Design Lead

VaynerMedia; London; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

An established industry player is seeking a passionate Design Lead to join their dynamic team in London. This role involves managing and approving a range of creative projects, from micro content to large campaigns, while mentoring junior designers and driving innovative solutions. The ideal candidate will have a strong aesthetic sense, exceptional design skills, and the ability to engage with clients effectively. This is an exciting opportunity to work in a fast-paced environment that values creativity and collaboration, where your contributions can make a significant impact on high-profile brands. If you thrive in a creative setting and are eager to push boundaries, this role is for you.

Benefits

27 Days Paid Leave + 1 Day Birthday Leave

Cash Plan with Medicash

Virtual GP Services

Discounted Gym Membership

Cycle to Work Scheme

Employee Assistance Program

Coaching Sessions

Access to Events and Classes

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience in creative roles, particularly in social media.
• Strong portfolio showcasing integrated campaigns and digital content.

Responsibilities

• Lead and approve design work across various creative projects.
• Mentor junior staff and manage creative teams effectively.
• Engage with clients to communicate creative vision and strategy.

Skills

Creative Content Creation

Visual Design

Motion Graphics

Typography

Attention to Detail

Client Engagement

Mentoring

Digital Marketing

Education

Bachelor's Degree in Design or related field

5+ years of professional creative experience

Tools

Adobe Creative Suite

Social Media Platforms

UI/UX Design Tools

Job description

We’re VaynerMedia! We are a contemporary global creative and media agency built for the now. Born in social, our work is now full service, simply loving big ideas that connect and create real change for our clients' business. We are independently owned, founded in 2009 with offices in London, Amsterdam, New York, Los Angeles, Singapore, Tokyo, Sydney, Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur and Mexico City. We are recognized for our work in Cannes Lions, the Clios, D&AD and The Webbies to name a few.

Culture is our key and Empathy is how we build it. VaynerMedia EMEA is strong with a world-class combination of diverse backgrounds collaborating to put forward innovative, creative and strategic solutions to the one advantage that stands the test of time – PEOPLE. Day in and day out, we propel some of the biggest brands in the world to the intersection of attention and culture. In EMEA, we are proudly 250+, servicing multi-brands across the region.

We are creators, creative industry rogues and stars. We are not just on the internet; we are creating the stuff the internet and the world wants to see. We’re curious, hungry and passionate about what we do - and the people we do it with. We move so fast and make so much good stuff it's tough to keep up with. And we need more folks just like us, the unconventional, less-obvious, unseasoned (or over seasoned) creative pros. But above all - passionate makers and culture shakers.

The PITCH.

What’s a design lead doing in a new age social and platform driven agency? Well, we need someone to help our creators craft their videos and their designs. Are you fluent in the design language of today? Do you get what brands need to do to attract the easy swiping consumers of today? Hands on and a mentor? Love a good banner design, a print design but also design in motion graphics and videos? Love and breathe Design? Then you’re just right for us.

Want in? We love subversive artists, obsessive makers, dedicated creators and we don’t care if you're a baby fresh to the workforce or working on your third act. What’s your hustle? Documentarian? DJ? Sports junkie? Fashionista? Blogger? Vlogger? Retired logger? Are you an Insta-fiend? An unabashed TikTokker? Or both? We’re down with all of that. Just as long as you love making and are really good at it.

Here’s where you come in…

• Manage the quality and approve design for a range of creative work: from micro content design to bigger campaign builds, as well as pre-station materials and new business design asks.
• Pitch in and create design pieces depending on bandwidth and the level of design work needed in order to impress potential/new clients from the start, helping to shape the brand’s look on social as we start to work with them.
• Display thought leadership in areas of typography, layout, and design trends and be able to help teach out these skills.
• Lead, develop and deliver creative solutions, from content work to larger campaign initiatives for a variety of clients and industries. This includes both executing design work on your own as well as managing and approving the work of your assigned creative team.
• Embodies strong creative vision and understanding of client and agency business needs and objectives.
• Engages, inspires ideation and thinking and leads teams across a large body of work; capable of working with large creative groups, and with cross-functional disciplines with the agency.
• Leads and wins new business pitches by collaborating with inter-agency departments and teams to develop a variety of content needs that meets creative and strategic criteria (client briefs, feedback, client KPIs, etc.), and delivers on measurable business results for your client.
• Ensures that work is outstanding creatively and meets all brand objectives including integrating seamlessly art, design and editing techniques, while providing clear support and communication to the senior team on all current initiatives.
• Lead the development and execution of creative content rooted in insights for a variety of clients, including executing independently and responsible for overall output of the creative product.
• Lead, mentor and manage senior creators, creators across different disciplines such as content creation, design and edit.
• Must understand, articulate, and strategically apply the latest platform, industry, creative trends, and digital best practices, always seeking the next opportunity for your brands.
• Lead the development and growth of each team member, providing evaluation, mentorship, counsel, and determining assignments and incentives as needed. Monitor performance and progress, and manage up to the leadership team when needed.
• Attend client meetings and be the voice that communicates creative vision and processes, bringing stellar presentation skills to the table.

