Organic Lead Designer - Fixed term contract

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Organic Lead Designer - Fixed Term Contract

Company: Visualsoft

Location: Stockton-on-Tees, England, United Kingdom

Job Type: TEMPORARY (Fixed-term contract, initially 9 months with possible extension)

Category: Creative & Design / Digital Marketing Operations

Date Posted: March 19, 2026

Experience Level: 5-10 years (inferred)

Remote Status: Hybrid (with potential for remote work within the UK)

🚀 Role Summary

• Lead a team of designers and videographers to create high-impact designs specifically for Organic Digital Marketing campaigns, driving Customer Engagement, SEO, and CRO initiatives.

• Take ownership of the creative output for Marketplace clients, ensuring innovative and efficient design solutions that meet best practices for these performance marketing channels.

• Implement rigorous quality control and approval processes for all design assets, ensuring consistency, adherence to brand guidelines, and alignment with eCommerce client objectives.

• Drive the commercial growth of the design department by identifying new sales opportunities and developing the service offering to maintain best-in-class standards.

• Serve as the primary liaison between the design team and other departments, translating business needs into actionable design plans and fostering cross-functional collaboration.

📝 Enhancement Note: The role is a fixed-term contract, which is crucial information for candidates. The focus on "Organic Digital Marketing" and specific channels (Customer Engagement, SEO, CRO, Marketplaces) indicates a strong need for candidates with experience in performance-driven design and a deep understanding of how design impacts conversion rates and client success in these areas, rather than purely aesthetic design. The inferred experience level (5-10 years) is based on the leadership and strategic responsibilities outlined.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Channel-Specific Creative Strategy: Spearhead the creative direction for Organic Digital projects, focusing on high-performance designs for Customer Engagement, SEO, CRO, and Marketplace clients.

• Service Offering Development: Continuously evolve and refine the design service offering to maintain best-in-class standards and elevate the quality of creative output for clients.

• Client Communication Management: Directly manage client communication related to design projects, ensuring clear understanding of requirements and effective delivery of creative solutions.

• Quality Control & Asset Approval: Oversee the review and approval of all design and video assets, ensuring they meet quality standards, brand guidelines, and are optimized for organic channels.

• Team Leadership & Development: Provide line management for Senior Designers and Designers, including conducting 121s, fostering team development, and monitoring performance against defined KPIs.

• Departmental Commercial Growth: Identify and pursue new creative sales opportunities within the Customer Engagement, SEO, CRO, and Marketplace sectors to drive departmental revenue.

• Internal Training & Development: Identify training needs within the team and execute internal training programs to upskill designers and videographers.

• Research & Development: Lead R&D efforts for the department, exploring new software, technologies, and creative possibilities to boost design efficiency and innovation.

• Cross-Departmental Liaison: Act as the main point of contact between the design team and other departments, facilitating seamless collaboration and translating business needs into design strategies.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities highlight a blend of strategic creative leadership, team management, and business development. The emphasis on "commercial growth" and "sales opportunities" suggests that this role requires not just creative talent but also a commercial mindset and the ability to contribute to the business's bottom line through design services.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education:

Experience:

• Proven experience in a Design or Digital Marketing role, with a significant portion focused on leading creative output.

• Experience in line management, mentoring, and performance monitoring of design teams.

Required Skills:

• Creative Suite Mastery: Expert proficiency in Adobe Photoshop & Illustrator is essential for creating high-quality visual assets.

• Video & Motion Production Expertise: Expert knowledge of After Effects and proficiency in video editing with Adobe Premiere or Final Cut Pro, specifically for high-performance organic creatives.

• User Experience (UX) Principles: Solid understanding of UX principles and their practical implementation in digital design to enhance user journeys and conversion rates.

• Creative Vision: Demonstrated creative flair, originality, and a strong visual sense, coupled with the ability to translate briefs into compelling designs.

• Digital Leadership: Proven experience in mentoring, leading, and coaching design and video teams within a digital environment.

• Proactive Mindset: A self-motivated individual with a 'can-do' approach and the ability to drive initiatives forward independently.

• Time Management: Ability to work effectively under tight deadlines, managing both personal tasks and team output.

• Strategic Planning: A preemptive thinker with strong forward-planning capabilities to anticipate needs and challenges.

• Commercial Awareness: A figures and forecast-oriented individual, target and performance-minded, capable of aligning design efforts with departmental and client targets.

• Detail Orientation: Highly organized with meticulous attention to detail, ensuring accuracy and quality in all design outputs.

• Leadership Style: Possesses strong initiative and an effective leadership style to guide and inspire the team.

