Hello, we’re Starling. We built a new kind of bank because we knew technology had the power to help people save, spend and manage their money in a new and transformative way. We’re a fully licensed UK bank with the culture and spirit of a fast-moving, disruptive tech company. We’re a bank, but better: fairer, easier to use and designed to demystify money for everyone. We employ more than 3,500 people across our London, Southampton, Cardiff and Manchester offices.
As Associate Creative Director of Art Direction, you’ll help shape Starling’s brand through campaign ideas, storytelling and big visual moments. You’ll take the lead on creative concepting and execution across shoots, advertising, content and brand activations. This role is about visual storytelling, strong art direction and the ability to create work that resonates and inspires.
You’ll collaborate with writers, producers, designers and marketers to bring ideas to life. You’ll direct and guide others, helping raise the creative bar while acting as a clear and trusted voice across the business.
Key ResponsibilitiesCreative Leadership and Campaign Development
Lead concepting and visual storytelling across campaigns and brand communications
Develop original creative ideas that work across film, photography, print and digital
Partner closely with writers and strategists to shape compelling narratives
Take projects from concept to delivery, ensuring strong creative direction throughout
Art Direction and Brand Expression
Push the look and feel of campaigns, shoots and branded content
Oversee photography, film and illustration commissions with a strong creative point of view
Guide post-production and asset creation to maintain quality and intent
Help evolve Starling’s brand expression while staying aligned to the visual identity
Collaboration and Team Mentorship
Support and guide midweight and junior creatives with clear, constructive feedback
Collaborate with internal partners and external agencies to deliver standout work
Maintain strong relationships with production teams, talent and vendors
Contribute to a culture of curiosity, collaboration and creative ambition
Requirements
- 6+ years experience in art direction, campaign development or visual storytelling
- A portfolio that shows big ideas, sharp execution and a clear creative voice
- Strong experience leading shoots and working across photography, film and branded content
- Confident presenting work and guiding creative discussions with stakeholders
- Fluent in Adobe Creative Suite and comfortable working in Figma
- Able to lead others while being hands-on when needed
Bonus Points
- Experience commissioning photographers, directors or illustrators
- Comfortable working on campaign strategy and messaging
- Knowledge of content creation across social, motion and OOH
- Familiarity with creative budgets, resourcing and production planning
Benefits
- 25 days holiday (plus take your public holiday allowance whenever works best for you)
- An extra day’s holiday for your birthday
- Annual leave is increased with length of service, and you can choose to buy or sell up to five extra days off
- 16 hours paid volunteering time a year
- Salary sacrifice, company enhanced pension scheme
- Life insurance at 4x your salary
- Private Medical Insurance with VitalityHealth including mental health support and cancer care. Partner benefits include discounts with Waitrose, Mr&Mrs Smith and Peloton
- Generous family-friendly policies
- Perkbox membership giving access to retail discounts, a wellness platform for physical and mental health, and weekly free and boosted perks
- Access to initiatives like Cycle to Work and Salary Sacrificed Gym partnerships
About Us
You may be put off applying for a role because you don't tick every box. Forget that! While we can’t accommodate every flexible working request, we're always open to discussion. So, if you're excited about working with us, but aren’t sure if you're 100% there yet, get in touch anyway.
We’re on a mission to radically reshape banking – and that starts with our brilliant team. Whatever came before, we’re proud to bring together people of all backgrounds and experiences who love working together to solve problems.
Starling Bank is an equal opportunity employer, and we’re proud of our ongoing efforts to foster diversity & inclusion in the workplace. Individuals seeking employment at Starling Bank are considered without regard to race, religion, national origin, age, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, marital status, medical condition, ancestry, physical or mental disability, military or veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.
By submitting your application, you agree that Starling Bank may collect your personal data for recruiting and related purposes. Our Privacy Notice explains what personal information we may process, where we may process your personal information, its purposes for processing your personal information, and the rights you can exercise over our use of your personal information.
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What We Do
Hello, we’re Starling.
Banking was broken – so we decided to fix it. The vision? Fast technology, fair service and honest values. All at the tap of a phone, all the time.
We built Britain’s first digital bank.
One hard-won banking licence later, we set about giving people a new way to spend, save and manage their money (and take better care of the planet, too).
We’re changing banking for good.
Back then, we were obsessed with unravelling the knotty world of finance and solving people’s problems rather than selling them stuff. We still are.
Since then, we’ve grown. A lot.
Over three million accounts (and four account types!). A team of thousands. Headquartered in London with offices in Cardiff, Dublin, Manchester and Southampton. Five years voted Which? Recommended Provider and Britain's Best Banking Brand. Still zero branches.
Our culture is open, inclusive and focused on solving real customer problems, with an emphasis on doing the right thing, even when it’s not always the easy thing. From our approach to working together and sustainability to how we build our products, our decisions need to make the world – and Starling – a better place to be.
Everyone at Starling is essential to our mission, which is really quite simple: to solve our customer’s problems – and build the best bank in the world!
And now we're providing Starling to other banks, via a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) proposition through our subsidiary Engine, using the proprietary technology platform that it uses to power our own bank.
