Head of Design

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Head of Design

Company: Entain

Location: London, England, United Kingdom

Job Type: Full-time

Category: Creative Operations / Design Leadership

Date Posted: 2026-09-23

Experience Level: 10+ Years

Remote Status: Hybrid

🚀 Role Summary

• Lead and inspire a multi-disciplinary design team within Entain Creative, an in-house agency focused on driving business performance through innovative content.

• Drive creative excellence and innovation, setting the strategic vision and acting as brand guardian for all global design outputs across Entain's iconic brands.

• Champion the adoption of AI and emerging technologies to enhance creative speed, insight, and overall quality of design execution.

• Translate business insights into award-winning, strategically grounded design concepts, from initial ideation through to final execution across multiple touchpoints.

• Partner closely with internal stakeholders to elevate creative output and ensure measurable business impact, optimizing design delivery processes for scalability across various brands.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role is positioned as a senior leadership position within an in-house creative agency, implying a strong focus on strategic direction, team management, and cross-functional collaboration. The emphasis on AI adoption, integrated campaigns, and measurable business impact suggests a blend of creative vision with operational efficiency and performance-driven outcomes, characteristic of modern GTM and operations leadership roles.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Define and articulate the overarching creative vision for Entain's design function, ensuring alignment with brand strategy and business objectives.

• Lead, mentor, and develop a team of design leaders and specialists, fostering a culture of high standards and continuous improvement in both static and motion design.

• Implement and oversee best practice processes for design delivery, ensuring efficient and scalable execution of creative briefs across multiple brands and markets.

• Drive the strategic integration of AI tools and technologies within the design workflow to enhance efficiency, unlock new creative possibilities, and improve the quality of final outputs.

• Collaborate effectively with marketing, product, and other cross-functional teams to translate business requirements into compelling creative solutions that resonate with target audiences.

• Act as a brand guardian, ensuring all design outputs are consistent with brand guidelines and contribute positively to brand perception and equity.

• Oversee the ideation and execution of integrated campaigns spanning CRM, performance marketing, TV, OOH, and social media, ensuring creative integrity and strategic alignment.

• Measure and report on the impact of design initiatives, using data and insights to inform future creative strategies and optimize campaign performance.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities highlight a strategic leadership role focusing on team management, process optimization, and cross-functional collaboration. The emphasis on "measurable business impact" and "scaling design delivery" points towards a Revenue Operations or GTM-aligned approach to creative leadership, where design is a critical driver of business outcomes.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: Bachelor's degree in Graphic Design, Fine Arts, Marketing, Communications, or a related field. Advanced degrees or certifications in design leadership or digital strategy are a plus.

Experience: Minimum of 10 years of progressive experience in design, with at least 5 years in a senior leadership role managing large, multi-location design teams across diverse brands.

Required Skills:

• Creative Leadership: Proven ability to set creative vision, inspire teams, and drive high-quality creative output.

• Team Management: Extensive experience leading and developing multi-disciplinary design teams, including designers, art directors, and motion graphics specialists.

• Brand Guardianship: Deep understanding of brand strategy and the ability to act as a custodian of brand identity across all creative assets.

• Integrated Campaign Design: Expertise in developing and executing creative concepts for integrated marketing campaigns across various channels (CRM, performance marketing, OOH, TV, social).

• AI for Design: Demonstrable curiosity and practical understanding of AI tools and their application in enhancing creative speed, quality, and innovation.

• Design Principles: Expert knowledge of core design principles, including typography, layout, color theory, motion graphics, and digital execution.

• Strategic Thinking: Ability to translate business objectives and customer insights into effective design strategies and creative solutions.

• Stakeholder Management: Strong interpersonal and communication skills to effectively partner with and influence stakeholders across different departments.

• Process Improvement: Experience in implementing and optimizing design workflows and processes to ensure efficient and scalable delivery.

Preferred Skills:

• Experience within the gaming or sports betting industry.

• Familiarity with CRM platforms and performance marketing analytics.

• Knowledge of emerging technologies beyond AI that impact creative execution.

• Experience working with global brands and diverse markets.

• Proficiency in project management methodologies relevant to creative operations.

📝 Enhancement Note: The qualifications emphasize leadership, strategic thinking, and practical application of design principles, with a strong focus on AI integration. The "10+" years of experience and leadership of "large, multi-location" teams suggest this role is for a seasoned professional capable of managing significant operational scope and strategic impact.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• A comprehensive portfolio showcasing a range of impactful, integrated creative work across multiple brands and campaign types.

• Specific examples demonstrating strategic design thinking, from initial concept development to final execution and measurable business results.

• Case studies highlighting leadership of design teams, process implementation, and successful collaboration with cross-functional stakeholders.

• Visual evidence of expertise in static design, motion graphics, typography, and digital execution, demonstrating a broad skill set.