• Technical Agility: Aptitude for quickly learning and adopting new technologies, systems, and processes relevant to design and digital marketing.

• Analytical Thinking: A technically minded individual interested in understanding how systems and processes work, particularly in relation to design effectiveness.

• Communication Skills: Excellent verbal and written communication skills for effective client liaison and internal team collaboration.

• Professional Integrity: Demonstrates professionalism, integrity, and a strong work ethic.

• Collaborative Spirit: A team player with a flexible and adaptable approach to working with others.

• Organisational Skills: Strong planning and organizational skills, with the ability to manage personal time effectively.

• Growth Mindset: A continuous willingness to learn, adapt, and improve skills and knowledge.

Preferred Skills:

• Organic Channel Expertise: Strong understanding of performance marketing channels including Customer Engagement, SEO, CRO, and Marketplaces, with an appreciation for how design impacts these channels.

• Development Appreciation: Familiarity with or appreciation for website development processes and principles.

• Innovation Interest: Keen interest in new technologies and emerging online marketing channels.

📝 Enhancement Note: The extensive list of "Core Competences, Skills and Personal Attributes" emphasizes a need for a candidate who is not only technically skilled but also a strong leader, strategic thinker, and commercially astute. The "Desirable" skills point towards candidates who can bridge the gap between creative output and business objectives in the digital marketing landscape.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• A comprehensive portfolio showcasing a range of high-performance organic digital marketing creative assets, including web page designs, banner ads, social media graphics, and video content.

• Demonstrations of how design decisions directly contributed to SEO, CRO, Customer Engagement, and Marketplace client success, supported by quantifiable results.

• Examples of workflow optimization and process improvement initiatives led or influenced by the candidate within design teams.

• Case studies detailing the process of translating client briefs into effective, functional designs, highlighting strategic thinking and problem-solving.

Process Documentation:

• Candidates should be prepared to discuss their approach to documenting and standardizing design processes, including:
  • Workflow Design: Developing efficient workflows for brief intake, creative concepting, asset production, and client feedback loops.
  • Implementation & Automation: Strategies for implementing new design tools or automating repetitive tasks to improve efficiency.
  • Measurement & Performance Analysis: How design performance is tracked, measured, and analyzed against KPIs, and how insights are used for continuous improvement.

📝 Enhancement Note: For a role of this nature, a strong portfolio is paramount. It should not just showcase creative work but also demonstrate strategic thinking, leadership, and a clear understanding of how design drives business results in specific digital marketing channels. Candidates should be ready to articulate the "why" behind their design choices and their impact on client goals.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range:

• Competitive basic salary with great progression options. (Specific range not provided, but Visualsoft is described as a leading eCommerce agency, suggesting a competitive offering for a Lead Designer role with management responsibilities).

Benefits:

• Unlimited Paid Holidays: A unique offering providing flexibility and work-life balance.

• Hybrid Working: Flexibility to work from home and in the office, promoting a balanced work environment.

• Medicash Cash Plan: Comprehensive health cash plan covering medical support, optical, dental, and offering a discounts platform, with up to £995 cashback annually.

• Employee Assistance Programme (EAP): Access to Vivup for mental health support, financial guidance, and wellbeing resources.

• Great Working Environments: Dog-friendly offices in Stockton-on-Tees and Manchester, fostering a positive atmosphere.

• High-Performance MacBook: Provision of essential technology for creative work.

• VS Perks: Monthly treats with options from vouchers to credits (Amazon, PlayStation, ASOS, H&M, Just Eat).

• Free Food & Drink: Complimentary breakfast, fruit, hot and cold beverages, and protein shakes.

• Friday Afternoon Drinks: A social perk to wind down the week.

• Pension Scheme: Support for future financial planning.

• Cycle to Work Scheme: Encouraging sustainable commuting.

• Discounts Across Brands: Employee discounts on company-related products and services.

• Regular Team Social Events: Opportunities for team bonding and social interaction.

• Training & Development: Investment in employee growth and skill enhancement.

• Talent Hunter Referral Bounty: £250 reward for successful referrals.

Working Hours:

• Approximately 40 hours per week, with flexibility offered through the hybrid working model.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "Unlimited Paid Holidays" and "Medicash Cash Plan" are particularly strong benefits. The salary is likely to be competitive for a lead role in a regional agency, but candidates should be prepared to negotiate based on their experience and the specifics of the fixed-term contract.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: eCommerce Agency, Digital Marketing Services. Visualsoft is a leading agency specializing in helping retailers succeed online.

