The Role

We are looking for an Associate Creative Director, with an award-winning portfolio to lead a small, talented, growing creative team, reporting into the Executive Creative Director. 

Space is an independent agency with a track record of going beyond convention to drive growth for a variety of clients and brands. These include Häagen-Dazs, Hendrick’s, Nature Valley, Glenfiddich, Yoplait, Polestar, The All England Club, Starbucks and Old El Paso. 

The role we play for our clients spans advertising, content and brand experience, and this role will be involved across the whole business, and most stages of the work from planning and scoping, to strategic guidance, idea generation and guiding the best executional work from others. As such the role requires a hands on Associate Creative Director who comes from an integrated creative background. You will have the ability to get involved at every level of the creative process, managing the team to ensure even the smallest of creative briefs gets the attention required, and that the creatives are consistently getting what they need to deliver their best possible work.

Talent development is key to the role with the ability to coach and mentor creatives to fulfil their potential. 

We are looking for someone who can bring industry-leading creative thinking and innovative solutions for clients across all channels, delivering results that excite our clients’ audience to drive growth for their brands. Working with the ECD you will build the agency's profile and reputation, making Space famous for its creativity. You will raise the bar and push creative excellence with relevant big idea thinking brought to life with cross-channel know-how.

You

•7+ years in integrated advertising, encompassing ATL, activation, content and experience

•Currently operating at Senior creative or ACD level with strong leadership skills

•A proven track record of excellent direction across a broad range of clients

•Impressive folio of award winning work and an appetite for achieving more

•Infectious passion for strategy, ideas and creative craft -Inspirational thinker, communicator and facilitator

•Strong interpersonal, communication and organisational skills

•Experience of working within an independent agency

•Hunger and ambition to make an impact, grow fast and keep learning with the company

•Able to direct and generate appropriate solutions to our clients business problems, consistently and effectively 

•Able to oversee and input across multiple projects at the same time

•Able to work with and understand multiple stakeholder needs communicate effectively with clients

•Understanding of what it takes to make industry-leading creative happen on time and on budget

•A cohesive force for good in the agency: positively inspiring those around you to achieve more

•Able to drive the broader agency ambition as well as individual projects 

•Bang up to date on platforms, awards, trends, tech

•Able to work with CD or concept team or generate work effectively alone

•Able to play a pivotal role winning pitches

•Entrepreneurial spirit with a team spirit and problem-solving attitude

•Calm and effective under pressure

Tasks, day-to-day requirements of the role

•Presenting to clients, pitching and leading agency creative as and when required

•Responsible for attending kick off and ambition sessions in the absence of the Creative Director, to set the vision and parameters

•Approving and consulting on budgets for creative time 

•Attending scoping sessions with CS and advising the CSM on timings as and when required

•Review folios with the CSM and be responsible for vetting freelance and permanent talent

•Manage 360 reviews with creative staff, and their development, with the input of the ECD

•Work into the ECD with the support of the CSM to build and grow the team, managing recruitment with the CSM including facilitating first stage interviews

•Final point of creative sign off for percentage of work before it leaves the agency (art copy tbc)

•Manage and guide the team on a day to day basis, ensuring the right support is available creatively

•Keep a close eye on the quality of the creative output and regularly report to ECD

•Ensure all of our files and creative work is kept up to date and saved down correctly

•Oversee artwork and files that leave the agency. Be responsible for the quality of delivery from both creative and design

•Be agile in your day to day approach, coming up with new ways of working, to generate ideas and work in most effective way

•Lead pitch teams

•Work with the CSM to grow the team and the right talent inhouse to ensure we have the right talent for our clients

•Provide appropriate solutions internally and for our clients, problem solving and consistently streamlining ways of working

•Keep the team on track every day -manage creative ideas in line with budgets, so that we create industry leading creative that comes in on budget, be a voice of reason within the creative team and manage more junior members to ensure they don't over service or veer away from the focus of the brief

•Keep the team and agency up to date on latest trends and tech

•Ensure company brand guidelines are up to date and clearly communicated across all of our tools and platforms

•Play a pivotal role in winning creative ideas pitches as and when required

•Day to day you will inspire a great team spirit, whilst problem solving and juggling lots of tasks at once

The Offer

Your position as Associate Creative Director comes with the following:

•Highly competitive salary

•Contributory pension scheme paying 8% of salary per annum (4% of which is the company contribution)

•Discretionary bonus scheme paying up to 10% of annualised salary subject to conditions

•25 days’ holiday per annum of which three days are to be taken between Christmas and New Year

•Half-day holiday to celebrate your birthday

•Additional day’s holiday per annum after two years’ service up to a maximum of 28 days per annum

•Flexible working policy

•New business bonus scheme paying up to £3000 for every successful client introduction

•Recruitment bonus scheme paying £1000 for every successful talent referral

Your success and happiness at Space is important to us; so, to create these conditions and to help you go beyond, you will receive the following;

•Formal on-boarding / induction process

•Annual objectives and 90-day check-ins

•Personal development / training plan

•Access to our mental health / well-being programme

•Opportunities to take on wider agency projects to broaden your experience/skills