VP Creative Director - Design(UK)

Much of what you need to know about minds + assembly is captured in the name itself: we think, we create, and (+) we put things together. It’s really that simple—and that shockingly different. Of course, the simplicity of our name belies the depth of what we deliver to our most honored (and often overjoyed) clients. Our work is consistently at a higher caliber than they are used to, simply because we push ourselves to think and build differently. Combine this with an obsessive attention to client service, and you arrive at a place where we stand alone among agencies. Arrogant? No. Confident? Of course, but only because we’ve put together a team of people who are good AF in every way. 

Open Position: VP, Creative Director, Design (Europe)

About us:

Much of what you need to know about minds + assembly is captured in the name itself: we think, we create, and (+) we put things together. It’s really that simple and that shockingly different. Of course, the simplicity of our name belies the depth of what we deliver to our clients. Our work is consistently at a higher caliber because we push ourselves to think and build differently. Combine this with an obsessive attention to client service, and you arrive at a place where we stand apart.

At minds + assembly, the engine of our business is commercial invention. We approach every project, every brief, and every opportunity as a chance to build something new. While our roots are in New York, we are actively expanding our global footprint, bringing our model of thinking, making, and assembling to partners around the world.

About the role:

The VP, Creative Director, Design is a senior creative leader responsible for setting the visual standard and creative tone across brands and teams. They bring a strong point of view on design, elevate the work at every stage, and ensure that all outputs are both strategically grounded and visually exceptional. They are equally adept at concepting big ideas and guiding teams through execution, and are seen as a trusted creative partner by both clients and internal teams.

This role is based in Europe and represents a unique opportunity to serve as a founding creative leader in our global expansion. While Minds + Assembly does not yet have a physical office in Europe, this individual will operate as part of a connected, distributed “global office,” working in close partnership with US-based teams across strategy, writing, and client service.

As the senior design lead in the region, this person will act as the visual and creative authority on the ground for global brands, ensuring that work is cohesive, culturally relevant, and executed to the highest standard across markets. They will play a key role in shaping how Minds + Assembly delivers design excellence globally, helping to define creative standards, build processes, and establish a unified visual language across geographies.

This is a hands-on creative leadership role. While this person sets the vision and leads teams, they are also actively involved in the work, concepting, designing, and shaping outputs directly. We are looking for a creative leader who leads through both thinking and making. They are fluent in emerging AI-enabled creative workflows and understand how to thoughtfully integrate these tools into the design process, enhancing speed, exploration, and craft without compromising quality or strategic integrity

Job responsibilities:

• Sets the creative vision and design standards across assigned brands and teams
• Serves as the senior design lead for global accounts, ensuring visual consistency and excellence across markets
• Acts as a trusted creative advisor to clients, contributing to brand building and campaign development
• Demonstrated ability to operate as both a strategic creative leader and hands-on designer, with a player-coach mindset.
• Integrates AI-enabled tools and workflows into the creative process, using them to accelerate ideation, iteration, and production while maintaining a high standard of craft and originality
• Helps guide teams in the effective use of AI in design, establishing best practices, maintaining quality standards, and ensuring human creativity remains at the center of the work
• Leads concept development and actively contributes to execution, stepping into the work to shape, refine, and elevate key moments across brand, campaign, and digital experiences
• Ensures all work is insight-driven, strategically aligned, and creatively differentiated
• Partners closely with US-based creative, strategy, and client service teams to deliver integrated global solutions
• Collaborates across time zones to ensure continuity and cohesion across deliverables
• Adapts creative work to reflect regional nuances while maintaining global brand integrity
• Plays a key role in new business efforts, contributing to pitches and agency growth initiatives
• Helps build and shape the creative foundation of Minds + Assembly’s global presence
• Oversees and mentors design teams, fostering growth, development, and a culture of creative excellence
• Leads staffing, performance management, and talent development for design teams
• Works closely with Client Service and Finance to ensure team and business health
• Helps develop and review creative briefs that inspire strong, strategically grounded work

Job expectations:

• Represents the very best of m+a
• We value leaders who stay close to the work and actively contribute to the craft, not just the direction
• Lives our values
• Drives toward our mission
• Promotes our principles
• Inspires teams across disciplines and geographies

Professional skills and requirements:

• 10+ years of experience in healthcare advertising or related industry, with a strong focus on design leadership
• A portfolio that demonstrates both conceptual thinking and high-level craft across a range of brands and channels
• Experience working across global or multi-market brands, with a strong understanding of regional nuances
• Experience leveraging AI tools within the creative process, including concepting, prototyping, and production, with a clear point of view on when and how to use them effectively
• Strong perspective on the role of AI in design and creative development, with the ability to balance speed, craft, and originality
• Ability to create and guide work that resonates across diverse audiences and cultural contexts
• Experience collaborating with US-based teams while supporting international markets
• Proven leadership experience managing and developing designers and cross-functional creative teams
• Strong presentation skills, with the ability to clearly articulate creative ideas to clients and internal stakeholders
• Mastery of Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, InDesign, Illustrator, After Effects)
• Strong experience with Figma, Keynote, PowerPoint, and other relevant tools
• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, collaborative environment and manage multiple priorities
• High level of craft, attention to detail, and accountability
• Strong cultural awareness and adaptability when working with global clients and teams
• Ability to operate effectively across time zones and within distributed team structures
  
  

At minds + assembly, the engine of our business is commercial invention. We approach every project—actually, every aspect of our work—as an opportunity to dip our toes into the revitalizing stream of the new. The original conception of our agency (which has since been realized) was that of a happy workshop, a place where the mind and hands are free to construct brilliant new things for our clients. Yet, we never forget that we are in fact a business. Everything we do is to further the commercial goals of our clients, whether that is to sell a product or an idea. To achieve this, we continue to add only the best people—those who have the right talent, temperament, and teamwork orientation—to further our collective goals. Then we ask that each person adhere to two simple and equally important principles: uncompromising standards and unconditional support. In other words, we push each other, hard, to produce the best work possible, yet always with the knowledge that we have each other’s backs.