Design Director (2.5 days p/w) at OLIVER Agency

Company: OLIVER Agency
Location: London, England, United Kingdom
Employment type: full-time
Posted: 2026-09-25

Established in 2004, OLIVER is the world's first and only specialist in designing, building, and running bespoke in-house agencies and marketing ecosystems for brands. We partner with over 300 clients in 40+ countries and counting. Our unique model drives creativity and efficiency, allowing us to deliver tailored solutions that resonate deeply with audiences.

As a part of The Brandtech Group , we're at the forefront of leveraging cutting-edge AI technology to revolutionise how we create and deliver work. Our AI solutions enhance efficiency, spark creativity, and drive insightful decision-making, empowering our teams to produce innovative and impactful results.

Role: Design Director (part time - 2.5 days a week)

Location: London/Hybrid with occasional travel to Birmingham

About the role:

As Design Director, you'll serve as both brand guardian and strategic creative partner for Client — leading the studio's creative output while building close relationships with senior stakeholders across marketing, communications, and the partnership. This is a director-level role with genuine scope: you'll set the creative vision, maintain brand consistency across all channels, and develop the talent around you. You'll work closely with OLIVER's creative leadership, bringing your expertise to everything from campaign concepting and typographic craft to team coaching and executive presentations.

What you will be doing:

Lead all visual communications for Client, acting as brand guardian across print, digital, social, and events — ensuring consistency, quality, and strategic alignment at every touchpoint
Set the creative vision and direction for the studio, translating complex briefs from senior stakeholders into compelling, sophisticated design solutions
Build, mentor, and develop the in-house creative team — providing clear creative direction, constructive feedback, and ongoing coaching that elevates individual craft and collective output
Serve as the primary creative partner to senior Client stakeholders, including marketing leadership and firm partners, presenting creative strategy and executions with confidence and clarity at executive level
Oversee the production of high-quality communications tailored for professional services audiences — from thought leadership campaigns and pitches to events and digital content
Champion and evolve Client's brand system, keeping it contemporary, distinctive, and appropriate for a regulated sector environment
Manage multiple concurrent projects across the portfolio, balancing hands-on creative contribution with leadership responsibilities and proactive problem-solving
Collaborate with OLIVER's wider creative and account leadership to identify opportunities to grow the studio's offering and deepen the Client relationship
Oversee studio-level production budgets — including cost estimation, supplier relationships, and spend reporting — ensuring financial performance aligns with Client and OLIVER expectations
Drive responsible integration of AI tools across studio workflows, setting quality standards and governance that preserve craft excellence while improving efficiency

What you need to be great in this role:

A strong portfolio of sophisticated brand and campaign work, with particular depth in B2B, corporate, or professional services environments
Expert-level understanding of brand systems — how to build, maintain, and evolve them within complex, regulated contexts
A track record of leading and developing creative teams, with a coaching approach that brings out the best in people at all levels
Experience presenting creative work to executive and partner-level audiences, with the presence and communication skills to hold a room and advocate for ideas with conviction
Deep craft knowledge across print and digital — typography, layout, art direction, and visual storytelling — with the ability to contribute hands-on when the work demands it
Proficiency with Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign) and familiarity with Figma and contemporary design tooling
Experience managing studio-level or project-level production budgets, including supplier relationships and cost oversight
Experience integrating AI tools strategically across studio projects and operations, with the ability to set quality standards and governance at studio level
Clear understanding of where AI enhances creative output — and where human craft and judgement remain essential
Drives thoughtful AI adoption within the team, maintaining rigorous human oversight and mentoring others in responsible, effective use
Agentic approach to complex creative and business challenges: systematic, adaptive, and focused on outcomes

Req ID: 17936

#LI-JS1 #LI-Director #LI-hybrid

Our values shape everything we do:

Be  Ambitious  to succeed 

Be  Imaginative  to push the boundaries of what's possible 

Be  Inspirational  to do groundbreaking work 

Be  always learning and listening to understand 

Be  Results-focused  to exceed expectations 

Be actively pro-inclusive and anti-racist across our community, clients and creations 

Our recruitment process does not employ artificial intelligence. Candidate evaluation and selection are conducted without AI-supported screening or decision-making.

OLIVER, a part of the Brandtech Group, is an equal opportunity employer committed to creating an inclusive working environment where all employees are encouraged to reach their full potential, and individual differences are valued and respected. All applicants shall be considered for employment without regard to race, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, neurodivergence, disability status, or any other characteristic protected by local laws. 

 OLIVER has set ambitious environmental goals around sustainability, with science-based emissions reduction targets. Collectively, we work towards our mission, embedding sustainability into every department and through every stage of the project lifecycle.

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