Head of Creative

The role

Bring big ideas to life.

We’re looking for a visionary Head of Creative to help shape how the world sees the University of Bristol.

Reporting to the Director for Marketing, Brand and Digital, you’ll transform our new brand idea into powerful stories and campaigns that reach far beyond the higher education sector. From leading a talented team of designers and writers to collaborating with colleagues across the university, you’ll create work that not only enhances our reputation but helps us achieve our ambition of being ranked among the world’s top 50 universities.

This is a role for someone who loves blending creativity with strategy. You’ll guide creative projects that span recruitment, research, and global civic engagement, all while nurturing a culture of innovation and collaboration.

Whether you’re developing impactful visuals, crafting compelling narratives, or forging partnerships with agencies, you’ll ensure our brand is consistent, engaging, and always true to who we are.

Join us, and be part of a university community driven by curiosity, creativity, and a shared commitment to making a real-world difference.

What will you be doing?

In This Role, You Will

• Lead, inspire and support a multidisciplinary creative team, including designers, copywriters and content specialists - ensuring high-quality, impactful work is delivered consistently and collaboratively.
• Oversee the development and delivery of creative campaigns and branding projects that enhance student recruitment, showcase research excellence, and elevate global civic engagement.
• Champion the university’s brand through clear creative direction and effective brand guardianship, ensuring consistency and coherence across all visual and verbal communications.
• Collaborate with colleagues across Strategic Communications & Marketing, academic faculties and leadership teams to align creative output with institutional priorities and strategic goals.
• Manage resources, budgets and timelines effectively while staying ahead of creative and sector trends, driving innovation and embedding a data-informed approach to evaluating creative effectiveness.
  
  

You should apply if

What You'll Bring To The Role

• Proven experience in a senior creative role, with a strong portfolio that demonstrates your ability to lead and deliver high-impact campaigns across a range of formats and audiences.
• Exceptional leadership and team management skills, with a track record of inspiring creative professionals and fostering a collaborative, high-performing culture.
• Deep understanding of brand, marketing, and communication principles, with the ability to translate strategic objectives into compelling creative direction.
• Confident communicator and presenter, able to clearly articulate creative concepts and rationale to a range of stakeholders—from academic colleagues to professional service teams.
• A hands-on understanding of key creative tools (including Adobe Creative Suite), media platforms and digital trends, with the ability to oversee multiple projects and adapt to evolving priorities.
• An innovative and solutions-focused mindset, with the ability to think creatively, stay ahead of industry trends, and apply insight to enhance the effectiveness of your work.
• A relevant degree or equivalent experience in a creative, advertising or marketing field and ideally, some familiarity with the higher education sector or similarly complex organisations.
  
  

For a full view of the requirements and responsibilities for this role, please refer to the attached job description.

Additional information

For informal enquiries, please contact Cellach Harrison - [email protected]

Please note that we would expect the successful candidate to work on campus 2 days a week as a minimum.

Contract type: Open-ended

Work pattern: Monday - Friday, 35 hours per week.

Grade: K

Salary: £49,559 - £55,755 per annum.

School/Unit: Strategic Communications & Marketing

This advert will close at 23:59 UK time on Sunday, 27th July.

The interview date will be confirmed shortly.

Our strategy and mission

We recently launched our strategy to 2030 tying together our mission, vision and values.

The University of Bristol aims to be a place where everyone feels able to be themselves and do their best in an inclusive working environment where all colleagues can thrive and reach their full potential. We want to attract, develop, and retain individuals with different experiences, backgrounds and perspectives – particularly people of colour, LGBT+ and disabled people - because diversity of people and ideas remains integral to our excellence as a global civic institution.

Available documents

• Head of Creative JD.pdf