Design Director – Global Consultancy

The Company:

My client are a global digital communications company. They were founded in 2000 as a technology company supporting investor communications and today the business is widely recognised as a market leader in digital corporate communications.

They currently serve more than 850 clients in Europe, including some of the world’s most ambitious companies. Their solutions enable businesses to communicate digitally to a wide spectrum of target audiences. Their primary buyers are Heads of Communications, as well as Heads of Investor Relations, Talent Acquisition and Marketing. The communications agenda is on the rise, driven by the increasing focus on sustainability, ESG, diversity & inclusion and other corporate governance agenda items that contribute to business reputation.

My client’s solutions are paramount to the delivery of the communications agenda, and in 2021, a leading global private equity firm invested in the company and is partnering with them to take full advantage of the market opportunity that this represents.

The role of Director of Design is now being hired to achieve continued growth within key accounts as we invest in further product and service capabilities. This is an excellent opportunity to join a well-established business that enjoys strong market recognition and is both growing and profitable, but at a point in time where new direction is being set, funded and growth is accelerating.

Some key facts about my client:

• 21 years of digital communications experience
• 550+ digital and technical experts
• 200+ projects each year
• 2,000+ global clients
• 200+ awards received
• 10 offices across the world
• 7 billion hits per month
• 35,000+ requests managed each year

My client offers the strategic approach of a corporate communications company, the ideas and energy of a creative studio, and the results of a leading performance marketing business. They underpin this with the capabilities of a market -leading technology platform , and a 24/7 global service model, to deliver end -to – end communication solutions for the world’s most ambitious clients.

The Role:

As Director of Design, you will be responsible for driving the development of our Design capability across UK and wider European markets. This role reports directly to the Director of Delivery and will be a key member of our UK Senior Leadership Team.

Core responsibilities of the role include:

• Designing and building a ‘best in class’ Design function with a differentiated market proposition
• Playing a leading role in winning large and complex pitches with blue-chip clients, working closely with all functions.

As Director of Design, you will have line management responsibility, cascading best practice and coaching/mentoring through weekly one-on-ones. In addition, you will be accountable for your team’s KPIs.

You will also be responsible for scaling the Design capability to meet our clients’ evolving needs while closely aligning to the design departments career framework. Design tools, software, techniques and processes will be under your remit for refinement, expansion and governance, with the opportunity of global rollout across regional offices.

As a member of the UK Senior Leadership Team, you will maintain a strong focus on client service and quality, you will contribute to building a company culture where people flourish, supporting our designers to develop their careers.

First and foremost, you must be ambitious, driven and passionate! We are solution-oriented and growth-minded and you need you to see opportunity where others see ambiguity. Within this company you will have many opportunities to own results, and influence and drive change. You should be excited to craft your own future! You should be comfortable operating in an environment that values both process and scalability and creativity and agility in equal measure.

We are seeking senior leaders who can demonstrate that they have strong experience across the below criteria:

• Client Development – must have played a key/leading role in winning major (and multi-faceted) pitches with blue chip/FTSE 100 clients, of a value in excess of £1 million
• Practice Development – has led and grown Design functions, with a focus on mentoring and developing others. Has developed a Design function with a differentiated market proposition
• Management Experience – gets results through others, managed 10+ heads for min 3 years. Some experience of managing managers helpful, but must be ready to manage individual contributors
• Design Background – a subject matter expert across all facets of production and design
• Career Pedigree – has worked for a recognised and credible brand within design

To be considered for this fantastic role, please click “Apply”!