Brand Design Director

There are a million reasons why it’s great to work at Channel 4, here are just a few of the perks for you;

• Private medical insurance
• Free Virtual GP access for employees
• Free Female Health hormone test each year
• Free Tastecard membership
• Access to financial wellbeing resources
• Discounted Gym memberships
• Pension
• Life Assurance
• Income Protection
• Holiday Purchase

Job Title: Brand Design Director

Department: 4Creative

Reporting to: Executive Creative Director

Location: London

Status: Permanent

Job Grade: L2

Design Strategy and Creative Leadership

• Lead the strategic direction of the Brand Design discipline within 4Creative, ensuring design evolves in line with audience needs, brand priorities, new platforms and emerging technologies.
• Shape the future of design capability across campaign design, editorial imagery and related specialist disciplines, ensuring the function remains distinctive, innovative and effective.
• Partner with Creative Directors, Creative Production Directors and senior stakeholders from the earliest stages of creative development to shape the strongest creative response to briefs.
• Provide leadership across the Brand Design function, balancing the needs of high-volume output and major campaign activity while maintaining consistent standards of excellence.
• Develop the long-term capability, skills and effectiveness of the Brand Design team, ensuring it is equipped to meet current and future business needs.
• Lead, inspire and develop designers and design leaders, creating an inclusive, high-performing culture that encourages creativity, learning and progression.
• Contribute to the strategic direction, culture and continuous development of 4Creative as a senior leader.

Brand Expression, Craft and Standards

• Own design craft standards across 4Creative, ensuring consistently outstanding design, art direction and visual
• communication.
• Lead Brand Design across campaign design, editorial imagery, artworking and associated specialist disciplines, ensuring work delivers a distinctive and effective expression of the Channel 4 brand.
• Act as a senior creative authority on major campaigns, brand initiatives and high-profile projects, providing expert judgement and constructive challenge.
• Champion outstanding creative thinking, contemporary design practice and innovation in the application of design across all platforms.
• Encourage experimentation with new tools, technologies and creative approaches that enhance quality, effectiveness and audience impact.
• Embed a culture of critique, collaboration, continuous learning and best-practice sharing across the design community.
• Build and maintain relationships with designers, photographers, artists, studios and specialist creative partners
• to strengthen the capability and reputation of the discipline.

Governance and Brand Stewardship

• Act as a senior steward of Channel 4's visual identity, ensuring brand coherence while enabling creative evolution and innovation.
• Exercise senior judgement on complex or sensitive creative work involving editorial, reputational, commercial or brand considerations.
• Maintain appropriate oversight of design governance, brand application, accessibility standards, rights management and external creative partnerships where relevant.
• Build trusted relationships with senior stakeholders across Channel 4, influencing decisions and championing the value of design.
• Present and advocate for design strategy, creative direction and investment at senior leadership level.
• Navigate complex stakeholder environments while protecting the quality, integrity and effectiveness of the work.
• Represent 4Creative internally and externally as a senior design leader and ambassador for Channel 4.

Autonomy, judgement and decision-making

• Operates with a high degree of autonomy across the Brand Design discipline.
• Makes significant decisions relating to design strategy, creative direction, brand expression, capability development and talent.
• Balances creative ambition with audience, commercial, operational and reputational considerations.
• Exercises sound judgement in complex and fast-moving environments.

Managing resources

• Leads direct and indirect reports across the Brand Design function.
• Influences investment in design capability, talent and external creative partnerships.
• Shapes future capability, workforce development and succession planning.

Relationship management

• Builds trusted partnerships with senior leaders across 4Creative, Marketing and Channel 4.
• Maintains strong relationships with external creative partners and specialist suppliers.
• Influences and challenges constructively at senior levels.
• Communicates complex creative and design decisions clearly and effectively.