Video & Motion Lead

Autotrader; Manchester; Hybrid; GBP 65,000 - 80,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid working model

Pension scheme

Private medical cover

Share options

Digital GP

Wellbeing support

3 days in-office minimum

Job summary

Autotrader’s in-house creative studio is evolving from a production-led team to an in-house agency. As Video & Motion Lead, you will guide four people across film and motion, combining creative direction with hands-on craft.

You will set standards and stay hands-on when required, shaping work across consumer, customer, and employee branding. This role blends leadership with technical excellence and a commitment to delivering outstanding, audience-focused visuals.

Qualifications

• Significant hands-on experience in video, motion graphics, and post-production.
• Experience leading high-performing creative teams.
• Proven ability to manage production schedules, budgets, and suppliers.
• Experience implementing production standards and efficient processes.
• Ability translate briefs into clear video solutions.
• Excellent communication and senior stakeholder management.
• Track record of adopting emerging tech and AI to improve workflows.
• Ability to provide honest performance and development conversations.
• Leads by example, balancing people needs with business outcomes.

Responsibilities

• Lead four people across two film and two motion roles.
• Set creative and technical standards from concept to delivery.
• Stay hands-on with camera, editing, or animation when needed.
• Collaborate on branding, internal and external communications.
• Line-manage and develop the team with feedback.
• Plan resources, manage priorities with producers.
• Engage with senior stakeholders and guide briefs to delivery.
• Explore AI and emerging production tools thoughtfully.

Skills

Video production

Motion graphics

Post-production

Team leadership

Budget management

Stakeholder management

Creative direction

Resource planning

AI tools adoption

Tools

AI tools

Job description

You've probably heard of Autotrader, but do you know what we're all about?

We're the most trusted, most visited automotive marketplace in the UK. A heritage brand and a tech innovator.We bring together vehicle buyers and sellers to give them real choices. Cars may be what we're best known for but we’re also the place for pretty much everything else on wheels, from e-bikes to caravans.

In the automotive world, change is a constant, that’s why we take our job of untangling the complex car-buying journey very seriously.

At our core, we’re all about people. We go our own way while embracing diversity and celebrating our differences. We dedicate ourselves to the idea that we work better together.

Autotrader is a beautiful, surprising and vibrant place to work. We might not be for everyone, but we could be perfect for you.

About the job

Help shape the next chapter of Autotrader's in-house creative studio. We're moving from a production-led team to an in-house creative agency, with the ambition to stand alongside the best in-house teams in the industry.

As our Video & Motion Lead, you'll lead four people across two film and two motion roles, combining creative direction, people development and hands‑on craft. Your background might be in film or motion graphics; what matters is that you can confidently lead both, give each discipline room to grow and bring them together to make better work whilst demonstrating your hands‑on creative and technical skills.

You'll set the creative and technical standard for video and motion, from early ideas through filming, animation and post‑production. Alongside directing and supporting others, you'll stay hands‑on: picking up a camera, editing footage or animating when the work needs you. Your work will span consumer, customer, and employee branding, as well as various forms of internal and external communications, from brand campaigns and retailer stories to internal films and business events.

You'll line‑manage and develop the team, giving clear feedback, strengthening technical skills, and finding opportunities for people to stretch through their work. You'll also help shape the studio's direction, making sure film and motion are part of the conversation about its future capabilities and creative opportunities.

Working with our producers, you'll prioritise work, plan resources and decide where to invest time and craft. Producers support briefing, workflow and shoot administration, giving you space to focus on the team and the work. You'll build relationships with senior stakeholders, challenge briefs constructively and guide feedback and decisions through to delivery, including during high‑pressure business events.

You'll explore and apply AI and emerging production tools thoughtfully, improving workflows while knowing where human craft and judgement matter most.

What we're looking for

• Significant hands‑on creative and technical experience in video, motion graphics, and post‑production.
• Extensive experience leading high‑performing teams by helping people grow, developing confidence and progress in their careers.
• Experience managing production schedules, resources, budgets, and external suppliers.
• Experience developing and implementing production standards and systems, creative processes, documentation and governance to improve consistency and efficiency.
• Extensive experience translating and supporting the team through complex briefs into clear, effective video solutions.
• Excellent communication, problem‑solving, and senior stakeholder management skills, with the ability to balance creative ambition with strategic business objectives
• Experience identifying and implementing emerging trends, creative technology and automation, and AI to improve how the team works.
• You excel at setting and managing expectations by having honest performance, development, and wellbeing conversations with your team.
• You lead by example, acting as a role model for our values and ways of working, ensuring your decisions balance both people's needs and business outcomes

We’re offering a salary of £65,000 – £80,000, plus an additional 10% of your salary awarded to you in shares each year. These awarded shares will become yours in yearly instalments over the next three years, and you can choose to either sell them or keep them as shares.

You’ll have 28 days holiday per year, and that’s in addition to bank holidays and half day closures on Christmas and New Year's Eve.

That’s not all. You'll be enrolled in our pension scheme, where our standard contributions are 7% and employee contributions are 5%. We also have comprehensive private medical cover, enhanced family leave provisions, a car salary sacrifice scheme, share‑save options, and much more.

We always want to give you the support you need and help prioritise your wellbeing, that’s why we provide access to a Digital GP service, as well as specialist support for assisted fertility, gender dysphoria, menopause, period care plans and lots more.

On top of all that, our hybrid model, Connected Working , combines the best of both worlds – office and home working. You'll spend a minimum of 3 days a week in the office with your team, focused on collaboration and connection.

Additionally, we have our remote‑first periods at set times during summer and winter. During these periods, you can work remotely anywhere in the UK and from certain locations abroad.

Alongside a wide range of benefits, we'll help you settle in with confidence from day one. If you're successful, one of the first things you'll experience is our tailored new‑starter induction programme, Great Start, designed to help you feel welcome, connected, and set up for success.

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