Head of Design

Forward Role; Leeds; Hybrid; GBP 55,000 - 65,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid working

12-month maternity cover

Job summary

Forward Role in Leeds is seeking a Head of Design for a leading digital agency on a 12-month maternity cover. Hybrid work with three days in the office, salary £55,000 to £65,000. Lead a multidisciplinary design function shaping output across brand, digital, campaigns and performance marketing.

You will work with senior stakeholders to set creative direction, develop talent and ensure high standards across client projects, delivering creative work with strong commercial impact.

Qualifications

• Experience in a senior creative leadership role (Head of Design / Design Director).
• Proven ability to steer multidisciplinary teams across brand, digital and campaigns.
• Strong portfolio demonstrating strategic creative direction and commercial impact.

Responsibilities

• Lead and inspire a multidisciplinary design team across brand, digital, campaigns, UX/UI, motion and performance.
• Set creative vision across a diverse client portfolio to ensure distinctive, effective work.
• Collaborate with senior stakeholders to deliver integrated creative solutions.
• Present concepts to clients and nurture trusted relationships.
• Contribute to new business with compelling creative concepts.
• Develop talent and foster a culture of innovation and accountability.
• Oversee quality from concept to delivery and manage budgets and resources.
• Champion new ideas and emerging creative trends.

Skills

Senior leadership

Portfolio direction

Budget management

Multidisciplinary leadership

Client presenting

Job description

Head of Design

Location: Leeds
Salary: £55,000 to £65,000
Contract: 12-month maternity cover
Working pattern: Hybrid, with a minimum of three days in the office

The Opportunity

We are working with a leading digital agency to appoint a Head of Design on a 12-month maternity cover contract, starting in December 2026.

This is an exciting opportunity for an experienced creative leader to take ownership of a multidisciplinary design function, shaping creative output across brand, digital, campaigns and performance marketing.

Working closely with senior stakeholders across the business, you will play a key role in setting creative direction, developing talent and ensuring consistently high standards across client projects. This is a strategic leadership position for someone who can bring together different creative disciplines, challenge thinking and deliver work that combines creativity with commercial impact.

The Role

• Lead and inspire a multidisciplinary design team, driving creative excellence across brand, digital, campaigns, UX/UI, motion and performance creative.
• Set the creative vision and direction across a diverse portfolio of client projects, ensuring work is strategically aligned, distinctive and effective.
• Collaborate with senior stakeholders across digital, performance, activation and client services to deliver integrated creative solutions.
• Act as a senior creative partner to clients, presenting ideas, challenging briefs and building strong, trusted relationships.
• Support new business activity, contributing to pitches, proposals and the development of compelling creative concepts.
• Develop and mentor creative talent, fostering a collaborative culture that encourages innovation, accountability and continuous improvement.
• Oversee creative quality, ensuring work meets the highest standards from initial concept through to final delivery.
• Manage team capacity, resource allocation, budgets and utilisation to ensure projects are delivered efficiently and profitably.
• Champion new ideas, emerging trends and innovative approaches to creative problem-solving.

About You

• Proven experience in a senior creative leadership role, such as Head of Design, Head of Creative, Design Director or Creative Director.
• Experience working within a digital, creative or integrated agency environment.
• A strong portfolio demonstrating creative direction across multiple disciplines, including brand, digital and campaign-led work.
• Experience leading and developing multidisciplinary creative teams, bringing together different skill sets to deliver outstanding work.
• Confident presenting creative concepts and strategic recommendations to senior clients and stakeholders.
• Strong commercial awareness, with experience managing budgets, resources, project delivery and team utilisation.
• The ability to balance creative ambition with client objectives, business priorities and measurable outcomes.
• A collaborative leadership style, with the confidence to challenge ideas, influence decision-making and raise creative standards.
• A broad understanding of digital design, UX/UI, performance creative and emerging creative technologies.

What's on Offer?

• Salary of £55,000 to £65,000.
• A senior leadership position with genuine influence over creative direction and agency output.
• The opportunity to lead a talented, multidisciplinary creative team.
• Exposure to a varied portfolio of clients and projects across multiple creative disciplines.
• A collaborative working environment that values strategic thinking, innovation and creative excellence.
• Hybrid working, with a minimum of three days per week in the office.
• A 12-month maternity cover contract, starting in December 2026.

This role would suit a commercially minded creative leader who combines strategic vision, strong people leadership and excellent creative judgement, and who enjoys bringing people together to deliver exceptional work.