Creative Director (Original Photography) - Services Design, International

Lex; Greater London; On-site; GBP 140,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

Apple in London is seeking a Creative Director to lead Original Photography, setting the visual direction for our work while running the operational engine that makes it possible. This role pairs craft with execution and oversees a team of Photo Art Directors and Producers across markets and formats.

You will own production budgets, scheduling and cross-functional delivery, partnering with Finance, Brand and Production Ops to scale and streamline processes.

Qualifications

• Proven experience as a creative leader in photography or a visually-driven discipline, with a track record demonstrating a journalistic, story-first visual sensibility and fluency in cultural/aesthetic trends.
• Extensive experience managing and developing a team of art directors and/or producers, or similar creative/production teams.
• Demonstrated ability to own budgets and operational process, not just creative output.
• Comfort partnering with Brand, Design, Finance, Business Affairs, and Production Ops, with the ability to speak both creative and operational language.
• Hands-on experience leading performance management and workload planning.
• Experience standing up or scaling a creative function's operating model, standards, team structure.
• Experience building or maintaining a visual system at scale across multiple markets or product lines.

Responsibilities

• Visual strategy: Act as the organisation's leading voice on photography trends, emerging aesthetics and cultural shifts, and turn those insights into clear creative direction.
• Vision & strategy: Define a strategic point of view across projects, grounded in LOB-specific insights and design principles.
• Creative direction: Partner with Design to interpret the brand vision, and give creative direction and feedback on original photography so that design intent, scalability and clarity are maintained.
• Storytelling: Translate business needs into visuals that capture real moments and tell a story.
• Visual system: Build and maintain a scalable visual system that holds up across geos, apps and formats.
• Team leadership: Lead, evaluate and develop a team of Photo Art Directors and Producers, raising the bar on their work and delegating against team capacity.
• Budget and process: Own budget oversight for photography projects, and partner with Finance, Business Affairs and Production Ops to streamline process, scaling and budgeting.
• AI and innovation: Investigate how AI is changing the photography landscape, and use it to improve efficiency and creativity without compromising the quality or authenticity of original work.
• Process improvement: Explore tools that improve efficiency on set and in workflows, and contribute to studio-wide initiatives on culture, processes and innovation.

Skills

Creative leadership

Team leadership

Budget management

Photography expertise

Brand alignment

Cross-functional collaboration

Story-driven visuals

Global/geo experience

Education

Bachelor's degree or equivalent

Tools

Production tools

Job description

Summary

The International Content Design team conceptualises, designs and creates the content experiences for some of Apple’s most visible products. Your ideas can impact the way people consume media products, what they look and feel like and how they’re used by millions of people across the globe.

Description

We have a new opportunity in London for a Creative Director to lead Original Photography, setting the visual direction for our work while running the operational engine that makes it possible. This is a rare role that calls for equal strength in craft and in execution. You will shape how our brand shows up through authentic, story-driven photography that captures real moments, and you’ll make sure that vision holds up across international markets, apps, and formats. The Creative Director will lead a team of Photo Art Directors and Producers, raising the bar on their work and supporting their growth. You will also pair a strong creative point of view with hands‑on ownership of production, budgets, scheduling, and cross‑functional delivery. Just as important, you’ll work with Finance, Business Affairs, and Production Ops to streamline process, scale effectively, and keep projects on budget. You’ll look for ways to improve efficiency on set and in workflow, and you’ll contribute to studio‑wide initiatives around culture, process, and innovation. If you’re equally energised by great photography and by the systems that deliver it consistently, this role is for you.

Responsibilities

• Visual strategy: Act as the organisation's leading voice on photography trends, emerging aesthetics and cultural shifts, and turn those insights into clear creative direction.
• Vision & strategy: Define a strategic point of view across projects, grounded in LOB-specific insights and design principles.
• Creative direction: Partner with Design to interpret the brand vision, and give creative direction and feedback on original photography so that design intent, scalability and clarity are maintained.
• Storytelling: Translate business needs into visuals that capture real moments and tell a story.
• Visual system: Build and maintain a scalable visual system that holds up across geos, apps and formats.
• Team leadership: Lead, evaluate and develop a team of Photo Art Directors and Producers, raising the bar on their work and delegating against team capacity.
• Budget and process: Own budget oversight for photography projects, and partner with Finance, Business Affairs and Production Ops to streamline process, scaling and budgeting.
• AI and innovation: Investigate how AI is changing the photography landscape, and use it to improve efficiency and creativity without compromising the quality or authenticity of original work.
• Process improvement: Explore tools that improve efficiency on set and in workflows, and contribute to studio-wide initiatives on culture, processes and innovation.

Minimum Qualifications

• Proven experience as a creative leader in photography or a visually-driven discipline, with a track record demonstrating a journalistic, story-first visual sensibility and fluency in cultural/aesthetic trends.
• Extensive experience managing and developing a team of art directors and/or producers, or similar creative/production teams.
• Demonstrated ability to own budgets and operational process, not just creative output.
• Comfort partnering with Brand, Design, Finance, Business Affairs, and Production Ops, with the ability to speak both creative and operational language.
• Hands‑on experience leading performance management and workload planning.
• Experience standing up or scaling a creative function's operating model, standards, team structure.
• Experience building or maintaining a visual system at scale across multiple markets or product lines.

Preferred Qualifications

• You can demonstrate a strong point of view, balanced with the collaborative instinct to incorporate brief and business requirements.
• Experience improving process or adopting new tools for on‑set and post‑production workflows.
• Bachelor's degree in a related field, or equivalent practical experience is beneficial.

At Apple, we're not all the same. And that's our greatest strength. We draw on the differences in who we are, what we've experienced and how we think. Because to create products that serve everyone, we believe in including everyone. Therefore, we are committed to treating all applicants fairly and equally. As a registered Disability Confident employer, we will work with applicants to make any reasonable accommodations. Apple will consider for employment all qualified applicants with criminal backgrounds in a manner consistent with applicable law.

At Apple, we believe accessibility is a fundamental human right. You’ll find that idea reflected in everything here — in our culture, our benefits and our digital tools. By welcoming as many perspectives as possible, we help you build a career where you feel like you belong.