Senior Designer (1 year FTC)

Critical Playground LLC; Manchester; Hybrid; GBP 45,000 - 60,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

28 days holiday per year (bank hols)

Birthday day off

Flexible working hours

AI Budget - £30/month

Company socials and events

Private medical insurance

Enhanced maternity/paternity policies

Job summary

NewGen is seeking a Senior Designer for a 12‑month maternity cover role in our Design Studio. The role combines hands‑on design with strategic creative thinking for social‑first campaigns across multiple formats and markets.

You will lead creative direction, craft standout visuals, and collaborate with cross‑functional teams to ensure high quality and on brand output throughout the contract period.

Qualifications

• Portfolio demonstrating strong conceptual thinking and social‑first campaigns.
• Ability to lead creative thinking and hands‑on design for high‑impact campaigns.
• Excellent working knowledge of Adobe Creative Cloud (Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign).
• Strong art direction, typography, layout, production accuracy and attention to detail.

Responsibilities

• Lead the creative thinking and hands‑on design behind social‑first campaigns.
• Deliver visuals across multiple formats and markets with consistency and quality.
• Own design workstreams end‑to‑end, from kick‑off to final delivery.
• Collaborate with Creative, Strategy, Accounts and Production teams and manage deadlines.

Tools

Adobe Photoshop

Adobe Illustrator

InDesign

Design systems

Job description

Senior Designer | 12-Month Maternity Cover

Location: London or Manchester

Working Type: Full-time, hybrid

Hybrid: 3 mandatory office days (Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday) and 2 work-from-home days.

Reports to: Creative Leadership (interim reporting line to be confirmed)

Department: Design Studio / Creative

Contract Type: Fixed-term contract, 12 months (maternity cover)

Welcome to NewGen

We’re a global social and creator agency that exists to make brands iconic, standing at the forefront of culture, creators and community.

Founded by our 30 under 30 co-founders, NewGen is an independent agency working with some of the world’s biggest brands including Pepsi, Samsung, SEGA and Cash App.

Privately owned and built to challenge the big networks and stale traditional agencies, we move fast and believe fresh ideas with the right culture capital can compete with anyone.

We’re setting the standards for the world’s most exciting brands and creators, so if you want to be part of something bigger and more ambitious than just another agency, this is the place to be.

The Design Studio brings NewGen’s ideas to life, building strong creative concepts, campaign visuals and design systems across social, digital, print and real-world activations.

We work closely with Creative, Strategy, Accounts and Production to take work from the first idea through to the final asset, often at pace and across multiple formats and markets. From Pepsi and Samsung to 7UP and Marriott Bonvoy, we make sure the work is original, beautifully crafted and unmistakably on brand.

The Role

We’re looking for a talented Senior Designer to join our growing Design Studio on a 12-month maternity cover contract.

You’ll lead the creative thinking and hands‑on design behind high‑impact, social‑first campaigns, taking ideas from early concepts through to polished, multi‑format delivery. You’ll be a trusted senior design contact throughout the contract period, helping maintain creative quality, project ownership and a confident, collaborative studio environment.

Creative Thinking & Direction

• Develop bold, culturally relevant ideas, visual concepts and creative routes, bringing fresh references and design thinking into briefs from the outset.
• Shape and confidently communicate creative direction, presenting a clear design rationale and constructively challenging briefs or feedback when the work can be stronger.

Design Craft & Delivery

• Lead the design of standout key visuals and flexible creative systems across social, digital, out-of-home (OOH), print and experiential touchpoints.
• Deliver complex, high-volume rollouts, including adaptations, resizing and transcreation, ensuring every asset feels consistent and considered.
• Maintain an exceptional standard of art direction, typography, layout, production accuracy and attention to detail through to final sign‑off.

Project Ownership & Collaboration

• Own design workstreams end‑to‑end, from kick‑off and creative exploration to feedback rounds, approvals and final delivery.
• Work closely with Creative, Strategy, Accounts and Production partners, bringing motion and channel requirements into the process early.
• Manage deadlines and expectations proactively, flagging risks or resourcing pressures early while balancing creative ambition with delivery needs.

Studio Support & Development

• Act as a reliable senior design point of contact during the maternity cover, making sound day‑to‑day creative decisions and giving constructive feedback.
• Share relevant trends, creative inspiration and new design, motion or AI techniques that raise the quality and ambition of the studio’s work.

What Success Looks Like

First 3 Months

• Become embedded in the team, clients and ways of working, building trusted relationships across Creative, Strategy, Accounts and Production.
• Independently take briefs from concept to delivery and contribute strong creative work from the outset.

First 6 Months

• Confidently own complex, multi‑format projects, present creative rationale, manage feedback and keep work on track.
• Become a dependable senior design contact who protects creative quality while finding smarter ways of working.

First 12 Months

• Consistently deliver strong creative work and reliable project leadership throughout the cover period.
• Help maintain high studio standards and provide a clear, organised handover of live work, key files and decisions.

What you will bring

• A portfolio demonstrating strong conceptual thinking, excellent design craft and social‑first campaign or brand work.
• Confidence developing key visuals and visual systems, then translating ideas into considered assets across multiple channels and formats.
• Excellent working knowledge of Adobe Creative Cloud, particularly Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign.
• Strong art direction, layout, typography, brand consistency and production skills, with sharp attention to detail.
• Experience owning projects, prioritising multiple briefs and navigating feedback and deadlines with minimal supervision.
• Clear, confident communication with cross‑functional teams and clients, including presenting and defending creative decisions.

Nice to have:

• Motion design awareness and experience with After Effects, Premiere Pro or storyboarding for motion‑led creative.
• A practical understanding of AI tools for idea development, moodboards or visual exploration, alongside strong creative judgement.
• Experience working in Figma or developing digital‑first design systems and templates.
• Experience delivering global campaigns, live or experiential graphics, or working with freelance production partners.

Why NewGen

Our people are the foundation of our business, so we believe in bringing benefits that actually make a difference. Here’s what the perks at NewGen are like:

• 28 days holiday per year, including bank holidays and a NewGen reset policy that entitles an additional 10 holiday days off per year (post‑probation)
• Additional birthday day off
• Christmas closure period
• Ben Allowance - Subsidised bespoke benefits package giving you access to benefits you want (Childcare, enhanced pension, healthcare, gym, Netflix, Deliveroo - you name it, it's on there)
• Access to Aviva Healthcare for private medical insurance (post‑probation), which includes free therapy and counselling sessions, along with a death in service benefit equivalent to 4× your annual salary
• Enhanced Maternity & Paternity policy and enhanced policies for same sex and non‑binary couples
• Enhanced compassionate leave so you can genuinely take the time you need during difficult times
• Flexible working hours - earlier start for an earlier finish or a later start for a later finish. We want you to work in a way that works best for you and your lifestyle
• AI Budget - £30 a month to spend on AI to support your role
• Company summer and winter social gatherings and away days to bring together our global agency
• Community days - we give you time off to go support a cause you believe in!
• Culture - Enjoy perks such as a fully stocked kitchen, happy hour, monthly vibes and team bonding activities, all alongside an incredible team of people!

NewGen is committed to building a diverse and inclusive workplace. We welcome applications from all qualified candidates regardless of race, colour, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, or age. We're committed to making our recruitment process accessible. If you need any reasonable adjustments at any stage of the application or interview process, please let us know and we'll be happy to help.