Creative Director

Creative Director, Social

Company: VML

Hybrid working:
Working from home / Sea Containers office, London, SE1

We are looking for a Creative Director who doesn’t just “do social” — but sets the standard for what social creativity should be. This role is for someone who lives at the intersection of culture, creativity, and platform behaviour — and knows how to turn that into ideas that move both audiences and brands. You’ll be responsible for defining the creative vision for social across a high‑profile client account, elevating everything from always‑on content to large‑scale cultural campaigns.

You’ll help shape briefs, lead the thinking, raise creative ambition, and ensure the work is consistently culturally sharp, platform‑native, and strategically sound. You’ll lead and inspire multidisciplinary teams across strategy, design, copy, motion, and production, creating an environment where social‑first thinking is the default, not the exception.

• Define and lead the social creative vision across a major client account
• Set the standard for social‑first thinking across campaigns, content, and always‑on activity
• Champion bold, culturally relevant ideas that earn attention rather than interrupt it
• Lead creative development from concept through to execution at scale

• Maintain a deep, instinctive understanding of how platforms evolve and how audiences behave across them
• Translate cultural insight, trends, and internet behaviour into powerful brand opportunities
• Proactively identify how brands should show up in real‑time culture — not reactively, but ahead of it
• Guide teams in building work that feels native, not adapted

• Oversee the development of ideas across copy, art direction, motion, and content
• Uphold a high creative bar across all social outputs, ensuring consistency and craft excellence
• Shape storytelling across multiple formats, from short‑form content to integrated campaigns
• Partner closely with production and design leads to ensure ideas are executed with precision and intent

• Inspire and mentor creatives, helping develop strong social‑first thinking across the team
• Work closely with strategy, account, and production leadership to shape output and direction
• Lead client conversations with clarity, confidence, and strong creative rationale
• Create a culture of fast, sharp, collaborative idea development

• Own the creative output across social content calendars and campaign rollouts
• Ensure all work is strategically aligned, culturally relevant, and platform‑native
• Balance long‑term brand building with real‑time, reactive opportunities
• Maintain consistency of creative quality across fast‑moving, high‑volume output

• Be a proven creative leader with experience shaping social, digital, or integrated campaigns at scale
• Have a deep, instinctive understanding of internet culture, platforms, and audience behaviour
• Be equally comfortable setting vision and rolling up sleeves in idea development when needed
• Have led and inspired multidisciplinary creative teams in fast‑paced agency environments
• Know how to translate strategy and culture into standout, platform‑native creative work
• Have a portfolio that demonstrates strong conceptual thinking, cultural relevance, and executional excellence across social
• Be excited by speed, experimentation, and pushing the boundaries of what social creativity can be

• Previous Creative Director or Associate Creative Director experience on social‑first or integrated accounts
• Experience leading work for globally recognised brands in fast‑moving categories
• Strong understanding of production, content ecosystems, and creator‑led storytelling

• Life Assurance
• Permanent Health Insurance
• BUPA coverage
• Flexible hybrid‑working schedule
• Enhanced family friendly policies
• Well‑being Programme
• Employee Assistance Support
• Cycle to Work Scheme
• Eye Care and Glasses Vouchers
• Season Ticket Loans
• WPP Discounts

You will also have a clear long‑term career development plan and access to our learning and development activities and online learning platforms.

VML is an equal opportunity employer and considers applicants for all positions without regard to race, colour, religion or belief, sex, age, national origin, citizenship status, marital status, military/veteran status, genetic information, sexual orientation, gender identity, physical or mental disability. We believe in creating a dynamic work environment that values diversity and inclusion and strives to recruit a diverse slate of candidates to help us achieve that goal.