Design Lead in London

Location: London, UK

Reports to: Imperial Creative Director

*Please note, you’ll be working primarily on tobacco brands*

Thinker wanted

Tag is looking for a creative Design Lead with a head for strategy and plenty of shopper marketing experience.

Someone who’s prepared to challenge and be challenged.

What you’ll be doing

Developing shopper design frameworks that complement above the line creative and adhere to shopper principles.

Working with a Senior Copywriter on concepts for digital and shopper tools for all Imperial products—combustible, non-combustible and heat technology tobacco.

You’ll also oversee, advise and mentor more junior members of the creative team.

About Imperial

Imperial Brands is an international company, operating across 120 markets—but they have a challenger mindset.

They’re innovating at pace and developing a global diversity strategy.

Providing customers with better choices is what they’re all about.

Why Tag?

In June 2023, Tag was acquired by dentsu Group, Inc.

significantly expanding our capabilities.

We now have 2,700 experts in 29 countries—we are a global team of collaborators, innovators and motivators.

We aim to create empowering, safe and supportive environments for all our employees, regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation, ability or any other defining factor.

We embrace difference through diversity of thought, experience and expertise to maximise potential and deliver the greatest benefits for our people and our clients.

We want people to be themselves, unafraid to voice ideas.

What you’ll be doing… the detail

• Developing strategic concepts, shopper toolkits and varied marketing materials.
• Overseeing the delivery of creative for locations where the cultural context is different.
• Developing brand experiences, POS, digital content and expert marketing.
• Working closely with client design leaders and marketing teams, and rostered agency partners.
• Communicating with stakeholders to agree timelines and develop project deliverables.
• Presenting to people at every level of the business as well as clients and other stakeholders.

Your key responsibilities

• Helping shape shopper principles for global projects.
• Producing design briefs in partnership with design leaders and strategic partners.
• Challenging toolkit thinking—providing POSM inspiration and selling in new ideas.
• Translating above the line creative into shopper key visuals.
• Ensuring creative exceeds stakeholder expectations and is delivered on time.
• Developing a clear understanding of how brands communicate in specific channels.
• Overseeing output and taking responsibility for the efficacy of day-to-day operations.
• Developing productive relationships with stakeholders and agency partners.
• Managing stakeholder expectations in relation to project objectives, timelines and budgets.
• Mentoring and providing constructive feedback to your more junior colleagues.

You must have…

• 5+ years working in a design management role.
• 7+ years working in a shopper-first agency.
• Experience of other design disciplines, including brand identity, structural design, POS, expert, advertising, digital and brand experiences.
• The ability to utilise marketing and design research findings to inform your work.
• An understanding of how design can affect the brand and, in turn, the business.
• Knowledge of contemporary strategic challenges (competition, environments and trends).
• The ability to work to, and consistently hit, deadlines.

Measures of Performance:

• High stakeholder satisfaction scores (internal/external)
• Project delivery to agreed budget and timelines
• Understanding of client core brands and their principles

As an ethical employer, Tag will never ask job applicants to provide private, sensitive information upfront or make offers of employment contingent on financial requests or responsibilities from any candidate.