Creative Program Lead — Strategy, Delivery & Impact

McLaren Racing; Bicester; On-site; GBP 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

25 days holiday

Enhanced pension

Discretionary annual bonus

Private medical insurance

Life assurance

Sabbatical after two years

Discounted shopping

Parental leave policies

Wellbeing programmes

Job summary

McLaren Automotive is seeking a Creative Program Manager to lead major cross-functional programs spanning brand, product design, industrial design and creative strategy. You will translate creative ambition into priorities, executable strategies and measurable outcomes, working with internal teams and external partners to align quality, timing and cost with organisational goals.

You will own the program direction, planning, budgets and governance, ensuring delivery across disciplines and

Qualifications

• Substantial experience leading complex creative, design, product or transformation programs in automotive, luxury, technology or another design-led environment.
• Proven accountability for program budgets, resources and supplier relationships, with measurable business outcomes.
• Credibility with senior stakeholders and ability to influence across functions without direct reporting lines.
• Experience creating and leading governance that accelerates decisions and ensures effective implementation.

Responsibilities

• Own the end-to-end delivery of major creative programs, from strategic brief and business case through governance, execution, implementation and benefits realisation.
• Set program direction, priorities, delivery models and decision points, translating creative strategy into an integrated portfolio of work with clear commercial and organisational outcomes.
• Lead program planning across multiple creative disciplines, establishing the critical path, resource strategy, dependencies, controls and escalation routes required for successful delivery.
• Own program budgets, resource allocation, supplier relationships and supplier performance, making informed investment and trade-off decisions to protect quality, value and timing.
• Shape and continuously improve creative strategy, governance, program standards, design systems and operating practices across the function.
• Lead through multidisciplinary teams, workstream owners and external partners, creating clear accountability for commitments, decisions and outcomes.
• Anticipate and resolve complex strategic, commercial and delivery issues where priorities conflict or information is incomplete.
• Own the Creative Forum and other senior creative governance forums, setting the agenda around required decisions and driving timely implementation of agreed outcomes.
• Make or recommend significant decisions on program scope, sequencing, resources, suppliers and investment within agreed authority.
• Influence senior leaders and cross-functional partners to resolve competing priorities and secure the resources, decisions and sponsorship required for delivery.
• Provide clear senior-level assurance on program progress, risk, quality, cost and expected outcomes.
• Ensure creative programs deliver broad organisational impact, including stronger brand coherence, improved delivery performance and effective use of creative capability.

Skills

End-to-end delivery

Budget management

Supplier relationships

Senior stakeholder influence

Governance and decision forums

Cross-functional leadership

Creative strategy alignment

Job description

McLaren Automotive is seeking a Creative Program Manager to lead major cross-functional programs spanning brand, product design, industrial design and creative strategy. You will translate creative ambition into priorities, executable strategies and measurable outcomes, working with internal teams and external partners to align quality, timing and cost with organisational goals.

You will own the program direction, planning, budgets and governance, ensuring delivery across disciplines and