Company Size: Large (likely 250-1000+ employees, inferred from the comprehensive benefits package and multi-office presence). This size suggests a structured environment with established processes but also opportunities for specialized roles and career progression.

Founded: Visualsoft has been established for a significant period, indicated by its position as a "leading eCommerce agency," implying a stable and experienced organization.

Team Structure:

• The Design department will likely include Senior Designers, Designers, and Videographers, reporting to this Lead Designer.

• This role also involves significant collaboration with other departments, such as SEO, CRO, Customer Engagement, Marketplace Management, Sales, and potentially Account Management teams.

Methodology:

• Data-Driven Design: Emphasis on using data from organic channels (SEO, CRO, Customer Engagement, Marketplaces) to inform creative decisions and measure impact.

• Agile Creative Processes: Likely employs iterative design processes, with quick turnarounds and feedback loops to adapt to client needs and campaign performance.

• Collaborative Workflow: Strong emphasis on cross-departmental collaboration to ensure design efforts are aligned with broader marketing and business strategies.

• Continuous Improvement: A culture that encourages R&D, training, and the adoption of new technologies to enhance efficiency and creative possibilities.

Company Website: [Visualsoft Company Website URL - provided as company_url in input]

📝 Enhancement Note: Visualsoft's focus on "championing clients," "one team," "creating change," and "caring about what matters" suggests a client-centric, collaborative, and forward-thinking culture. For a Lead Designer, this means understanding client goals deeply, working effectively with internal teams, and embracing innovation in eCommerce.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This role is positioned as a "Lead" designer, indicating a senior individual contributor with significant leadership and management responsibilities. It sits above a standard Designer role and signifies a step towards potential departmental management or senior creative leadership.

Reporting Structure:

• Reports to a Head of Department (e.g., Head of Creative, Head of Digital Marketing) or a Director.

• Manages a team of Senior Designers, Designers, and Videographers.

Operations Impact:

• The Lead Designer's impact is directly tied to the success of organic digital marketing campaigns for Visualsoft's clients.

• High-quality, effective designs contribute to improved SEO rankings, higher CRO rates, increased Customer Engagement, and better performance on Marketplaces, all of which translate to client retention and revenue growth for Visualsoft.

Growth Opportunities:

• Skill Advancement: Opportunity to deepen expertise in performance marketing design, video production for organic channels, and advanced creative software.

• Leadership Development: Further development in people management, strategic planning, and commercial leadership.

• Career Progression: Potential to advance into roles such as Head of Creative, Head of Design, or a senior Art Director position within Visualsoft, or to move into broader digital marketing management roles.

• Industry Exposure: Working with a diverse range of eCommerce clients provides broad industry experience.

• Training & Development: The company explicitly offers training and development, supporting continuous learning.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "fixed-term contract" nature introduces a unique dynamic. While offering potential for extension, candidates should understand this is a contract role, which might influence long-term career planning compared to a permanent position. However, the responsibilities and growth potential are indicative of a senior role.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: Hybrid working environment, with physical office spaces in Stockton-on-Tees and Manchester. The description indicates a "great working environment" that is also dog-friendly.

Office Location(s):

• Stockton-on-Tees, England, United Kingdom.

• Manchester, England, United Kingdom.

Workspace Context:

• Collaborative Spaces: The office environment is designed to foster collaboration, with opportunities to interact with design team members and colleagues from other departments.

• Technology-Rich: Provision of a "high-performance MacBook" indicates that the company invests in the necessary tools for creative professionals.

• Social & Relaxed: Perks like free breakfast, Friday drinks, and dog-friendly offices contribute to a positive and relaxed atmosphere conducive to creative work.

Work Schedule:

• Standard full-time hours (estimated 40 hours/week) with flexibility afforded by the hybrid working arrangement. This allows for better integration of personal life and professional responsibilities, beneficial for creative roles that may require focused, uninterrupted work time.

📝 Enhancement Note: The hybrid model is a significant aspect, offering flexibility. Candidates should clarify expectations regarding office days and the balance between remote and in-office work to ensure it aligns with their preferences and the team's needs.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: Review of CV and portfolio to assess suitability against core requirements.

• First Interview: Likely with the hiring manager or a senior member of the creative/digital marketing team to discuss experience, leadership style, and technical skills. This stage will heavily involve reviewing portfolio pieces.

• Creative/Technical Assessment: A practical exercise or case study may be introduced, focusing on designing for organic channels or solving a specific design challenge for an eCommerce client.

• Team/Cross-Functional Interview: Meeting with potential direct reports or colleagues from other departments (e.g., SEO, CRO) to assess collaboration skills and cultural fit.

