Lead Senior Designer

Senior/Lead designers are integral to all our work and the wider creative culture at Stereo. You’ll be the positive driving force behind our projects and lead design output all the way from concept to production. You’ll display raw talent, creative flexibility and self-motivation in crafting intelligent, beautiful and progressive work for all our clients.

Our portfolio spans identities, campaigns, motion narratives and digital innovation, so you’ll need to think holistically and have a broad creative curiosity, treating each project as a fresh opportunity and freely move between sectors. You’ll lead from the front and be a natural collaborator, comfortable working alongside various teams. You’ll be a confident presenter and be able to convince teams of your ideas. You’re always on the lookout for ways to improve your work and those around you.

Responsibilities:

• Collaborate closely with our Creative Directors, Strategy and Copy teams to bring campaigns, identities and motion narratives to life.
• Lead our design output at each stage, from concept through to production — understanding the requirements of each project phase.
• Take ownership of projects, proactively solving problems and providing clear creative direction from concept through to delivery.
• Contribute to our conceptual and strategic thinking, ensuring the art direction and creative foundations of a project remain strong throughout each touchpoint.
• Work across all our clients: from campaigns to identities, films and digital innovation.
• Design with motion in mind from the outset, creating work that naturally translates into animation and interactive experiences.
• Be part of our pitch team, crafting inspiring and visionary work at pace.
• Set the standard in the department for levels of craft, attention-to-detail and ingenuity.
• Make compelling and persuasive presentations, convincing stakeholders of your vision.
• Mentor, inspire and guide more junior members of the team, knowing when to delegate and how to nurture talent in others.
• Communicate effectively and concisely, knowing how to challenge a brief correctly.

Key skills & requirements:

• At least 7+ years hands-on experience at a leading agency.
• Strong conceptual thinking for campaigns or brand identities.
• A portfolio demonstrating inspiring and progressive design with a broad, flexible approach.
• An ability to work independently under tight deadlines, as well as the stamina and determination to deliver longer term projects.
• Think big and small: show bold creative ambition but also obsess over the crucial details.
• Strong collaborative tendencies: remain open to feedback, welcome other perspectives and also share constructive criticism of your own.
• Comfortable with motion principles, understanding timing, pacing, hierarchy and transitions, and how design comes to life beyond static layouts.
• Build effective relationships with those above and below you.
• Be able to balance multiple work streams at the same time but always focus on what’s most important.
• Be an articulate and confident presenter, able to create compelling decks from scratch.
• Be proactive, energetic and self-motivated with a reputation for going beyond the brief.
• Be connected to creative culture and emerging industry trends, but also have a point of view that considers the world outside of design.
• Be able to use a variety of typical design programs (Adobe CC suite, Figma).
• Beneficial skills: art direction experience, photo/film shoot experience, an ability to draft storyboards and narratives, creative coding, or 3D software (C4D, Blender, Unreal Engine, etc.).

Stereo benefits:

Holidays:

• 23 days holiday
• Extra day off on your birthday
• Extra day off per year of service (up to 5 years)
• Summer hours (half days) on Fridays through July & August
• Studio closed over entire Christmas period

Learning & Culture:

• Flexible hybrid working model (3 x mandatory days in the studio)
• Quarterly Stereo Sessions (learning opportunities with guest speakers)
• Annual training budget: spend how you like
• Annual summer & Christmas parties
• Quarterly team lunch/breakfast + entertainment budget

Wellbeing & Health:

• Vitality Health Care
• 1 x paid volunteer day per year

Additional benefits:

• New business bonus based on a % of the profit of a project (up to 1 year)
• £1,000 recruitment bonus for bringing friends into the business full-time