Strategy Lead

WE'RE LOOKING FOR

CONCEPTUAL THINKING, ART DIRECTION AND CRAFT

We’re looking for a Senior Designer who is driven by creative excellence and brings deep knowledge and expertise across every phase of the design process. Strong conceptual, creative, and communication skills are essential, with an ability to develop ideas and bring them to life through exceptional craft. You'll play a hands-on role, shaping and creating the work while also helping to define the creative direction and outcomes of projects through a thoughtful, strategic approach. Your skillset extends beyond graphic design, encompassing digital, art direction, and strategic thinking.

As a senior member of the creative team, you’ll be a role model and mentor to junior designers, leading by example and inspiring those around you. You'll bring a high level of craft, attention to detail, and creative ambition comes naturally, alongside strong ownership, time management, and communication throughout the lifecycle of a project. You bring the confidence to take ownership, the curiosity to challenge and evolve ideas, and the ability to bring people with you as you turn ambitious creative thinking into outstanding work.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Working closely with design leaders and the strategic lead to create compelling and inspiring creative possibilities, this role needs to demonstrate autonomy from concept to delivery including presentation creation and narrative.
• Input and inform the strategic approach, utilising cultural insight from within and outside of the category, inspiring senior members of the team.
• Be able to think holistically about the creative solutions, not just the visual outcome and have strong communicative skills in portraying this thought process to the rest of the team.
• Use experience and passion to demonstrate intelligent, thought-provoking and innovative creative solutions, establishing a strong conceptual and creative point of view.
• Be accountable for sign-off of artwork.
• Take ownership and ensure the timely delivery of all creative, upholding the studio’s exceptional creative standards.
• Work closely with Project Managers and Design Directors to review the time allocation for projects in the Studio, ensuring design resource is identified, allocated and planned accordingly to satisfy the success of a project and its delivery.
• Manage both the day to day and longer-term career growth plans of designers within your team, providing clear and ongoing developmental feedback and support.
• Be responsible for working alongside the Creative Resource Manager and HR when it comes to finding new design talent for your team, leading interviews and being heavily involved in the immersion programmes for successful applicants.

SKILLS & EXPERIENCE

• Use strong management experience to guide, nurture and inspire junior members of the team, ensuring excellent creative output is upheld, there is a strong alignment on creative direction and decision making and ultimately, the project is a success.
• Be confident delegating responsibility, providing autonomy to others to ensure projects run efficiently, and everyone is focussed on the right areas in accordance with their expertise and level.
• Respond quickly and accurately to client feedback, demonstrating professionalism and understanding to exceed client expectations.
• Cultivate partnerships with Project Managers to unite teams and ensure transparency during the design process.
• Demonstrate commercial acumen and work in partnership with the Finance Team to ensure all of your projects are delivered to scope, time and budget in a professional and compliant manner.
• Show experience with confidently and competently leading client presentations, ensuring they are delivered in an engaging and eloquent manner.
• Ability to articulate your point of view clearly, both verbally and through written and creative methods.
• Bring insight, opinions and a broad cultural perspective along with a deep understanding of the design landscape and process, in order to positively affect the creative outcome.
• The ability to multitask across multiple workstreams is key.

EXPERTISE

• Adobe Creative Suite
• Keynote
• 3D programmes
• Typography and layout
• Art Direction
• Photography
• Creative writing
• Building presentation documents
• Presentation skills
• Art working skills - print management and digital
• Production

Compensation

Salary range for this role: $60,000.00 - $140,000.00

About Made Thought

Made Thought is a like-minded collective of strategists, writers, thinkers, inventors, makers, dreamers, mavericks, rebels, connectors, instigators and igniters. We champion bold creativity and brave action underpinned by exceptional craft. From our studios in London and New York, we work with clients big and small who are open to change. 

We are proud to be part of  The New Standard (part of AKQA and WPP), an industry-leading collective of specialists from Made Thought, Universal Design Studio and Map Project Office.

About WPP 

WPP is the trusted growth partner for the world’s leading brands. We unite cutting-edge media intelligence and data solutions, world-class creativity, next-generation production, transformative enterprise solutions and expert strategic counsel in a single company - powered by exceptional talent and our agentic marketing platform, WPP Open, to help our clients navigate change, capture opportunity and deliver transformational growth. For more information, visit  WPP.com.