We treasure Personality and Experience yet we do know that these qualifications lead to what WE KNOW as a success:

• 5+ years professional creative experience (preferably in social), with a demonstrable passion for making creative content that wins clients.
• 5+ years experience in visual and experiential design.
• Creative folio presents a body of integrated work, big campaigns (not just one-offs), digital/social-first creative ideas, longform and short-form content, some innovation-led, experiential, digital, or OOH work.
• Strong aesthetic sense and excellent attention to detail; sold design work and the samples to show for it.
• Exceptional design experience and training junior staff, including ability to qualify, prioritize and delegate workloads for your team.
• Experience with designing all things digital and social: TikTok, IG, Facebook, YoutubeShorts content and templates, microsites, Tumblrs, mobile apps, social sweeps projects and work with tie-ins to the shopper and experiential realms.
• Master of industry and digital best practices coupled with a strong knowledge of platform/Industry/creative trends, in order to articulate and strategically apply to creative executions.
• Master of UI/UX and an interest in the big social media platforms and their abilities/limitations. You play on the platforms and understand their differences.
• Thought leader in ideation and design or any diverse creative content for creative campaigns, crafts that motivates and connects.
• Master of platform/industry/creative trends and best practices. Must be able to translate this knowledge into articulating and strategically applying to creative executions.
• Leads, develops and creates TTL, digital and platform specific social campaigns.
• Challenger of the advertising industry, embraces change and a keen adopter of new strategies and techniques.
• Strong creative vision and understanding of client/ agency business needs and objectives, with a strong understanding of a brand in different spaces.
• Master of craft with vast amount of experience in designing all things digital and social: sites, Facebook tabs, and templates, mobile apps, content creation processes, asset development, social sweeps projects and work with tie-ins to the shopper and experiential realms.

Here’s how We Support You

We regularly review our benefits and are committed to providing a comprehensive programme for our people.

• 27 Days Paid Leave + 1 Day Birthday Leave.
• Cash Plan with Medicash - Level 2 cover, option to add partner.
• Virtual GP, Skinvision, 24/7 Health and Stress Helplines, Discounted Gym, Medicash Extras.
• Cycle to work scheme and PerkBox (online discount platform with 250 perks available).
• Employee Assistance Program (Financial, Mental and Physical Wellbeing).
• Unum Help@Hand (Remote GP, Second Opinion, Mental Health Support, Physiotherapy Support, Life, Money and Wellbeing Support).
• Sanctus coaching sessions, Journey private and team class sessions.
• NABS and BIMA UK access in events, classes, coaching and mentoring sessions.

What you SHOULD KNOW about VaynerMedia

Think “lab” and not “agency”. We get excited about solving business problems, not creating advertising for the sake of making advertising. Our entrepreneurship DNA runs deep. We’re willing to break rules, try new things, and test hypotheses if it means better understanding our craft. It’s fun!

We believe 100% that brands can be built on digital platforms and part of our model is built bottom up, flipping the traditional advertising model and process on its head. We don’t play to agency/industry norms and our culture and energy reflects that.

Our environment (and pace) feels much more like a start-up than most agencies you might be used to. Hopefully that, and the opportunity to collaborate with the talented and enthusiastic crew, work with big brands excites you, as it does us. We can’t wait to meet you.

VaynerMedia is an Equal Opportunity Employer. This means that VaynerMedia provides equal employment opportunities to all staff members and job applicants without regard to gender, pregnancy, marital or civil partnership status, gender reassignment, race, disability, sexual orientation, religious belief, part time or fixed term employment, age or any other legally protected class.

Candidates must be authorized to work in the U.K.

About the company

VaynerMedia is a full-service digital agency built for the now. We partner with clients to drive their business outcomes with best-in-class modern video production, media planning & distribution, influencer marketing, Google & Alexa voice services, and...