Design Director

Salt Digital Recruitment; Greater London; On-site; GBP 90,000 - 125,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health & dental

Life assurance

Pension

Travel insurance

Mental health services

Flexible holidays

Job summary

Salt Digital Recruitment works with a renowned branding agency in Central London to hire a Design Director who combines creative vision with strategic depth. You will lead and inspire a talented team, shaping work for world-renowned consumer brands while guiding the craft and direction of projects.

You will mentor designers, present ideas with confidence, build strong client relationships, and keep ahead of design trends.

Qualifications

• Proven ability to lead creative teams within a top-tier branding or design agency.
• Ability to shape and deliver strategic, design-led brand and packaging solutions for well-known consumer brands.
• Excellent communication skills and talent for storytelling and presenting ideas.
• Collaborative leadership style that inspires trust and drives performance.

Responsibilities

• Lead the creative direction on major branding and packaging projects from concept to delivery.
• Champion design excellence across touchpoints, ensuring strategic soundness and beautiful execution.
• Build trusted client relationships, understand brands, challenges and ambitions.
• Collaborate with Creative Directors, Strategists and Client Services to deliver world-class solutions.
• Mentor and develop designers, cultivating a culture of creativity and excellence.
• Present ideas with confidence and clarity to sell great work.
• Stay ahead of cultural and design trends, bringing fresh insights for brands.
• Identify new opportunities for clients and the agency to drive growth and innovation.

Skills

Brand leadership

Strategic design

Storytelling

Collaborative leadership

Calm under pressure

Brand building

Job description

We're working with a very well-known branding agency in Central London, part of a global communications group, to find a Design Director who brings both creative vision and strategic depth. This is an opportunity to lead and inspire a talented team, shaping work for some of the world's most recognisable consumer brands. In this role you will be both a leader and a creator; guiding the strategic and creative direction of projects while staying close to the craft. You will challenge convention, spark innovation and lead by example, ensuring that every piece of work pushes the boundaries of what's possible in consumer branding and packaging.

What you'll be doing

• Leading the creative direction on major branding and packaging projects, from concept to delivery
• Championing design excellence across every touchpoint, ensuring work is strategically sound and beautifully executed
• Building trusted relationships with clients, understanding their brands, their challenges and their ambitions
• Collaborating closely with Creative Directors, Strategists and Client Services to deliver world-class creative solutions
• Mentoring, inspiring and developing designers at all levels, creating a culture of creativity, curiosity and excellence
• Presenting ideas with confidence and clarity, ensuring great work is sold as effectively as it's created
• Keeping your finger on the pulse of cultural and design trends, bringing fresh insights that move brands forward
• Helping identify new opportunities for both clients and the agency, contributing to growth and innovation

What you'll bring

• Strong experience leading creative teams within a top-tier branding or design agency
• Proven ability to shape and deliver strategic, design-led brand and packaging solutions for well-known consumer brands
• Excellent communication skills, with a natural talent for storytelling and presenting ideas
• A collaborative and empathetic leadership style that inspires trust and drives performance
• The ability to stay calm under pressure, balancing creative ambition with commercial awareness
• A genuine passion for building brands that make an impact and stand the test of time

Why you'll apply

Our client offers a range of benefits to boost lifestyle, health and your future

• health & dental
• life assurance
• pension
• travel insurance
• mental health services
• flexible holidays

But more than that they'll give you the chance to work across major brands, produce the best work of your career and future proof your career with group-wide opportunities in one of the world's best-known networks.

This role is the real deal.

*Rates depend on experience and client requirements