Creative Director

We Are Adam; Manchester; Hybrid; GBP 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

We Are Adam is seeking an experienced Creative Director to join the Senior Leadership Team and drive the agency’s artistic vision, energy, and purpose from Manchester.

You will mentor a talented team, raise quality standards, and challenge ordinary ideas to deliver progressive, impactful work.

Qualifications

• Minimum 7+ years of experience in a creative agency or fast-paced in-house studio, with senior leadership experience.
• Proven track record of strategic thinking, commercial impact, and high-quality creative output.
• Experience building and leading high-performing creative teams and mentoring talent.
• Ability to own projects end-to-end, balance deadlines, and maintain decisive leadership under pressure.
• Familiarity with industry tools (Adobe Creative Suite, Figma) and practical use of AI to enhance workflows.

Responsibilities

• Establish and champion the creative direction for all outputs, ensuring alignment with client aims and business growth.
• Maintain strict quality standards from concept through delivery.
• Act as senior creative voice on major accounts, presenting concepts and applying feedback.
• Collaborate with founders and client services to translate briefs into bold strategies and shape future direction.
• Stay ahead of cultural shifts and emerging technologies, weaving insights into output.
• Lead, inspire, and develop a multi-skilled creative team with coaching and feedback.
• Monitor productivity and address complex creative challenges or performance dips.
• Work with Studio Manager to build scalable workflows and keep multiple projects on time and budget.
• Promote modern digital tools and AI to accelerate creativity and drive thought leadership.

Skills

Creative leadership

Strategic thinking

Commercial awareness

Team management

Stakeholder management

Decision making

Tools

Adobe Creative Suite

Figma

AI tools

Job description

Hybrid: 3 days in the office / 2 days from home

Permanent: Full time

Our client is a rapidly expanding independent creative and digital agency. They partner with global brands and ambitious market challengers to help them gain visibility, establish memorable identities, and build lasting reputations through clear strategy and standout creative execution.

They are seeking a Creative Director to join their Senior Leadership Team and drive the agency’s artistic vision, energy, and purpose. In this role, you will act as the creative conscience of the business raising quality standards, challenging ordinary ideas, and mentoring a talented team to deliver progressive, impactful work.

Key Responsibilities

• Establish and champion the creative direction for all agency outputs, ensuring work aligns with both client aims and business growth goals.
• Maintain strict quality standards across all projects from the initial concept phase through to final delivery.
• Act as the trusted, senior creative voice on major accounts, confidently presenting concepts and turning feedback into stronger work.
• Work closely with the company founders and the client services director to turn briefs into bold strategies, lead new business pitches, and shape the agency's future direction.
• Stay ahead of cultural shifts and emerging technologies, naturally weaving these insights into the agency's creative output.
• Lead, inspire, and develop a multi-skilled creative team, encouraging professional growth through direct coaching and constructive feedback.
• Monitor team productivity and step in proactively to resolve complex creative challenges or address performance drops.
• Collaborate with the Studio Manager to build scalable workflows, keeping multiple projects on time, on brief, and within budget.
• Promote the clever use of modern digital tools and AI to accelerate creativity, while driving internal projects, industry award entries, and thought leadership to boost the agency’s profile.

About you

• At least 7+ years of experience working within a creative agency or fast-paced in-house studio, with a track record at Creative Director or Senior Art Director level.
• A proven collection of work that demonstrates strategic thinking, commercial awareness, and design that successfully drives business results.
• Experience building and managing high-performing creative teams, with the ability to motivate others, negotiate with purpose, and build genuine trust with stakeholders.
• Fully responsible for project outcomes from start to finish, with the ability to balance multiple deadlines and stay decisive under pressure.
• Familiarity with standard industry creative software and collaboration tools (such as Adobe Creative Suite and Figma), combined with a practical approach to using AI to enhance creative workflows.

The top end of the salary bracket is reserved for highly accomplished professionals who have mastered the entire creative process. Our client is looking for a leader who can smoothly navigate everything from high-level strategic vision and brand storytelling to strict quality control, multi-skilled team mentorship, and the smart adoption of modern AI tools.

Studies have shown that women and people of colour are less likely to apply to jobs unless they meet every single qualification. At We Are Adam, we are dedicated to building a diverse, inclusive and authentic workplace, so if you’re excited about this role but your past experience doesn’t align perfectly with every qualification in the job description, we encourage you to apply anyway. You may be just the right candidate for this or other roles!

We are more than happy to discuss any reasonable adjustments that you may require.