• Final Interview: Potentially with a senior director to discuss strategic vision, commercial growth plans, and overall fit with Visualsoft's values.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Showcase Organic Channel Expertise: Clearly highlight projects where your design work directly impacted SEO, CRO, Customer Engagement, or Marketplace performance. Quantify results whenever possible (e.g., "Increased conversion rate by X%", "Improved engagement metrics by Y%").

• Demonstrate Leadership: Include examples of projects where you led a team, mentored junior designers, or managed client relationships. Explain your leadership approach.

• Highlight Process: For each key project, briefly explain your design process, from brief interpretation to final delivery, emphasizing any optimizations or strategic decisions made.

• Video & Motion Graphics: Ensure your portfolio includes strong examples of video production and motion graphics relevant to digital marketing campaigns.

• Tailor to Visualsoft: Research Visualsoft's client base and recent work. If possible, present case studies that align with their typical clients or strategic focus areas.

Challenge Preparation:

• Organic Channel Focus: Be prepared for a design challenge that requires you to consider the nuances of SEO (e.g., readability, meta descriptions integration), CRO (e.g., clear calls-to-action, persuasive copy integration), and user experience for specific client types (e.g., eCommerce retailers).

• Problem-Solving: Anticipate questions about how you would approach a new client brief, manage conflicting feedback, or improve the efficiency of the design workflow.

• Commercial Acumen: Be ready to discuss how design contributes to commercial objectives and how you would identify and pursue new sales opportunities for the department.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on "Organic Digital Marketing" and specific channels means candidates must go beyond general design skills. They need to demonstrate an understanding of how design serves performance marketing goals and client commercial objectives. A strong portfolio with measurable results is key.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Adobe Creative Suite: Expert knowledge of Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator is a mandatory requirement for asset creation.

• Video & Motion Production: Expert knowledge of After Effects for motion graphics and proficiency in video editing with Adobe Premiere or Final Cut Pro are essential.

• Content Management System (CMS): Experience in building web pages using a CMS is required, indicating familiarity with platforms like WordPress, Shopify, or similar.

Analytics & Reporting:

• While not explicitly listed as required tools, a Lead Designer in this role would benefit from familiarity with:
  • Google Analytics or similar web analytics platforms to understand user behavior and campaign performance.
  • SEO/CRO Tools: Awareness of tools used by SEO and CRO specialists to understand data and inform design.
  • Heatmapping/User Recording Tools: (e.g., Hotjar, Crazy Egg) to gain insights into user interaction on web pages.

CRM & Automation:

• Familiarity with how design integrates with CRM systems (e.g., Salesforce, HubSpot) or marketing automation platforms may be beneficial, especially for customer engagement campaigns.

📝 Enhancement Note: The core requirement is mastery of Adobe Creative Suite and video editing tools. However, understanding how these tools integrate with CMS platforms and how design outputs are measured using analytics tools is crucial for demonstrating the "performance marketing" aspect of the role.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Client Championing: A commitment to understanding and celebrating client success in the online space, translating this into design solutions that drive results.

• One Team Collaboration: A strong emphasis on teamwork, both within the design department and in close collaboration with other Visualsoft teams (SEO, CRO, Sales, etc.). Fostering an environment where ideas are shared and collective success is prioritized.

• Change Creation: Embracing the evolving nature of eCommerce and digital marketing by staying innovative, proactive, and open to new technologies and approaches.

• Caring About What Matters: A commitment to making a positive impact, not only for clients but also for employees, the community, and the planet. This suggests a company with a sense of purpose and ethical considerations.

• Efficiency & Effectiveness: As a lead designer in a performance-focused environment, there's an inherent value placed on creating designs that are not only aesthetically pleasing but also highly functional and efficient in achieving campaign goals.

Collaboration Style:

• Cross-functional Integration: Expected to work seamlessly with SEO, CRO, and Marketplace teams, translating their strategic needs into actionable design plans.

• Feedback Culture: A willingness to give and receive constructive feedback to continuously improve design quality and team performance.

• Knowledge Sharing: Encouraging an environment where team members share best practices, new techniques, and insights to elevate the collective skill set.

• Proactive Communication: Maintaining open and clear communication channels with the team and other departments to ensure alignment and address potential issues early.

📝 Enhancement Note: The company values provide a strong framework for the expected behavior and mindset of employees. For this role, it means demonstrating how design directly supports client success, how you collaborate effectively with technical marketing teams, and how you embrace innovation within a structured agency environment.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Balancing Creative Vision with Performance Metrics: The primary challenge is to ensure that creative output is innovative and aesthetically strong while strictly adhering to the performance requirements of organic digital marketing channels (SEO, CRO, Marketplaces).

