Creative Director (Social) – Freelance

Duration: Ongoing freelance / project-based

We’re looking for a Creative Director (Social) to take the lead on concept development and creative vision across a wide range of social-first projects. This role sits at the heart of content, brand and talent, and needs someone who understands how ideas move across platforms, how audiences behave, and how to build work that stands out in a crowded feed.

You’ll be the person who brings shape, clarity and ambition to the creative output. From building formats and series ideas, to giving direction on shoots, to refining scripts and long-form storytelling, you’ll be responsible for making sure every piece of content feels intentional and high quality. The ideal hire will come from a social or influencer-led agency, with a strong grasp of culturally relevant ideas and talent-led content.

You’ll also be used to working with a wide range of on-screen personalities. This could include content creators, celebrities, athletes, entrepreneurs or musicians. You’ll know how to draw out their voice, frame their story and translate their style into concepts that perform.

Responsibilities

• Leading creative direction across TikTok, Instagram, YouTube and LinkedIn, ensuring ideas are platform-native and built for growth
• Shaping big ideas, visual worlds, formats and recurring series that build consistency and long-term engagement
• Developing concepts that work across both short-form content and longer storytelling, including YouTube formats and episodic ideas
• Creating scripts, treatments, decks and storyboards to support production teams
• Working closely with strategists to understand audience behaviour and ensure concepts reflect current platform trends and cultural moments
• Guiding videographers, editors and designers to bring ideas to life with strong craftsmanship and visual identity
• Supporting talent on their delivery, tone, pacing and narrative
• Leading creative sessions, running ideation workshops and contributing to broader campaign development
• Reviewing performance data to refine content approaches and ensure the creative stays sharp and effective
• Working with producers and account leads to ensure ideas are delivered smoothly, on time and within scope
• Keeping an eye on emerging formats, new creative techniques and platform developments, feeding these into future work

Main Requirements

• A conceptual CD with deep experience in social-first creativity, ideally from a social agency or influencer agency
• Strong portfolio of work that shows your ability to build formats, campaigns or talent-led content that travelled
• Confident across both short-form and long-form storytelling, including YouTube strategy and refinement
• Experience working with creators, celebrities, athletes, entrepreneurs or musicians
• Able to direct and inspire creative teams while also being hands‑on when needed
• Strong visual and editorial judgement, with a good understanding of pacing, hooks, structure and narrative
• Comfortable working in fast‑paced environments, responding quickly to cultural moments and production needs
• Excellent communicator who can articulate ideas clearly and bring others along with your vision

SUMO are an equal opportunities employer. We encourage applications regardless of race, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation, age, disability or gender. As an employment agency, SUMO are fully committed to providing an inclusive and accessible recruitment process for all (both internally and on behalf of our clients).

Thank you for your interest in the above vacancy. Please note – due to the high volume of CVs & applications we receive, we can\’t always get back to everyone, although we do try our best!