Executive Creative Director

Workplace: White City, London - 2 days a week in the office

The role

ITV Creative is ITV’s in-house creative agency, responsible for promoting our shows and building the reputation of the ITV brand. As part of the marcomms team, we create attention grabbing, strategic ideas to help ITV compete with the best of the broadcasters and streamers. Our output ranges from 360 campaigns to imagery on ITVX and everything in between. We have a high performing team of 70 people, made up of creatives, designers, editors, a full production team, strategists & campaign managers.

The ECD has 4 Creative Directors that report into them (Commercial, Imagery, Performance & Campaigns)

The last two years have been focussed on transforming how we work with Marketing, Media and Programme PR - collaboration is at the heart of how we work together, enabling everybody to leverage their skills and expertise but on a level playing field and not ‘in service’ to any department. This has proven to be incredibly effective in delivering brave work, with excellent results.

Main responsibilities

Leading the creative output:

- Setting the vision, the standard and being the ultimate decision maker on everything that goes out into the world creatively from ITV Creative.
- Working side by side with the Head of Creative Strategy and Head of Production to ensure our output is consistently on brief and well crafted.
- Driving best in class creativity within the creative department, with quality to rival any broadcaster/streamer or brand.
- This year we have launched our brand platform, There’s No Place Like ITV and it feels like we’re just getting started! There’s opportunity to continue to build on that as part of the Marketing Priority plan for 2027 and beyond.
- Outside of delivering the Marketing plan, the ECD is also ultimately responsible for the creative output our Creative Commercial team delivers (sponsorship and partnership campaigns for our advertisers).
- Overall responsible for the quality of our imagery across ITVX and our partner platforms.
- Ensuring our owned channels are branded visually and utilising Continuity in the right way.
- Leading the charge on creative innovation alongside the Head of Post Production & Creative Operations.
- Supporting the Head of Brand Experiences when required for creative quality across internal and external activations and events.
- Ultimately leading award winning effective creative work across multiple touchpoints.

Creative Champion within the business:

- The driver for brilliant and brave creative ideas that deliver against the strategy and brief.
- Fostering meaningful relationships with key senior stakeholders across Marketing and Commissioning to get ideas made. As well as within the product and editorial team to ensure the brand is represented in the right way across our platform (ITVX).
- Being the ITV Creative voice in the room with production companies and commissioners where required.
- Supporting the Director of Creative in presenting and roadshowing the skillset and output of the team at internal and external events.

Management:

- Running the creative department (30 people plus freelancers), ensuring the teams and individuals have the right opportunities and training to thrive.
- Line Management duties for x4 direct reports; Creative Director Campaigns, Creative Director Performance Marketing, Creative Director Imagery, Creative Director Commercial (including but not limited to setting objectives, reviews, ensuring high performance and good results, pastoral support).
- Providing stability, leadership and guidance through practical and pastoral support for the wider creative team.
- Working closely with the Creative Resource Manager and relevant CDs to allocate teams and creatives to projects and campaigns.
- As part of the Creative Leadership Team (CLT) alongside Head of Creative Strategy, Head of Production and Head of Post Production & Creative Ops you will support the Director of Creative in the day to day running of ITV Creative.
- Alongside your CLT duties the role also sits within the ‘Heads Of’ group that spans ITV Creative, Marketing, Media, Programme Publicity and Delivery where your role is to have a voice in the overall planning of activity and WoW across the departments alongside your peers.

Skills you’ll need (minimum criteria)

- Experience within a creative agency at Creative Director level or above (this can be a broadcaster, in-house or external agency).
- Examples of campaigns that have delivered against set KPIs and proved to work effectively, that have been generated/led by the candidate.
- Proven Leadership skills (running/developing a team)
- Demonstrated experience leading multi-channel 360° integrated campaigns across AV, digital, social, out-of-home, and digital platform imagery.
- Proven track record of developing, expanding, or embedding long-term brand platforms.
- Experience working to a commercial agenda, ensuring quality creative at varying cost levels
- Experience collaborating alongside senior Strategy, Production, and Operations leads to manage department resourcing and workflows.

Other things we’re looking for (key criteria)

- Good interpersonal and stakeholder management skills (part of this role is around building relationships within ITV Creative as well as other people/stakeholders within the organisation at varying levels of seniority).
- Excellent communication skills - seeing everyone at eye level.
- Good interpersonal and stakeholder management skills (part of this role is around building relationships within ITV Creative as well as other people/stakeholders within the organisation at varying levels of seniority).
- A love of TV/content/entertainment!