• Examples of how AI or new technologies were leveraged to enhance creative output or efficiency within projects. Process Documentation:

• The ability to articulate and demonstrate established processes for design brief intake, concept development, creative review, and final asset delivery.

• Examples of implemented workflows that have improved design team efficiency, scalability, and quality across multiple brands or projects.

• Documentation or case studies illustrating how design processes have been optimized to support integrated marketing campaigns and drive measurable business impact.

• Evidence of how design operations are managed to ensure brand consistency and adherence to guidelines across a decentralized or multi-brand structure.

📝 Enhancement Note: For a Head of Design role, the portfolio is critical for demonstrating strategic impact and leadership. The emphasis on "integrated creative work," "measurable business results," and "process implementation" indicates that candidates will be evaluated not just on aesthetic quality, but on their ability to drive business outcomes through effective design operations.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: Based on industry benchmarks for a Head of Design role in London with 10+ years of experience and leadership responsibilities at a large global company, the estimated salary range is £90,000 - £130,000 per annum. This range accounts for the strategic nature of the role, the scope of team management, and the significant impact on business performance.

Benefits:

• Generous group bonus scheme, reflecting individual and company performance.

• Hybrid working model offering a balance between office collaboration and remote flexibility (2 days in the office per week).

• Comprehensive private medical insurance for employees and potentially dependents.

• Competitive pension scheme with a significant employer match of up to 6%.

• Additional "It's Your Game" day off, provided around Christmas or New Year for enhanced work-life balance.

• Entain & Enhance days: Two paid days annually dedicated to professional development or personal growth.

• Share save scheme, offering employees an opportunity to invest in the company's success.

Working Hours: The standard working hours are approximately 40 hours per week, with flexibility expected to meet project deadlines and business needs, typical for a leadership role.

📝 Enhancement Note: The salary estimate is based on typical compensation for senior creative leadership roles in London, considering the company's size and industry. The benefits package is detailed and comprehensive, highlighting Entain's commitment to employee well-being, professional development, and financial security.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Sports Betting and Gaming. Entain operates as a leading global player with a portfolio of iconic brands, indicating a dynamic, fast-paced, and highly regulated industry environment. This context implies a need for creative solutions that are both engaging and compliant.

Company Size: FTSE company, indicating a large, publicly traded corporation with significant global reach and operational complexity. This size suggests ample resources, structured processes, and opportunities for large-scale impact.

Founded: While the founding date isn't specified, Entain has a history through its acquired brands (e.g., Ladbrokes, Coral), suggesting a company with established market presence and evolving strategies to maintain leadership.

Team Structure:

• Entain Creative operates as an in-house agency, suggesting a dedicated team structure focused on serving internal brands and marketing departments.

• The Head of Design will lead a multi-disciplinary team, likely comprising design leaders, art directors, graphic designers, motion designers, and potentially UX/UI specialists.

• The team will collaborate closely with various departments, including marketing, brand management, product development, and potentially legal/compliance, to deliver integrated campaigns. Methodology:

• Data-Driven Creativity: Emphasis on using insights from CRM, performance marketing, and customer engagement data to inform creative strategies and measure impact.

• Agile Campaign Delivery: Implementing efficient processes to deliver campaigns across multiple media touchpoints (CRM, performance marketing, TV, OOH, social) at pace.

• Innovation & AI Integration: Proactively exploring and embedding emerging technologies, particularly AI, to enhance creative output, efficiency, and customer engagement.

Company Website: [Entain Company URL - Placeholder, as not provided in input]

📝 Enhancement Note: The company context highlights Entain as a major player in the gaming industry, operating as a large, public entity. The in-house agency model (Entain Creative) suggests a focus on internal client service and strategic alignment with core business objectives. The emphasis on data, AI, and agile delivery points to a modern, performance-oriented creative operations environment.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This role represents a senior leadership position, equivalent to a Director or VP level within a creative operations or marketing function. It involves strategic oversight, team building, process development, and significant cross-functional influence. The scope extends to global design outputs and the adoption of advanced technologies like AI.

Reporting Structure: The Head of Design likely reports to a senior executive within the Marketing or Creative function, such as a Chief Marketing Officer (CMO), Chief Creative Officer (CCO), or VP of Marketing. They will manage a team of design managers or senior designers.

Operations Impact: The role has a direct and significant impact on Entain's business performance by shaping brand perception, driving customer engagement, and optimizing marketing campaign effectiveness through high-quality, strategic design. Success is measured by business metrics like conversion rates, customer acquisition, and brand loyalty, not just creative output.

Growth Opportunities:

• Strategic Leadership Expansion: Potential to evolve into a broader creative leadership role, overseeing more aspects of brand communication or marketing strategy.

• Technology & Innovation Leadership: Opportunity to become