25% of scope: Cross‑pod risk‑mitigation on high‑risk Gold and Silver accounts, performance audits, strategic resets.
- Departmental training + framework rollout 20% of scope: Designing and delivering training, AI‑assisted skill rollout, gold‑standard documentation.
- New CS onboarding ownership 10% of scope: First‑30‑day craft onboarding for every new joiner.
- Self training + market scanning 5% of scope: AI / Meta / TikTok shifts, competitor strategy, continuous research.
What You’ll Bring
- Must‑Have: 5+ years in Creative Strategy in a performance creative agency, growth team, or DTC brand‑side environment. Deep performance creative expertise – you can dissect a winning Meta ad in 30 seconds and explain exactly why it works. Strong growth and paid social fluency – testing structures, scaling logic, persona development, funnel positions, attribution, post‑click. Coaching mindset – you’ve coached strategists or junior creatives into better work and get real energy from doing it. Risk mitigation instinct – you can reverse‑engineer a performance bottleneck. Strong audit and insight discipline. Strong ability to turn complex ideas into simple ones, and delegate accordingly. Continuous research mindset – constantly scanning trends, competitor work, Reddit, customer behaviour, creative patterns. Daily, not quarterly. Outcome Obsessed – every task, framework, and training tied to a measurable outcome. Kind Candour – confident in giving direct, honest feedback regularly in a way that empowers. Extreme Ownership – you demonstrate strong accountability in everything you do. AI‑literate and tech‑enabled – you understand the trajectory of AI in creative and marketing, are comfortable using AI tools yourself, and can lead a team through AI‑augmented workflow adoption.
- Nice‑to‑Have (Not Required): DTC / e‑commerce business model literacy at 7‑9 figure scale. Track record running training sessions or workshops with creative teams. Familiarity with our internal frameworks: macro / micro personas, Growth Compass, CSOS.
Who You Are
- Outcome Obsessed: every task, meeting, idea attached to a measurable outcome.
- Leverage‑aware: rejects low‑leverage work with discipline.
- Intentional coach: reverse‑engineers coaching from knowing each individual.
- Curious by nature: continuous research mindset, not quarterly.
- Calm under pressure: leads through ambiguity, performance dips, tight deadlines without spreading panic.
- Structured thinker: breaks down problems and strategies clearly and logically.
- Mentorship mindset: driven to help others grow. Leads by example.
- Owner mentality: takes full accountability for craft outcomes. No excuses.
Benefits
- Enjoy 28 days of annual leave, giving you the time to recharge and maintain a healthy work‑life balance.
- Benefit from our long‑service reward scheme, with 1 additional day of annual leave awarded each year after 2 years of service.
- Work in a flexible hybrid model, with 2 days in our Central London office at the Roundhouse in Camden and the remainder from home.
- Access private health and life insurance, providing additional peace of mind and support for you and your family.
- Participate in our company pension scheme to help you plan and save for the future.
- Take advantage of a one‑month annual work‑abroad allowance, giving you the flexibility to work remotely from another location each year.
Creative Strategy Lead employer: Soar-With-U
Hambi Media is an exceptional employer, offering a dynamic work environment in the heart of Central London, where creativity thrives. With a strong focus on employee growth, our hybrid model allows for flexibility while providing comprehensive benefits, including 28 days of paid holiday and private health insurance. Join us to be part of a leading performance creative department that values mentorship and continuous learning, ensuring you can elevate your craft and make a meaningful impact.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Creative Strategy Lead
✨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Get out there and connect with people in the industry. Attend events, join online forums, and don’t be shy about reaching out on LinkedIn. You never know who might have the inside scoop on job openings or can refer you directly.
✨Tip Number 2
Show off your skills! Create a portfolio that highlights your best work in creative strategy. Use case studies to demonstrate how you've tackled challenges and achieved results. This will give potential employers a taste of what you can bring to the table.
✨Tip Number 3
Prepare for interviews by researching the company and its recent projects. Be ready to discuss how your experience aligns with their goals, especially in performance creative. Tailor your answers to show you understand their needs and can contribute to their success.
✨Tip Number 4
Apply through our website! It’s the best way to ensure your application gets seen. Plus, it shows you’re genuinely interested in joining our team. Don’t forget to follow up after applying; a little persistence can go a long way!
We think you need these skills to ace Creative Strategy Lead
Some tips for your application 🫡
Tailor Your Application:Make sure to customise your CV and cover letter for the Creative Strategy Lead role. Highlight your relevant experience in performance creative and coaching, and don’t forget to mention any specific achievements that align with our KPIs.
Showcase Your Coaching Skills:Since this role involves coaching senior strategists, share examples of how you've empowered others in your previous roles. We want to see your coaching mindset in action, so be specific about the outcomes of your mentoring.
Be Outcome Obsessed:We love candidates who are outcome-focused! When describing your past experiences, link your tasks and projects to measurable results. This will show us that you understand the importance of driving performance in creative strategy.
Apply Through Our Website:Don’t forget to submit your application through our website! It’s the best way for us to keep track of your application and ensure it gets the attention it deserves. Plus, we love seeing candidates who follow our process!
How to prepare for a job interview at Soar-With-U
✨Know Your Creative Strategy Inside Out
Before the interview, dive deep into the principles of creative strategy, especially in performance creative. Be ready to discuss specific campaigns you've worked on and how you dissected their success. This will show your expertise and passion for the role.
✨Showcase Your Coaching Skills
Since this role involves coaching senior strategists, prepare examples of how you've successfully mentored others in the past. Highlight your approach to empowering individuals and how you tailor your coaching to meet their unique needs.
✨Be Ready to Discuss Risk Mitigation
Understand the common performance bottlenecks in creative strategy and be prepared to discuss how you've identified and addressed these in previous roles. This will demonstrate your proactive mindset and ability to maintain high standards.
✨Stay Current with Trends
Research the latest trends in AI and performance marketing, especially related to Meta and TikTok. Bring insights to the table during your interview to show that you're not just knowledgeable but also curious and engaged with the industry.
