Lead Graphic Designer (Maternity Cover) in City of London

Location: London Hybrid, with a minimum of 40% of working time at Speech and Language UK Offices

Pay: £33,452 per annum (£41,815 FTE)

Contract: Up to one year fixed term contract. Start circa 13 April 2026

Hours: 28 hours per week/4 days

Role Overview: We are looking for a Lead Graphic Designer to shape, elevate and champion our visual brand during a key period of maternity cover. This is an exciting opportunity to take ownership of a national charity’s creative direction and to see your work directly support children who face challenges with speech, language and communication.

Key Responsibilities:

• Develop standout creative across digital and print, including social content, infographics, brochures, reports, posters and more.
• Create fresh visual identities for campaigns, products and programmes.
• Bring innovation to every brief while ensuring brand consistency.
• Oversee projects from concept to completion, ensuring they meet objectives, timelines and budgets.
• Work closely with colleagues across Digital, Engagement and Communications.
• Liaise with external suppliers and printers to ensure quality and value.

What we are looking for:

• Significant experience as a Graphic Designer, ideally in a charity or not-for-profit setting.
• A strong portfolio across digital and print, including social media, web, email and video.
• Expertise in Adobe Creative Cloud (InDesign, Photoshop, Illustrator, Premiere Pro, After Effects).
• Excellent illustration, typography and layout skills.
• Experience developing sub-brands and visual guidelines.
• Confidence presenting ideas and collaborating with stakeholders.
• Strong project management skills and the ability to juggle multiple deadlines.
• Experience leading and developing a design team.

About Us:

We are Speech and Language UK – we want every child to face the future with confidence. For 2 million children in the UK, learning to talk and understand words feel like an impossible hurdle. Without the right help, this can destroy their world. They feel disconnected from their family. Unable to make friends. Unfairly punished for not following instructions they don’t understand.

Why Us?

• Speech and Language UK is dedicated to creating an inclusive environment for children and young people with communication needs.
• Impactful Work: You will contribute to meaningful projects that support individuals with speech and language challenges.
• Collaborative Environment: Working with passionate and dedicated teams committed to making a difference.
• Professional Growth: Opportunities for personal and professional development within a supportive organization.
• Benefits include a competitive salary, 28 days holiday (pro rata for part time), group pension scheme, life assurance and the opportunity to work in an organisation where every job matters!

How to Apply:

Please submit your CV, a portfolio of your work and a supporting statement of no more than two pages, addressing how you meet the criteria outlined in our candidate pack and why you want to join the cause to: jobs@speechandlanguage.org.uk.

Deadline for applications: 9am on Wednesday, 18 February 2026

This is a two-stage application process. The first stage will involve an interview, and the second stage will consist of an interview and a potential task. First stage interviews will take place w/c 23 February 2026 (online via MS Teams).

Accessibility Support: We are committed to ensuring that our recruitment process is accessible to everyone. If you require any adjustments or need to apply in a different format, please contact our People Team at hr@speechandlanguage.org.uk and we will be happy to assist you.

We are a Disability Confident Committed Employer.

Note on AI use: Artificial Intelligence (AI) is becoming a regular part of the application process. While it can be helpful for research, we’ve noticed some applicants rely too much on AI-generated answers. This often leads to weak responses that lack personal examples and important soft skills like communication and teamwork. As a result, these applicants are usually less successful. To ensure fairness, we ask that all candidates use their own words and real-life experiences as this makes the process more transparent and avoids the risks of AI-generated responses.

Your right to work in the UK: You must have the right to work in the UK and reside in the UK to work in paid employment with us. You’ll need to share documents showing you’re eligible to work in the UK if we offer you employment.