Head of Creative Operations in Sheffield

About The National College

At The National College, we empower education professionals to transform children’s lives. Our all-in-one platform helps schools, trusts, and nurseries stay compliant, raise standards, and reduce staff workload through intuitive, impactful technology. If educators need it, we build it. We’ve created a unique platform that combines the world’s largest CPD and policy library with innovative software tools, developed in collaboration with thousands of schools and more than 1,000 education experts.

The Role

We are seeking an experienced and commercially minded Head of Creative Operations to lead our Brand & Content function. This is a senior, hands-on leadership role responsible for shaping and delivering high-performing creative output across the marketing team — from conversion-focused digital campaigns and commercial copy to thought leadership content and brand development. You will lead a four-person creative team (two thought-leadership copywriters and two graphic designers), manage agency and contractor relationships, and act as the senior creative lead across all digital channels. Your focus will be on delivering purposeful, high-quality creative work that supports commercial objectives, strengthens brand positioning, and drives customer engagement across the funnel. This role sits at the intersection of creative leadership, project management, and digital marketing execution. You will set the creative standard across the business, ensuring every asset is on-brand, audience-focused, and performance-driven. As a hands-on leader, you will also contribute directly to creative delivery when required — whether writing commercial copy, developing creative briefs, or supporting campaign asset production.

Job Requirements

• Essential
• 5+ years’ experience leading a creative, brand, or content team in a fast-paced commercial environment.
• Proven experience managing copywriters, designers, and external creative partners to deliver high-quality work at pace.
• Strong hands-on design capability, with confidence using tools such as Adobe Creative Suite, Canva, or Figma.
• Excellent commercial copywriting skills, with experience creating high-converting content across web, email, paid media, landing pages, and social.
• Demonstrable experience managing creative workflows, production pipelines, and asset management systems.
• Strong understanding of digital marketing channels including website, email, paid social, organic social, SEO, and content marketing.
• Commercially minded, with the ability to evaluate creative work through a performance and conversion lens.
• Excellent communication, stakeholder management, and leadership skills.
• Strong organisational skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities and deadlines effectively.

• Desirable Experience
• Experience producing or managing video and motion graphics.
• Experience in a B2B SaaS or EdTech environment.
• Knowledge of SEO strategy and content optimisation.
• Experience working closely with CRM, Paid Media, and CRO teams.

Qualifications

• Degree in Marketing, Communications, Journalism, Design, or a related field, or equivalent professional experience.
• Portfolio demonstrating strong commercial creative work, including campaign content, copywriting, and design output.
• Familiarity with project management tools such as Asana, Monday.com, or Notion.

Job Responsibilities

• Creative Leadership & Brand Management
• Own and evolve The National College brand, ensuring consistency across brand guidelines, tone of voice, and creative standards across all channels.
• Lead, manage, and develop a team of four, providing clear direction, coaching, and accountability for high-quality output.
• Act as the senior creative reviewer across major campaigns, launches, and always-on content, maintaining a high creative and commercial standard.
• Manage external freelancers, agencies, and creative partners, ensuring quality and consistency of delivery.

• Commercial Content & Messaging
• Lead the creation and review of high-performing digital content across website, email, landing pages, paid media, in-platform messaging, and social channels.
• Shape messaging strategy for campaign launches, product go-to-market activity, and seasonal campaigns, translating complex propositions into clear, compelling customer-focused messaging.
• Develop and maintain messaging frameworks, copy guidelines, and reusable content libraries to ensure consistency across all touchpoints.
• Partner with CRM, Paid Media, and CRO teams to test, optimise, and improve content performance using data and insights.

• Creative Production & Design
• Support the creation of campaign assets, digital ads, landing page visuals, email graphics, and social content where hands-on creative input is required.
• Set a strong visual standard, ensuring all assets are aligned to brand, audience, and channel best practice.
• Work confidently across creative tools such as Adobe Creative Suite, Canva, or Figma to review, guide, and contribute to design output.

• Creative Operations & Project Management
• Oversee the end-to-end creative production pipeline, from briefing and prioritisation through to final delivery.
• Build and maintain effective asset management systems, ensuring version control, accessibility, and brand compliance.
• Balance competing priorities across campaigns, always-on content, and business-critical deliverables.
• Collaborate with marketing and commercial stakeholders to manage timelines, dependencies, and resource planning.

• Events & Thought Leadership
• Lead creative delivery for webinars, partner events, and sector conferences, ensuring strong brand presence before, during, and after each event.
• Oversee the development of high-quality thought leadership content including reports, whitepapers, guides, and blog content.
• Support editorial planning for SEO and organic content aligned to campaign priorities and audience needs.

• Multimedia & Innovation (Desirable)
• Support or oversee the production of video and motion content for digital campaigns, events, and social channels.
• Identify opportunities to expand multimedia content to improve engagement and conversion.

Job Benefits

At The National College, we’re passionate about helping organisations grow and thrive through knowledge and connection. You’ll be part of a business that values its people, supports continuous development, and celebrates success.

• Life assurance
• Enhanced maternity, paternity, shared parental, and adoption pay
• 24/7 online GP access
• Mental health and wellbeing support
• One paid charity day per year
• 25 days’ holiday, increasing to 30 days with service
• Professional study support
• Plus more