Creative Design Lead, The B-Hive

The Boots Company PLC; Nottingham; On-site; GBP 70,000 - 100,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Boots Retirement Savings Plan

Employee discounts

Job summary

The Boots Company PLC, home to The B‑Hive, is looking for a Creative Design Lead to translate marketing objectives and customer insight into distinctive campaigns across digital, print, film and retail touchpoints.

You’ll lead conceptual development, direct a multidisciplinary team, and collaborate with copy, strategy and senior stakeholders to elevate brand identity while keeping work strategically bold and craft-focused in a fast-paced environment.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in design or related field or equivalent professional experience.
• Proven experience as a senior designer, design lead or art director in advertising or in‑house.
• A strong integrated campaign portfolio demonstrating conceptual thinking, visual storytelling and high‑quality design across a range of brands, audiences and platforms.
• Excellent understanding of typography, layout, colour, imagery, brand identity and art direction.
• Proven experience leading, motivating and developing a large and diverse multidisciplinary creative team.
• Strong line management experience, including setting objectives, providing constructive feedback, supporting career development and managing performance.

Responsibilities

• Develop big creative ideas that can scale across channels and live beyond an individual execution.
• Lead the early conceptual development of priority briefs, working closely with the Copy Lead, Strategy and other creative specialists to turn strategic thinking and customer insight into distinctive campaign ideas.
• Interrogate and strengthen briefs, identifying the core creative problem and establishing a clear proposition before moving into design development.
• Create compelling campaign concepts, visual worlds and design executions that can scale across digital advertising, film, print, social media, CRM, retail and other customer touchpoints.
• Ensure ideas are channel-neutral at their core, with the potential to translate effectively across different platforms, formats and customer experiences.
• Collaborate with copywriters, designers, strategists and other creative specialists to deliver cohesive and impactful campaigns.
• Lead and evaluate the visual direction of multiple projects, ensuring consistently high standards of design, craft and brand expression.
• Provide clear art direction and constructive feedback to designers and other creative team members.
• Present and sell creative thinking to senior clients and stakeholders, responding constructively to feedback while protecting the strength and integrity of the idea.
• Stay informed about developments in design, culture, technology and competitor activity to ensure the work remains relevant, distinctive and fresh.
• Manage multiple projects simultaneously and deliver high-quality work within deadlines in a fast‑paced environment.
• Participate actively in creative reviews and feedback sessions, championing the quality and effectiveness of the work.

Skills

Senior designer

Design leadership

Art direction

Line management

Brand storytelling

Presentation skills

Collaboration

Education

Bachelor's degree in design

Equivalent professional experience

Job description

Creative Design Lead, The B-Hive

Location: Nottingham or London

Contract: Permanent

Recruitment Partner: Olivia Wilson

About the role

The B-Hive is an in-house creative agency bringing to life the creative needs of some of the most recognisable brands in the beauty industry, including No7, Soap & Glory, Liz Earle and Boots own brand. We combine the capabilities of an external creative and production agency with the speed, flexibility and in-depth brand knowledge of an in-house team, underpinned by years of experience dedicated to Boots and No7 Beauty Company. We are looking for an experienced and talented Creative Design Lead to join our creative team. The ideal candidate will have exceptional conceptual and visual design skills, a strong understanding of brand identity and the ability to develop compelling campaign ideas that work across multiple platforms. This role requires someone who is both strategic and imaginative, with the design expertise to translate marketing objectives and customer insight into distinctive creative concepts, visual worlds and beautifully crafted executions.

What you’ll be doing

• Develop big creative ideas that can scale across channels and live beyond an individual execution.
• Lead the early conceptual development of priority briefs, working closely with the Copy Lead, Strategy and other creative specialists to turn strategic thinking and customer insight into distinctive campaign ideas.
• Interrogate and strengthen briefs, identifying the core creative problem and establishing a clear proposition before moving into design development.
• Create compelling campaign concepts, visual worlds and design executions that can scale across digital advertising, film, print, social media, CRM, retail and other customer touchpoints.
• Ensure ideas are channel-neutral at their core, with the potential to translate effectively across different platforms, formats and customer experiences.
• Collaborate with copywriters, designers, strategists and other creative specialists to deliver cohesive and impactful campaigns.
• Lead and evaluate the visual direction of multiple projects, ensuring consistently high standards of design, craft and brand expression.
• Provide clear art direction and constructive feedback to designers and other creative team members.
• Present and sell creative thinking to senior clients and stakeholders, responding constructively to feedback while protecting the strength and integrity of the idea.
• Stay informed about developments in design, culture, technology and competitor activity to ensure the work remains relevant, distinctive and fresh.
• Manage multiple projects simultaneously and deliver high-quality work within deadlines in a fast‑paced environment.
• Participate actively in creative reviews and feedback sessions, championing the quality and effectiveness of the work.

What you’ll need to have (our must-haves)

• A bachelor’s degree in design or a related field, or equivalent professional experience.
• Proven experience as a senior designer, design lead or art director within an advertising, marketing or creative environment, either agency‑side or in‑house.
• A strong integrated campaign portfolio demonstrating conceptual thinking, visual storytelling and high‑quality design across a range of brands, audiences and platforms.
• Excellent understanding of typography, layout, colour, imagery, brand identity and art direction.
• Proven experience leading, motivating and developing a large and diverse multidisciplinary creative team.
• Strong line management experience, including setting objectives, providing constructive feedback, supporting career development and managing performance.
• The ability to interrogate briefs, understand the underlying strategic or customer challenge and turn it into a clear creative proposition.
• A keen eye for detail, supported by strong visual research and problem‑solving skills.
• The ability to adapt creative and visual approaches for different brands, audiences, channels and formats.
• Strong storytelling and presentation skills, with the confidence to communicate and advocate for creative ideas with senior stakeholders.
• A collaborative approach, with the ability to work independently as well as part of a multidisciplinary team.
• The creativity and curiosity to explore unexpected ideas and turn them into effective design solutions.
• The ability to establish and craft the design direction and strategic foundations for briefs managed through B‑Hive.
• The confidence to act as a source of inspiration, guidance and creative leadership for B‑Hive teams.
• The ability to lead alongside as a creative voice for B‑Hive, actively presenting, championing and advocating for the team’s work.
• Experience contributing to the strategic planning and creative development of projects.

It would be great if you also have

• Experience working in the beauty industry or a similar brand‑led sector.
• Experience developing and presenting strategic creative pitches.
• An understanding of AI and how it can be used appropriately and responsibly within the creative and design process.
• Experience working in an agency environment and managing multiple briefs, brands and stakeholders.
• Where your brilliance can take you
• At Boots, we are committed to your growth and development. You will have the opportunity to learn something new every day and shape your career path within our dynamic team.

About No7 Beauty Company:

No7 Beauty Company is made up of five iconic brands – No7, Liz Earle, Soap & Glory, Botanics and Sleek MakeUP. We believe in creating the best in beauty for everyone – we’re innovators with a passion for challenging perceptions with ground‑breaking products, proven results and positive impact. We have built a reputation on scientific innovation, whilst being environmentally sustainable and socially responsible. We are an equal opportunity employer, empowering our team members to be their authentic selves as we share a culture where diversity, equity and inclusion are at the centre of everything we do.

Why Boots?

• We offer a range of benefits designed for you, including:
• Boots Retirement Savings Plan (up to 12% company contribution)
• Generous employee discounts for you and a family member
• Enhanced maternity/paternity/adoption leave pay
• Access to free, 24/7 counselling and support through TELUS Health, our Employee Assistance Programme.