Associate Creative Director

OLIVER Agency; London; On-site; GBP 50,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading marketing agency is seeking an Associate Creative Director based in London. In this role, you will steer the creative direction for a prominent sports platform, crafting compelling social content and strategies to engage fans and athletes. The ideal candidate has a robust understanding of sports culture and a strong track record in managing cross-platform content teams to deliver innovative and resonant campaigns.

Qualifications

• Proven experience in creative direction for digital platforms.
• Portfolio showcasing campaign development and real-time social content.
• Ability to manage production under fast-paced timelines.

Responsibilities

• Define creative voice on social platforms like Instagram and TikTok.
• Develop content strategies around sports events and moments.
• Lead creative across organic and branded campaigns.

Skills

Creative direction

Art direction

Content strategy

Visual storytelling

Understanding of sports culture

Team leadership

Social media engagement

Cross-platform execution

Education

Relevant degree in design or communications

Job description

Established in 2004, OLIVER is the world’s first and only specialist in designing, building, and running bespoke in-house agencies and marketing ecosystems for brands. We partner with over 300 clients in 40+ countries and counting. Our unique model drives creativity and efficiency, allowing us to deliver tailored solutions that resonate deeply with audiences.

As a part of The Brandtech Group , we're at the forefront of leveraging cutting-edge AI technology to revolutionise how we create and deliver work. Our AI solutions enhance efficiency, spark creativity, and drive insightful decision-making, empowering our teams to produce innovative and impactful results.

Role: Associate Creative Director

Location: London, England, United Kingdom

About the role:

Working in partnership with our client as a Social Associate Creative Director, you will be the visionary behind the social identity of a leading sports platform. This role is equal parts storyteller, creative strategist, and cultural tastemaker. You’ll lead the creative direction of content across social channels—owning the look, tone, and feel of how we show up to fans, athletes, and partners every day. From campaign concepts to live coverage and branded content, you'll drive breakthrough work that resonates with sports communities worldwide.

This role requires a strong understanding of sports fandom, creator ecosystems, digital culture, and visual storytelling at scale.

What you will be doing:

• Creative Leadership
  • Define and evolve the brand’s creative voice across all social platforms (Instagram, TikTok, X, YouTube, Threads, Snapchat, etc.).
  • Set the creative vision for social-first content, campaigns, brand partnerships, and real-time activations.
• Sports-Centric Content Strategy
  • Develop innovative content formats and editorial frameworks for key sports moments: game days, championships, player milestones, and breaking news.
  • Ensure content captures the emotion, drama, and culture of sport—from elite moments to behind-the-scenes narratives.
• Cross-Functional Direction
  • Collaborate with social strategists, producers, editors, designers, motion graphics teams, and community managers to execute high-impact work.
  • Guide creative across both organic and branded campaigns, ensuring excellence from pitch to publish.
• Real-Time & Reactive Execution
  • Lead creative direction during live events (matchdays, race weekends, drafts, tournaments), ensuring brand consistency and audience excitement in real time.
• Collaborate Across Production
  • Partner with videographers, editors, social strategists, and brand partners to ensure seamless, cross-platform storytelling.
  • Ensure the team is ready to jump on emerging trends, viral moments, and key fandom opportunities.
• Cultural Relevance & Innovation
  • Stay ahead of platform shifts, creator trends, fan behaviours, and meme culture—bringing that knowledge into content planning.
  • Foster an environment of innovation, pushing boundaries while staying true to the brand’s voice.
• Narratives Beyond the Game
  • Develop evergreen content formats around players, fans, rivalries, and behind-the-scenes access.
• Data-Led Creative
  • Use platform analytics and audience feedback to refine creative direction, ensuring content hits both emotional and performance benchmarks.

What you need to be great in this role:

• Strong background in creative direction , art direction, or content strategy for digital platforms.
• Deep understanding of sports culture—from global fandoms (e.g. preferably F1 & football) to internet sports communities.
• Experience leading cross-platform content teams , from concept to execution.
• Strong portfolio of work that demonstrates visual storytelling, campaign development , and real-time social content .
• Ability to manage high-stakes content production under fast-paced, event-driven timelines.
• Comfortable directing both creative ideation and execution—ideally across stills, video, animation, and copy.
• Understanding of social KPIs and how creative drives engagement and brand growth.
• Global perspective on sport and the nuances of regional fan engagement.

Req ID: 13489
#LI-JS1 #LI-director #LI-Hybrid

Our values shape everything we do:

Be Ambitious to succeed

Be Imaginative to push the boundaries of what’s possible

Be Inspirational to do groundbreaking work

Be always learning and listening to understand

Be Results-focused to exceed expectations

Be actively pro-inclusive and anti-racist across our community, clients and creations

OLIVER, a part of the Brandtech Group, is an equal opportunity employer committed to creating an inclusive working environment where all employees are encouraged to reach their full potential, and individual differences are valued and respected. All applicants shall be considered for employment without regard to race, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, neurodivergence, disability status, or any other characteristic protected by local laws.

OLIVER has set ambitious environmental goals around sustainability, with science-based emissions reduction targets. Collectively, we work towards our mission, embedding sustainability into every department and through every stage of the project lifecycle.