Creative Head

Role Purpose

The Creative Head is responsible for setting the creative and strategic direction across multiple design engagements. This role is not about executing individual screens or artifacts, but about shaping how design problems are approached, explored, framed, and presented .

The individual will define what paths we explore, how many routes we take, what boundaries we push, and what we deliberately choose not to do . They will elevate the quality of thinking, critique, storytelling, and executive presence of the studio, while building its reputation as a trusted, strategic partner to leadership.

Key Responsibilities

1. Design Direction & Creative Leadership

• Define the overall approach to complex design problems across projects, including:
• Framing the problem
• Identifying opportunity spaces
• Determining the number and nature of creative routes to explore
• Setting quality benchmarks for thinking and craft
• Guide designers and researchers through clear creative intent , not prescriptive solutions.
• Provide structured, high-quality critique that sharpens thinking, improves outcomes, and builds capability within the team.
• Ensure consistency and depth in how Studio 5B approaches design challenges across domains, geographies, and stakeholders.

2. Presentation Design & Narrative Craft

• Own the flow, structure, and narrative of key design presentations.
• Decide how design work is revealed , sequenced, and contextualised for different audiences.
• Translate complex research and design work into clear, compelling executive narratives .
• Elevate presentation quality so that design work is not just seen, but understood, trusted, and acted upon .

3. Stakeholder & Leadership Engagement

• Act as a senior design partner to business leaders, functional heads, and executive leadership .
• Lead conversations that help stakeholders understand:
• What good design looks like
• How design improves outcomes, not just aesthetics
• Where design adds the most leverage in decision-making
• Confidently challenge briefs, assumptions, and expectations when required, while maintaining trust and credibility.

4. Studio Reputation & Design Maturity

• Play a key role in building Studio 5Bs internal reputation as a high-calibre design and thinking partner.
• Represent the studio in senior forums, reviews, and leadership discussions.
• Help define and articulate a point of view on design for the organisation.
• Contribute to improving overall design aptitude and maturity across teams, not just within the studio.

5. Capability Building

• Coach senior designers and leads to think beyond execution into direction, judgment, and influence.
• Raise the bar on how design decisions are explained, defended, and evolved.
• Identify gaps in skills, thinking, or approach, and work with studio leadership to address them.

What This Role Is Not

• Not a pure execution role.
• Not a production or delivery management role.
• Not limited to visual or UI design alone.
• Not about volume of output, but quality of thinking, direction, and impact .

Ideal Profile

• 1218+ years of experience in design, with significant time spent in senior creative or design leadership roles .
• Strong background in experience design, product design, brand, or systems design (agency, in-house, or hybrid).
• Proven ability to:
• Set creative direction across multiple parallel projects
• Critique and elevate other designers work
• Design and lead high-stakes presentations
• Comfortable engaging with very senior leadership and holding strategic design conversations.
• Clear point of view on design, balanced with humility and openness to learning.
• Strong storytelling, articulation, and facilitation skills.
• Experience working in complex organisations or regulated environments is a plus.