Lead Graphic Designer

Stadium MK; Milton Keynes; On-site; GBP 36,000 - 54,000; Full time

Job summary

Stadium MK is seeking a Lead Graphic Designer to own the visual output for MK Dons and the wider Stadium MK Group. You’ll drive creative across matchdays, campaigns, retail and hospitality with ownership from concept to final delivery.

You will set visual standards, manage workflow and work with senior stakeholders, sponsors and freelancers to deliver high‑quality content that strengthens the club’s brand consistency and audience engagement.

Qualifications

• Proven professional graphic design experience.
• Strong portfolio demonstrating static design.
• Experience across social, digital, web and print channels.
• Ability to manage multiple briefs and deadlines.
• Experience collaborating with sponsors and partners is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Lead design across matchday graphics, social content and digital campaigns.
• Design sponsor assets, retail artwork, hospitality collateral, advertising and print materials.
• Develop concepts and strengthen the Club's visual identity and content.
• Maintain brand guidelines and templates for consistency across Group.
• Prioritize creative requests from across the group – hotel, hospitality, events.
• Collaborate with sponsors to deliver activation content.
• Brief and direct freelancers and agencies when required.
• Monitor best practices in football and digital media to push output forward.

Skills

Graphic design

Branding

Social/digital design

Print design

Project management

Collaboration

Motion graphics

Video/photography

Tools

Adobe Photoshop

Adobe Illustrator

Adobe InDesign

Job description

About Us

Milton Keynes Dons Football Club, newly promoted to EFL League One, play at Stadium MK, a 30,500-capacity venue that sits at the heart of the wider Stadium MK Group. The Group's assets also include Arena MK, the Double Tree by Hilton Milton Keynes, a 304‑bedroom hotel, and a 65,000‑capacity music venue the National Bowl, making it one of the most diverse sport, leisure, and hospitality operations in the UK.

Following a change of ownership in 2024 and promotion, the Club and wider Group are investing significantly in brand, matchday experience, and content quality. We are looking for a talented, versatile Lead Graphic Designer to support the creative and technical output across the Club and wider Group.

The Role

We’re looking for a talented and ambitious Lead Graphic Designer to take creative and technical ownership of the visual output of MK Dons and the wider Stadium MK Group.

This is an exciting, hands‑on creative role for someone who wants to make an impact. From matchdays to commercial, retail and hospitality campaigns — your work will be seen by thousands of people and will play an important part in how our Club and brand are experienced.

You’ll set and maintain our visual standards, manage the day‑to‑day creative workflow and be part of our Communication and Marketing team, turning ideas and briefs into engaging, high‑quality creative content.

What you’ll be doing

You’ll take the creative lead across a varied mix of design, video and motion projects, including:

• Creating matchday graphics, social media content and digital campaigns.
• Designing sponsor and partner assets, retail and merchandise artwork, hospitality collateral, advertising, signage and print materials.
• Developing creative concepts and bringing fresh ideas to the Club's visual identity and content.
• Maintaining and developing brand guidelines, templates and creative systems to ensure consistency across the Club and Group.
• Managing and prioritising creative requests from across the group – hotel, hospitality, events.
• Working with sponsors and partners to deliver high‑quality activation content.
• Briefing and directing freelancers, videographers, agencies or junior creative support when required.
• Keeping an eye on the best creative work across football, sport and digital media and finding opportunities to push our own output forward.

What we’re looking for

You’ll be an experienced designer with a strong portfolio and the confidence to take ownership of creative projects from initial concept through to final delivery.

You’ll ideally bring:

• Proven professional graphic design experience.
• A strong graphic design portfolio demonstrating excellent static design.
• Advanced Adobe Creative Suite skills, particularly Photoshop and Illustrator.
• Strong understanding of branding and experience maintaining visual consistency across multiple channels.
• Experience designing for social, digital, web, print and large‑format formats.
• Excellent organisation and the ability to manage several briefs and competing deadlines.
• The ability to remain calm and deliver high‑quality work when deadlines aren’t negotiable.
• Confidence working collaboratively with colleagues, senior stakeholders, sponsors, partners and external suppliers.
• A proactive approach — we want someone who brings ideas as well as responds to briefs.
• Experience within football, sport, entertainment, venues or live events would be an advantage.
• 3D/motion graphics, videography, photography and experience working with matchday big‑screen or broadcast graphics would also be an advantage.

You’ll thrive here if...

You have a great creative eye, care about the detail and take genuine pride in your work.

You're comfortable taking ownership rather than waiting to be told exactly what something should look like. You'll have the confidence to challenge a brief constructively when you can see a better creative solution, while understanding the commercial and practical requirements behind it.

Football and business moves quickly, so you'll also need to be adaptable.

Priorities can change, deadlines can be tight and matchday doesn't move because the artwork isn't ready.

Most importantly, we're looking for someone who understands what makes great sports content — someone with an instinct for what supporters respond to and the ambition to keep improving what we produce.

The role

This is a hands‑on position where you'll have genuine creative ownership and the opportunity to influence how MK Dons and the wider Stadium MK Group look, feel and communicate.

You’ll work across the Club and Group reporting to the Head of Communication & Marketing.

Due to the nature of professional football, you'll need to be available to work matchdays, including evenings, weekends and bank holidays where required.

Safeguarding

MK Dons and Stadium MK Group are committed to safeguarding and protecting children, young people and adults at risk. The successful candidate will be expected to share this commitment and comply fully with our safeguarding policies and procedures.

The role may be subject to an Enhanced DBS check and annual self‑declarations where applicable.

Equality, Diversity & Inclusion

We are committed to creating an inclusive environment and welcome applications from people of all backgrounds.

The successful candidate will be expected to demonstrate a commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion throughout their work.