Art Director

Overview:
**Art Director, Story Birmingham**

Story is an award-winning creative communications agency. We combine smart strategic thinking with big conceptual creativity to provide the full spectrum of advertising, brand development and digital disciplines in our offices based in Edinburgh, Birmingham and Newcastle.

Since 2002, we’ve planned, designed, written, built, filmed, printed and launched hundreds of brilliantly distinctive and memorable campaigns, brands and websites for Clients including Macmillan, Calor, Melitta, Jewson, Keter, Bacofoil and Gigaclear.

Role:
As our Art Creative Head, working closely with a Senior Copywriter, you’ll be at the heart of the creative output of the agency, reporting into the Creative Director.

As an Art Director, you’ll be the centre of all things visual and you’ll nurture this craft in the around you. The team will look to you for constant inspiration and fresh approaches to keep that stimulus flowing. The specifics of your role will range from sourcing and building close relationships with photographers and art directing shoots, to briefing re-touchers and illustrators - always with an eye on getting the best work and value.

**We need you to be able to**:

- Drive creative excellence for our clients
- Have ambition to create engaging, brave work for our clients
- Inspire the team around you
- Work with the Creative Director to assess and nurture our creative opportunities - always searching for the chance to create great work
- Develop and foster an open and collaborative creative culture within the agency
- Work with the wider team to support brief writing skills
- Work closely with the Creative Director and Account Directors to develop strong, coherent strategic thinking for pitches and major projects for existing clients
- Create a very close working relationship with the Creative Director, Account Directors, and Planning Director - this is absolutely vital to the mood, drive and success of the agency.
- Create strong relationships with clients - based on solid business understanding and empathy
- Spot and develop added value business thinking for our clients
- Always have the new business antenna up for potential opportunities

**The person we’re looking for**:
You are passionate and driven creative that isn’t afraid to get your hands dirty. You know our clients - and their challenges - inside out. You fully understand why we always need to use our time wisely. You’ll have extensive Art Direction experience gained in an advertising agency environment. You’ll be used to working in a creative pairing and individually.

**Benefits**:
**What’s in it for you?**
- 26 days holiday plus the bank holidays.
- An extra day’s holiday for every year worked, up to 5 additional days.
- A day off for your birthday.
- Company share incentive plan.
- Electric car salary sacrifice scheme.
- Biannual work events.
- Regular beer and pizza socials.
- Annual calendar of wellbeing events.

We are proud to be a Disability Confident Committed (Level 1) Employer. As a Disability Confident Committed Employer we have committed to; ensure our recruitment process is inclusive and accessible, communicating and promoting vacancies, offering an interview to disabled people who meet the minimum criteria for the job and anticipating and providing reasonable adjustments as required.