Creative Lead

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Its an exciting time to join HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC). As the UKs tax authority, we collect the money that pays for public services and support millions of customers every year to get their tax and benefits right. 

HMRC Communications delivers professional, high impact communications and campaigns across the organisation and is part of the Government Communication Service (GCS). Brand and Creative sits within HMRC Communications and provides specialist design, motion and creative support for priority campaigns and business objectives. 

Creative Leadership and Delivery

Lead the creative development of major campaigns, projects and commissions, across all formats and channels, including print, digital and integrated campaign activity, ensuring work is consistently high quality and fit for purpose, from brief through to final delivery.

Provide senior creative direction to ensure work is clear, engaging, on‑brand and aligned to communications objectives, working with a wide range of internal clients across HMRC, navigating multiple decision‑makers while maintaining clarity of creative direction and ownership.

Operate confidently in a fast-paced environment, balancing the need for pace and responsiveness with thoughtful creative judgement, acting as the creative authority for complex, high-profile‑ or reputationally sensitive work.

Provide clear creative leadership and challenge where required, constructively testing briefs, assumptions and delivery expectations to protect creative quality and effectiveness, using strong professional judgement to offer solutions that balance ambition, feasibility and impact.

Remain actively involved in hands‑on creative work where appropriate, leading by example and setting the quality bar.

Creative Excellence, Quality and Process

Champion creative excellence across Brand and Creative, maintaining consistently high standards of concept, storytelling and execution.

Develop and embed clear creative processes and frameworks that support quality, efficiency and continuous improvement.

Use learning, feedback and insight to drive ongoing improvements in creative output and ways of working.

Encourage innovation and progressive thinking within a controlled and appropriate public sector context.

People leadership and capability building.

Provide direct line management to members of the creative team.

Set clear expectations, manage performance and support professional development.

Coach and mentor creatives to build confidence, judgement and creative capability.

Foster an inclusive, collaborative and supportive culture that enables creativity to thrive.

Commercial, Budget and Supplier Management

Hold responsibility for managing creative budgets, ensuring value for money and effective planning.

Lead relationships with external suppliers and third-party creative agencies.

Commission and manage outsourced creative work, ensuring it meets HMRCs standards and objectives.

Balance in‑house and external resource to meet demand while maintaining quality and pace.

Collaboration and Stakeholder Engagement

Work in close partnership with the account management team, recognising their central role in managing client relationships, resource allocation and the coordination of creative projects across Brand and Creative, providing senior leadership and oversight where required, ensuring strong alignment between client needs, creative direction and delivery priorities.

Bring senior creative direction, critical thinking and constructive challenge to briefs where required, supporting strong creative outcomes while respecting established briefing and governance processes.

Build and maintain trusted relationships with senior stakeholders across Communications and the wider business, helping to establish clear creative authority and confidence in the Brand and Creative offer.

Encourage a strong networking and relationship building‑ culture across the creative team, supporting individuals to engage effectively with stakeholders and represent Brand and Creative with confidence and professionalism.

Essential Criteria

Significant experience in a senior creative role such as Art Director or Creative Lead, with a strong track record of leading creative development and delivering high quality work.

Experience leading creative at scale in a complex organisation helping creative teams navigate layered governance and decision making, including management of budgets, suppliers and external creative partners.

Experience working with or commissioning external creative agencies and suppliers as a senior client and managing budgets.

Understanding of how creative supports behaviour change, public engagement or service outcomes with confidence in balancing creative ambition with organisational risk, particularly in sensitive or reputational contexts.

Experienced in line managing and developing creative professionals, responsible for building creative processes or quality frameworks to support their development and evolution.

Excellent creative judgement and the ability to give clear, constructive direction and feedback, using strong stakeholder management and communication skills at all levels as well as broad appreciation for creative and design trends, helping keep work relevant and authoritative.

Experience executing and leading creative across all formats, including online and offline (inc. print), corporate- and campaign-style creative deliverables.

Significant understanding in creative areas of motion and graphic design and copywriting, including understanding of Adobe Creative Suite (including InDesign, After Effects, Photoshop, Illustrator, Acrobat) and other relevant creative software.

Excellent knowledge of accessibility principles and guidelines, as well as working expertly within organisational brand guidelines.

Exceptional communications and stakeholder management skills.

Transitional Sites

For more information on where you might be working, review this information on our locations.

If your location preference is for one of the following sites, its important to note that these are not long-term sites for HMRC and we will require you to move to a new building in the future, subject to our location strategy and the applicable employee policies at that time.

These sites are:

• Benton Park View, Newcastle - moving to Pilgrims Quarter, Newcastle.
• Trinity Bridge House, Manchester - moving to an alternative office in Manchester/ Salford.

You will be given more information about what this means at the job offer stage.

Leeds Locations

Moves Adjustment Payment will be available for this role, provided the successful applicant is a current HMRC colleague in Bradford and meets the eligibility requirements outlined in the HMRCs Moves Adjustment Payment guidance.