• Managing Diverse Client Needs: Working with a range of clients, each with unique brand guidelines, target audiences, and performance objectives, requires adaptability and strategic design thinking.

• Fixed-Term Contract Uncertainty: For the candidate, the challenge lies in navigating a role on a fixed-term basis, potentially requiring adaptation to a new environment and the search for future opportunities.

• Leading and Motivating a Team: Effectively managing, mentoring, and motivating a team of designers and videographers, especially under tight deadlines and performance pressures.

• Staying Ahead of Trends: The fast-paced nature of digital marketing and design requires continuous learning to keep up with new technologies, design trends, and platform best practices.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Specialized Training: Opportunities to deepen expertise in performance marketing design, eCommerce UX/CRO, and advanced video production techniques for digital channels.

• Leadership Skills: Development in people management, strategic planning, and commercial acumen through leading a team and contributing to department growth.

• Industry Exposure: Gaining experience with a wide array of eCommerce clients and their specific challenges.

• Mentorship: Potential to receive mentorship from senior leaders within Visualsoft, and to mentor junior team members.

• Technology Adoption: Learning to leverage new design software and digital marketing technologies to enhance efficiency and creative possibilities.

📝 Enhancement Note: Candidates should be prepared to discuss how they approach these challenges and how they see this role as an opportunity for professional growth, even within a fixed-term contract.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "How would you approach designing a landing page for an eCommerce client aimed at improving their SEO ranking and CRO simultaneously?" (Focus on balancing user experience, technical SEO considerations, and persuasive design elements.)

• "Describe a time you had to lead your team through a particularly challenging project with tight deadlines. What was your strategy, and what was the outcome?" (Assess leadership, problem-solving, and team management skills.)

• "How do you ensure that creative output aligns with commercial objectives and contributes to client ROI in channels like Customer Engagement or Marketplaces?" (Evaluate commercial awareness and understanding of performance marketing.)

Company & Culture Questions:

• "How do Visualsoft's values – 'We champion our clients,' 'We are one team,' 'We create change,' and 'We care about what matters' – resonate with your own professional philosophy and how would you embody them in this role?" (Gauge cultural fit and alignment with company ethos.)

• "Describe your ideal collaborative relationship with other departments, such as SEO, CRO, and Sales." (Assess ability to foster cross-functional teamwork.)

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Structure Your Narrative: For each case study, clearly state the client objective, your role, the design challenge, your strategic approach, the tools used, the rationale behind your design decisions, and the quantifiable results achieved.

• Highlight Performance Impact: Emphasize how your designs directly contributed to improvements in SEO, CRO, Customer Engagement, or Marketplace performance. Use data and metrics effectively.

• Showcase Leadership: If applicable, include projects where you led a team, managed client expectations, or implemented process improvements.

• Demonstrate Technical Proficiency: Be ready to discuss your mastery of the required design and video tools, and how you leverage them for efficiency and effectiveness.

• Conciseness and Clarity: Present your best work clearly and concisely, being prepared to elaborate on specific aspects when asked.

📝 Enhancement Note: Candidates should prepare to discuss their experience with performance marketing channels. The interview will likely assess not only design skill but also leadership capability, commercial acumen, and the ability to integrate design thinking into broader digital marketing strategies.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Organic Lead Designer - Fixed Term Contract position:

• Submit your application through the provided link on Workable.

• Customize Your Resume: Highlight experience in Organic Digital Marketing, Customer Engagement, SEO, CRO, and Marketplace design. Emphasize leadership roles, team management, and any commercial growth contributions.

• Curate Your Portfolio: Select projects that best demonstrate your expertise in the required tools (Adobe Creative Suite, After Effects, Premiere/Final Cut Pro) and showcase measurable results tied to performance marketing objectives. Ensure it includes examples of web page design and video/motion graphics.

• Prepare Your Narrative: Be ready to articulate your design process, leadership style, and how your contributions have driven client success and commercial growth in previous roles. Practice presenting your portfolio and discussing case studies.

• Research Visualsoft: Understand their client base, services, and company values. Prepare thoughtful questions about the role, team, and company culture.

⚠️ Important Notice: This enhanced job description has been generated to provide comprehensive insights into the role, drawing upon industry standards and the provided information. While every effort has been made to ensure accuracy, candidates are strongly advised to verify all details, especially regarding the fixed-term nature and specific responsibilities, directly with Visualsoft during the application process.