Who are SWC?
We’re one of Europe’s fastest-growing international full-service marketing agencies, headquartered in Tunbridge Wells, Kent. We develop strategies and creative ideas that help brands increase their brand awareness and sales.
We pride ourselves on offering excellent service to our clients, who include major brands from airlines, and tech companies, to automotive and pet care. We produce the high-quality work and campaigns that you’d expect from a top London agency. We work as multi-disciplinary experts across both B2C and B2B marketing, with a heavy skew on international campaigns, accounting for 80% of our work.
Our culture is a vital strand of DNA that runs through the agency and across everything we do. It is what gives us our personality and genuinely gives everyone a chance to be part of something. We were lucky enough to be recognised in The Sunday Times, Best Places to Work 2023 and we also ranked in the top 10 SME category too.
There’s a nice balance of working and having fun; celebrating wins, regular socials, investment in training, and travel opportunities (we’re all off to Palma in March), But what drives us all is that we love what we do. We also offer a very attractive work-from-home policy, but also have high-spec offices that form a great base for everyone. They are brand new, right next to the station and equipped with great facilities, meeting rooms, gym, reception etc.
We are also a part of the UP Group, UP THERE EVERYWHERE are a cloud-based agency headquartered in Stockholm, their complimentary services and expertise gives us a truly global presence, and access to 16+ bases around the world.
We are a lean, agile and highly motivated company, who punch above our weight with clients, and yet, we are small enough to truly care about the people we work with.
About the Role:
We’re looking for an up-and-coming successor for our Creative Director (CD) role.
This role is an exciting long-term opportunity to learn from and be supported by our well-respected and talented CD who has over 35 years of experience in the industry, and whilst you will be nurtured during the process, you will also have the freedom and empowerment to let your unique skills shine. The CD role at SWC is a senior position which represents the DNA and quality of the agency.
You’ll need to be an inspirational thinker with a passion for creating, an eye to the future and sound knowledge of our industry. A doer, with a diversity of skills and an ability to communicate, who understands what it takes to create great work and transform a brief into powerful solutions. People skills are essential – an ego isn’t.
Roles and Responsibilities:
- As a senior member of the team, you will be responsible for:
- Creative output, along with the management of the creative team (including designers, film makers, artworkers and copywriters).
- Managing timelines, budgets and client relationships.
- Maintaining the highest creative standard, whilst also inspiring your team.
- Working at the cutting edge of new technology, you will be expected to grasp changes in technical innovation across multiple platforms.
- Present to senior leaders internally and externally, to showcase the creative work and rationale.
- You will also be expected to be ‘hands on’ when required, as we are a lean team there might be times when you will need to be the designer, artworker, copywriter, and CD (this does not mean you will work single-handedly on a project).
- Representing SWC and the UP Group’s creativity, and creative outputs. Travel opportunities will also be available to present creative work.
- Supporting our integration within the UP Group’s creative council, giving and receiving advice working collaboratively with the wider Group.
- You will regularly collaborate with the wider SWC team, and the UP Group, which provides you with an awesome team of specialists at your disposal, to produce the best outcomes of your campaigns. You’ll have a desire to grow and learn as part of a fast-paced international agency with a clear progression path with SWC and within our Group company.
Required Skill Sets:
- A proven track record (7+ years) in one or more of the following: art direction, brand development, graphic design or copywriting.
- An undergraduate degree is a desire, but not necessarily a requirement.
- A team player.
- Have a strong passion for creating and ideation.
- Diverse and strong portfolio of work across B2B and B2C sectors.
- Ability to oversee several projects from start to finish, keeping to deadlines, and signing off on these projects before they are presented.
- Quietly confident.
- Understanding the commercial aspects of the agency.
- Understanding the dynamics of an agency, and the SWC model.
- Hiring and managing the creative team.
- Excellent leadership and interpersonal skills, as well as the ability to inspire the creative team to give their best.
- Strong written and verbal communication skills, as well as presentation skills to make outstanding pitches.
- A good listener.
- Really understand the clients’ needs, and the audiences’ wants.
- Ability to provide plenty of creative ideas which align with an understanding of the client’s vision.
- An awareness of current trends in advertising and design.
- A self-starting attitude and an open and positive outlook.
- Resilience under pressure and against deadlines.
- Knowledge of the software and applications involved in the creative process.
- Skills in managing people, projects and resources.
This is a long-term role for someone to be nurtured by an experienced industry professional. Where there will be loads of freedom to make your own mark and bring your own flair, experience and enthusiasm to make this role your own, and excitingly, be a vital part of helping shape the exciting future of SWC Partnership.
Although we list out what we generally look for, we are very likely missing other attributes and skills that you have that could make you a great fit but are not currently listed. Research has shown this especially applies to women and other marginalised groups, who tend to apply if they check 100% of every box, versus men who apply if they hit roughly 60%. The point we’re getting at is that it doesn’t hurt to take a chance and apply.
Come join our team and accelerate your career!
Please send your CV and a cover letter to [email protected] to put your name forward for this opportunity.
Thank you,
SWC Partnership
