Strategic Principal Creative

AtkinsRéalis; West of England; On-site; GBP 70,000 - 110,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid working culture

Flexible holiday allowances

Professional development opportunities

Job summary

AtkinsRéalis is seeking a Principal Creative to lead strategic, multi-disciplinary projects and elevate creative delivery across high-profile accounts. You will mentor teams, shape campaigns, pitch ideas to clients, and drive innovation while maintaining a collaborative culture.

The role combines long-term vision with immediate business needs, requiring analytical thinking, design excellence, and strong leadership across multidisciplinary teams in a hybrid UK environment.

Qualifications

• An original portfolio of work that demonstrates strong design skills across varied projects, including multi-disciplinary collaboration to elevate creative delivery.
• Develop compelling narratives, campaign concepts and creative strategies that translate complex ideas into engaging and impactful experiences.
• Confidently pitch creative ideas, campaign strategies and solutions to clients, senior stakeholders and project teams.
• Strong knowledge of Figma and Adobe Creative Suite, specifically InDesign, Illustrator and Photoshop, as well as strong layout and typography skills.
• Lead and inspire multidisciplinary teams, creating an environment where individuals are empowered to take ownership and make decisions.
• Help to mentor and develop creative talent at all levels, identifying growth opportunities and supporting career progression.
• Work collaboratively with other Principals and business leaders to shape strategy, drive innovation and contribute to the overall success of the business.
• Champion a culture of continuous improvement, encouraging new thinking, knowledge sharing and creative ambition across the team.
• Commercially aware with experience of quoting and scoping multi-discipline projects ensuring the right blend of skill sets are involved.
• Keeping updated with technologies and market trends, including a strong knowledge of AI tools and an understanding of how to use them effectively to enhance delivery.
• Contributing to business development and digital innovation; helping to develop future work pipeline through client engagement, spotting opportunities and maximising potential.
• Excellent organisational skills and attention to detail with experience of both proactive and reactive problem-solving.

Responsibilities

• Talk with clients and colleagues to understand ideas and bring them to life.
• Drive the business vision forward through client engagement, spotting opportunities and maximising potential.
• Push boundaries—seek added value beyond day-to-day tasks.
• Mentor and lead teams, fostering ownership and accountability.
• Collaborate with digital teams to deliver multi-discipline solutions.
• Lead from a strategic POV and inspire others in the project.
• Develop compelling narratives and campaigns that align with clients’ goals.
• Present ideas and campaigns to senior stakeholders and project teams.
• Draft documentation and briefs for initiatives and campaigns.
• Track results and adjust strategies to meet goals.

Skills

Creative leadership

Client engagement

Strategic thinking

Mentorship

Pitching

Team leadership

Brand storytelling

Figma

Adobe Creative Suite

InDesign

Illustrator

Photoshop

AI tooling

Campaign development

Multi-disciplinary collaboration

Tools

Figma

Adobe Illustrator

Adobe Photoshop

After Effects

Job description

Overview

Creative Design – who are we?

We are AtkinsRéalis' in-house creative and digital agency. Our multi-disciplinary team of over 80 talented professionals spans the globe and includes creatives, UX/UI designers, animators, visualisers, real-time specialists, and web developers. By harnessing outstanding creative, digital, and technical expertise, we transform the way our clients communicate, connect, and engage with their projects, delivering innovative solutions that bring ideas to life and create lasting impact.

This is a truly exciting opportunity for a Principal Creative with a strategic focus to join the team. There is significant scope to shape and elevate our creative offering across a growing portfolio of high-profile national and global accounts. We are looking for an experienced and inspiring creative leader with the ability to develop compelling stories, create impactful campaigns, and deliver strong conceptual design solutions that drive meaningful engagement and business outcomes.

You will be a natural initiative taker who brings out the best in others, confidently leading pitches, presenting ideas, and building trust with clients and stakeholders at all levels. Working closely with other Principals and the wider leadership team, you will play a key role in defining creative direction, identifying opportunities for growth, and helping shape the future of the Creative Design business.

You must be able to think analytically and strategically about how projects can be taken to the next level, proactively challenging creative thinking, processes and ways of working to improve quality, efficiency and delivery. As a senior leader, you will be responsible for leading complex projects, developing and mentoring team members, and fostering a culture that encourages ownership, autonomy and accountability. You will inspire confidence in others, empowering teams to take initiative while maintaining a collaborative and supportive environment.

