Creative Lead Designer

Berkshire News; Dacorum; Hybrid; GBP 45,000 - 65,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Pension scheme

25 days annual leave

Bank holidays

Employee discounts at Warner hotels

Life Assurance

Free car parking onsite

EV scheme

Employee discounts platform

Wellbeing support

Job summary

Warner Hotels seeks a Creative Lead Designer to head the in-house creative function across 16 hotels and three segments. You will guide a small team and ensure a distinctive, high-quality brand expression across campaigns, digital, CRM, social, and on-property channels.

The role covers leading major projects, shaping creative direction, and collaborating with Brand, Digital, and hotel teams to translate strategy into compelling work, while exploring AI tools for efficiency and impact.

Qualifications

• Significant experience in a senior creative or design role, leading designers or artworkers.
• Deep understanding of brand identity and visual design across digital/print.
• Expert knowledge of Adobe Creative Suite and production across channels.

Responsibilities

• Lead major creative projects from brief through delivery and ensure high-quality outputs.
• Set clear creative direction and empower the in-house team to own work.
• Collaborate with Brand & Campaigns, Digital, Social, Operations and hotels teams.
• Direct photography/content shoots and ensure authentic brand representation.

Skills

Senior leadership

Brand guardian

Adobe Creative Suite

Photography direction

Stakeholder mgmt

Project management

Team leadership

Conceptual thinking

AI awareness

Multi-channel campaigns

Education

Degree in Graphic Design or related

Tools

Adobe Creative Suite

AI tooling awareness

Job description

Warner Hotels are looking for a Creative Lead Designer to to lead Warner Hotels’ in-house creative function and ensure a distinctive, consistent and high-quality expression of the brand across all 16 hotels and our three segments: Warner Hotels, Reserve, by Warner Hotels and Warner Comfort.

This opportunity is a 12 month fixed term contract to cover a period of maternity leave. We work in the Hemel Hempstead Hub 3 days a week and there is scope for some travel to our hotels across the country as needed.

The Creative Lead Designer is the senior creative and brand guardian for Warner Hotels, translating brand and commercial strategy into compelling creative across campaigns, digital, CRM, social, on‑property and internal channels. Leading a team of two Creative Artworkers and one Creative Designer, the Creative Lead Designer will be setting clear creative direction while creating the conditions for the team to take ownership of high‑quality creative delivery. Working closely with Brand & Campaigns, Digital, Social, Proposition, Operations, People and hotel teams, the Creative Lead Designer will lead major creative projects from brief through to delivery and ensure the creative team responds to guest, brand and commercial needs.

In this role, you'll use campaign learnings, guest insight and performance to continually evolve creative effectiveness, while exploring new tools and ways of working, including responsible use of AI, to improve speed, quality and efficiency. As Creative Lead Designer, you'll also play a key role in photography and content shoots, ensuring every output authentically represents Warner and strengthens the guest experience

You'll need to have the following experience to be considered for this role

• Significant experience in a senior creative or design role, including experience leading or managing designers or artworkers and delivering integrated creative across multiple channels.
• Deep understanding of brand identity, visual design principles and creative development across digital and print.
• Expert knowledge of Adobe Creative Suite and strong understanding of production requirements across campaign, digital, social, CRM and print
• Awareness of emerging creative technology and responsible, brand‑safe applications of AI
• Strong creative direction and conceptual thinking, with the ability to turn strategy and briefs into distinctive creative ideas.
• Proven ability to lead, coach and inspire an in‑house creative team while managing multiple priorities and deadlines.
• Excellent stakeholder management, communication and influencing skills.
• Strong project, workflow and resource management skills.
• High attention to detail.
• Able to use performance, insight and creative learnings to improve future work.
• Experience leading major creative projects or campaigns from concept through to delivery.
• Experience of art directing photography/content shoots and working with external creative or production partners.
• Degree in Graphic Design, Visual Arts or a related discipline is desirable; equivalent professional experience is equally relevant

Why join Warners?

• Pension scheme: 3% employer, 5% employee
• 25 days annual leave per year + flexible 8 bank holidays
• You can purchase up to 5 days additional leave per year
• 20% discount at breaks at Warner, Butlins & Haven + additional discounts during your stays
• Help @ Hand from Unum - including virtual GP, Physiotherapy support, Mental Health sessions
• Life Assurance
• Free Car Parking onsite at our Hub offices
• Electric Vehicle scheme
• Enhanced Family Friendly policies
• Refer a friend scheme
• Aslan: Our Reward & recognition portal includes access to a financial wellbeing platform
• Access to a discounts platform including a points based discount plan to increase your retail discounts
• Employee Assistance Programme
• L&G Care Concierge
• Glow Getters and Long Service Awards

Ready to discover your glow?

If you’re passionate about hospitality, love developing people and want the opportunity to make your mark at one of Warner’s flagship hotels, we’d love to hear from you.