Head of Visualisation

McLaren Automotive Ltd; Bicester; On-site; GBP 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

25 days’ holiday

Enhanced company pension

Discretionary annual bonus

Private medical insurance

Job summary

McLaren Automotive seeks a Head of Visualisation to define and govern the visual language across Design, Brand, Marketing and Digital Product. You will set standards, provide final creative direction for major outputs and shape the technology roadmap to keep McLaren at the forefront of visual storytelling.

You will lead multidisciplinary teams, manage external agencies and ensure visuals drive premium brand outcomes, customer engagement and commercial relevance across launches and digital

Qualifications

• Degree in Digital Design or equivalent senior-level experience in a digital/visualisation environment.
• Deep technical understanding of visualisation, CGI, film, real-time rendering and immersive tech.
• Experience leading multidisciplinary teams and external agencies in a premium automotive or luxury brand.
• Strong commercial sense for licensing, usage rights and budget governance.
• Ability to influence senior stakeholders and align quality, cost, timing and brand impact.
• Clear articulation of creative direction and technology choices to executives.

Responsibilities

• Set and evolve the company-wide visual language across Design, Brand, Marketing and Digital Product.
• Lead delivery of major launch content, digital experiences and executive presentations.
• Own the Visualisation technology strategy, investment roadmap and supplier relationships.
• Develop world-class cinematic storytelling through stills, animation and film.
• Oversee budgets, contracts and resource planning with cross-functional governance.

Skills

Visualisation

CGI

Real-time rendering

Adobe suite

Stakeholder management

Budget governance

Education

Degree in Digital Design

Job description

What to Expect

The Head of Visualisation holds company-wide accountability for the visual customer experience across Design, Brand, Marketing, Digital Product, Retail and Vehicle Configuration, defining the standards, creative direction and enabling technologies that shape how customers, media, investors and senior stakeholders experience the brand.

The role translates design intent and brand strategy into compelling visual experiences, with direct accountability for major external launch content, customer-facing digital experiences and commercial brand outcomes. As the creative authority for visual standards, the Head of Visualisation establishes the governance, quality thresholds, technology roadmap and supplier model required to ensure every visual touchpoint reflects exceptional quality, consistency, craftsmanship and commercial relevance.

The role shapes future visualisation capability across the organisation by setting the strategic direction for CGI, AI-assisted content creation, real-time rendering, filmmaking and immersive technologies, and by making investment, prioritisation and resource-planning decisions that materially influence creative quality, speed to market and customer engagement.

The role acts as the senior integrator for visual content and governance across Visualisation, UI/UX, Digital Product, Vehicle Configuration, Marketing, Brand, Retail and external agency partners, ensuring a coherent visual language across every customer, commercial and corporate touchpoint.

What You'll Do

Visual Direction & Brand Standards

• Define and continuously evolve the company-wide visual language across Design, Brand, Marketing, Digital Product, Retail and Vehicle Configuration.
• Set and govern brand-level visual standards that extend beyond the Design function and apply across customer-facing, commercial and corporate channels.
• Provide final creative direction and critical review for major visual communication outputs, launch content, digital experiences and senior executive presentations.
• Ensure every visual asset reflects the company’s design philosophy, premium brand positioning and commercial priorities.

Strategic Design, Launch & Customer Communication

• Lead the creation, prioritisation and delivery of high-impact visual assets and experiences supporting:
• Vehicle programmes and strategic product decisions
• Executive, Board and investment reviews
• Design development and strategic design sign-off
• Global marketing campaigns and customer acquisition activity
• Major product launches and reveal moments
• Press, media and investor communications
• Motor shows, retail environments and brand activations
• Customer-facing digital experiences, configurators and immersive product journeys

Technology, Budget & Capability Strategy

Own the Visualisation technology strategy, investment roadmap and operating model, with authority for platform selection, agency and supplier spend, resource planning and commercial prioritisation to keep the organisation at the forefront of:

Continuously identify, evaluate and deploy emerging tools and platforms that improve creative quality, production efficiency, customer experience and launch readiness, ensuring investment decisions are aligned to business priorities and deliver measurable value.

Film & Storytelling

Continuously identify, evaluate and deploy emerging tools and platforms that improve creative quality, production efficiency, customer experience and launch readiness, ensuring investment decisions are aligned to business priorities and deliver measurable value.

Film & Storytelling

Develop world-class capability in cinematic storytelling through still imagery, animation and film, ensuring narratives communicate emotion, craftsmanship and innovation.

AI-assisted image and CG film generationReal-time renderingUnreal Engine - SMEImmersive technologiesAutomation, pipeline and workflow optimisation

Immersive Experiences

Expand the application of AR, VR and Mixed Reality across design development, executive reviews and customer engagement.

Cross-functional Visual Governance & Commercial Delivery

• Establish and chair cross-functional visual governance across Design, Brand, Marketing, UI/UX, Digital Product, Retail and Configuration to align priorities, standards, decision rights and delivery plans.
• Hold direct accountability for the successful delivery of major external launch content, customer-facing digital experiences and visual assets that support commercial brand outcomes.
• Manage material budgets, supplier contracts, agency partnerships and resource plans, balancing creative ambition, cost control, delivery risk and business impact.
• Lead and develop a multidisciplinary team, establishing robust planning, quality assurance, supplier management, capability development and continuous improvement disciplines.

What You'll Bring

Business Knowledge

• Strong industry connections and networks to ensure access to the latest technology, specialist partners and senior creative talent.

Essential Functional / Technical Skills:

• Degree in Digital Design or equivalent senior-level experience in a digital, visualisation, creative technology or customer-experience environment.
• Deep technical understanding of visualisation, CGI, film, real-time rendering, immersive technology and AI-assisted content production.
• Senior management experience leading multidisciplinary teams, external agencies and specialist suppliers in an OEM, luxury brand or high-performing creative agency environment.
• Strong commercial understanding of licensing, usage rights, buy-outs, image rights, supplier contracting, platform investment and budget governance.
• Ability to influence senior stakeholders, reconcile competing functional priorities and make trade-off decisions across quality, cost, timing and brand impact.
• Ability to clearly articulate creative direction, technology choices, governance requirements and commercial rationale to senior leadership.
• Robust problem-solving abilities, with the capacity to iterate and refine output based on stakeholder feedback, customer insight, testing outcomes and launch requirements.
• Excellent digital design capability across Adobe suite and specialist industry applications to create world-class content and guide expert teams.

What We'll Do for You

We offer a wide – ranging benefits package, which includes:

• Structured career development framework
• 25 days’ holiday, plus bank holiday. Annual buy & sell up to five days
• Enhanced company pension scheme
• Discretionary annual bonus award
• Private medical insurance and health cash plan
• Life assurance benefit
• Ability to apply for a sabbatical of up to one year after only two years’ service
• Benefits you can adapt to your lifestyle, such as discounted shopping
• Generous parental leave policies
• A range of wellbeing initiatives, such as employee assistance programme and free financial & mortgage advice

Who Are We?

No restraints. No limitations. We don’t simply push boundaries. We completely rethink them. McLaren Automotive exists to create breath-taking performance road cars.

It takes a community to do what we do. A diverse group of people with many areas of expertise, united by their passion to deliver visionary products and set new benchmarks.

McLaren Automotive commits to equal opportunity for all. Diversity, Equality and Inclusion is at the heart of our impact, it drives our innovation and enables us to truly create something special. Join us on our journey.