We are seeking a results-driven strategic creative who can balance long-term vision with immediate business needs, assess opportunities in the market and identify innovative ways to add value to our clients, our projects and our business.

Your role

• A creative thinker who is comfortable talking with clients and colleagues to understand their ideas and bring them to life.
• A strategic thinker who can drive the business vision forward through client engagement, spotting opportunities and maximising potential.
• Prepared to push boundaries—happy with day-to-day tasks but always looking for ways to add value.
• Passionate, driven and wanting to invest in Creative Design's vision and culture.
• Interested in working with digital teams to deliver innovative multi-discipline solutions.
• A team player with a friendly and collaborative approach to projects, able to lead from a strategic POV.
• A passion for design.
• Mentorship to team members at all levels.
• Confident communication with clients and colleagues when pitching, winning new work and leading projects.
• Inspiring senior team members as well as your own team – directing and motivating others and helping them to believe in your ideas.
• Meeting with clients to discuss their goals for upcoming campaigns and projects
• Developing marketing strategies that dictate the core methods of achieving the companies goals.
• Creating documentation and project briefs about initiatives.
• Tracking results of marketing strategies as well as adjusting or ending marketing strategies if results are not meeting expectations.

We would love to see your portfolio, so please attach it along with your CV when applying, as applications submitted without a portfolio will not be considered.

About you

• An original portfolio of work that demonstrates strong design skills across varied projects, including multi-disciplinary collaboration to elevate creative delivery.
• Develop compelling narratives, campaign concepts and creative strategies that translate complex ideas into engaging and impactful experiences.
• Confidently pitch creative ideas, campaign strategies and solutions to clients, senior stakeholders and project teams.
• Strong knowledge of Figma and Adobe Creative Suite, specifically InDesign, Illustrator and Photoshop, as well as strong layout and typography skills.
• Lead and inspire multidisciplinary teams, creating an environment where individuals are empowered to take ownership and make decisions.
• Help to mentor and develop creative talent at all levels, identifying growth opportunities and supporting career progression.
• Work collaboratively with other Principals and business leaders to shape strategy, drive innovation and contribute to the overall success of the business.
• Champion a culture of continuous improvement, encouraging new thinking, knowledge sharing and creative ambition across the team.
• Commercially aware with experience of quoting and scoping multi-discipline projects ensuring the right blend of skill sets are involved.
• Keeping updated with technologies and market trends, including a strong knowledge of AI tools and an understanding of how to use them effectively to enhance delivery.
• Contributing to business development and digital innovation; helping to develop future work pipeline through client engagement, spotting opportunities and maximising potential.
• Excellent organisational skills and attention to detail with experience of both proactive and reactive problem-solving.

Rewards & benefits

Explore the rewards and benefits that help you thrive – at every stage of your life and your career. Enjoy competitive salaries, employee rewards and a brilliant range of benefits you can tailor to suit your own health, wellbeing, financial and lifestyle choices. Make the most of a myriad of opportunities for training and professional development to grow your skills and expertise. And combine our hybrid working culture and flexible holiday allowances to balance a great job and fulfilling personal life.

Rewards and benefits – Careers at AtkinsRéalis

About AtkinsRéalis

We're AtkinsRéalis, a world-class engineering services and nuclear organization. We connect people, data and technology to transform the world's'infrastructure and energy systems. Together, with our industry partners and clients, and our global team of consultants, designers, engineers and project managers, we can change the world. We're committed to leading our clients across our various end markets to engineer a better future for our planet and its people.

Find out more.

Additional information

Security clearance

This role may require security clearance and offers of employment will be dependent on obtaining the relevant level of clearance. If this is necessary, it will be discussed with you at interview. The vetting process is delivered by United Kingdom Security Vetting (UKSV) and may require candidates to provide proof of residency in the UK of 5 years or longer. If applying to this role please do not make reference to (in conversation) or include in your application or CV, details of any current or previously held security clearance.

We are committed to creating a culture where everyone feels that they belong - a place where we can all be ourselves, thrive and develop to be the best we can be. So, we offer a range of family friendly, inclusive employment policies, flexible working arrangements and employee resource groups to support all employees. As an Equal Opportunities Employer, we value applications from all backgrounds, cultures and ability. As a Disability Confident Leader, we are committed to offering an interview to all applicants who have a disability and meet the essential criteria. If you would like to be considered under this commitment, please let us know at the application stage.