Job Description

What's in it for you?:

Hakim Group is the UK's fastest-growing group of independent opticians. Our success comes from sticking closely to our core values, being honest, ambitious, kind, industrious, and meticulous.

Our people are the heartbeat of our business. We're committed to giving you the tools, support, and structure you need to excel in your role, helping you achieve your personal and professional aspirations.

This role is hybrid-based, working from our HQ in Darwen three days per week.
You will also receive::

You'll join an empowering environment where your creativity and commercial insight will have a significant, tangible impact--transforming not only Hakim Group's future but revolutionising the independent optical industry. This is an opportunity to shape the creative direction of a rapidly growing company in a collaborative and innovative work environment, with significant professional development and growth opportunities as we continue our ambitious expansion.

Competitive salary Company pension Employee discount On-site parking Cycle to work scheme Free parking Health & wellbeing programme Additional leave Sick pay

About the Role:

As our Head of Creative, you'll be at the centre of driving commercial success through impactful, innovative creative campaigns while leading one of the most exciting transformational periods in our company's history. You'll spearhead the creative vision across our rapidly expanding portfolio of independent opticians, managing multiple rebranding projects that preserve the unique character of each practice while creating a cohesive, premium brand experience.

Your day-to-day will be dynamic and varied, from leading strategic brand development sessions and creative briefings, to reviewing campaign concepts with your multidisciplinary team of designers and AV specialists and collaborating with teams across Growth - which contains the Marketing, Digital, and CRM teams. You'll be hands-on in developing high-end luxury retail experiences that elevate our brands in the competitive optical market, while simultaneously overseeing the implementation of industry-wide campaigns that position Hakim Group as the leader in independent optical care.

This role demands both strategic thinking and creative excellence. You'll redesign the creative function for personalisation at scale, introducing content strategy and copywriting alongside design and AV, building capacity (including likely growing the team quite considerably), and delivering a step-change in production through clear SLAs, agile workflows, and tooling. You'll establish robust, modular processes for briefing, review and approval, with reusable templates and brand systems that protect each practice's individuality while enabling fast, consistent rollout across the estate. Partnering closely with Marketing, Digital and CRM, and collaborating with other department heads, you'll align creative across every touchpoint to drive measurable commercial impact while upholding premium brand standards.
You'll also be at the forefront of innovation, exploring how AI and emerging technologies can enhance our creative processes and deliver even more impactful results. From conceptualising multi-channel campaigns to leading rebranding initiatives for newly acquired practices, you'll shape not just individual projects but the entire creative direction of a company that's revolutionising the independent optical industry.

You'll work closely with senior leadership ensuring our creative direction strategically supports Hakim Group's commercial ambitions and positions us as industry leaders.

Key Roles & Responsibilities

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Creative Leadership & Strategy

Lead and inspire a high-performing creative team, including designers, content writers, and audio-visual specialists, creating an environment where commercial acumen and creativity combine to deliver outstanding results. Drive our CRM-centric content strategy, crafting and personalising copy through data-led audience insights, while spearheading the build-out of a central content hub and its supporting asset-management/PIM infrastructure. Develop and implement comprehensive creative strategies that align directly with Hakim Group's commercial objectives and ambitious growth targets. Oversee multiple rebranding projects across our portfolio of independent opticians, ensuring each transformation enhances both individual practice identity and collective brand strength. Create and maintain sophisticated brand guidelines that enable consistency while preserving the unique character and heritage of individual practices. Drive forward-thinking, industry-wide campaigns that elevate our collective brand presence and differentiate Hakim Group in the competitive optical marketplace.

Team Management & Development

Manage, mentor, and develop a multidisciplinary team of creative professionals, fostering a culture of innovation, accountability, and proactive problem-solving. Develop the creative department to improve workflow efficiency, output quality, and team performance alignment with commercial and strategic objectives. Establish clear, effective processes for creative briefing, coordination, review, and approval that facilitate seamless collaboration across teams. Elevating the process through working with the new insights team applying greater customer understanding to the briefs. Implement tools and methodologies that enhance team productivity while maintaining the highest creative standards. Collaborate strategically with other department heads to ensure complete alignment of creative vision across Marketing, Digital, and CRM functions.

Brand Development & Portfolio Management

Lead rebranding initiatives for independent optical practices within our portfolio, balancing commercial objectives with respect for established practice heritage and customer relationships. Each optical practice as a strong standalone brand with its own unique identity, visual language, and market positioning, ensuring they can compete effectively as independent entities in their local markets. Manage the Hakim Group brand identity, focusing on industry recognition, stakeholder communications, and corporate positioning. Also leading project to ensure branding is consistent across all touchpoints, both externally and internally. Explore and develop concepts for a potential independent optical collective brand that could connect multiple practices under a shared industry umbrella, working collaboratively with external agency partners to research, conceptualise, and potentially implement this innovative approach to optical industry branding.

Campaign Development & Execution

Conceptualise and execute multi-platform campaigns across digital, social, video, print, and real-world experiences that deliver clear, measurable commercial results. Lead the planning and execution of comprehensive creative campaigns, including digital, video, print, and in-practice activations, ensuring they are delivered on time and within budget. Oversee the production of creative assets for both digital and traditional media, maintaining rigorous quality assurance and taking responsibility for final sign-off. Measure and optimise campaign performance based on data insights, regularly reviewing effectiveness to refine creative strategies and maximise ROI. Work with internal teams and external partners to craft compelling storytelling that seamlessly integrates with digital and marketing team execution for maximum commercial impact.

Innovation & Trend Analysis

Stay at the forefront of industry trends, creative innovations, and emerging technologies, identifying opportunities to leverage new creative approaches. Explore and implement the potential of AI and other cutting-edge technologies in creative processes to enhance efficiency and creative output. Drive continuous improvement in creative processes, implementing innovative solutions that address complex business challenges. Foster a culture of experimentation and forward-thinking that positions Hakim Group and our independent practice partners as an industry innovators. Regularly assess the commercial performance of creative initiatives, adjusting strategies and resource allocation to continuously improve effectiveness.

Budget & Resource Management

Manage creative budgets strategically, ensuring spend aligns with commercial objectives and delivers optimum returns on investment. Oversee partnerships with external agencies, freelancers, and suppliers, balancing quality with cost efficiency to maximise commercial outcomes. Allocate resources effectively across multiple concurrent projects, ensuring each rebranding initiative and campaign receives appropriate support. Manage a high-volume pipeline with clear prioritisation, capacity planning and traffic control; scale team size and capability through phased hiring, flexible agency support, and disciplined SLAs and budgets. Monitor and report on budget performance, making data-driven decisions to optimise spend and improve commercial results.

The Ideal Candidate

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You'll be a commercially savvy creative leader with proven experience in creative leadership roles, including developing successful creative strategies and campaigns. Ideally, you'll have specific experience managing creative for acquisition or merger scenarios, with a strong understanding of multi-location brand management challenges. You'll have a proven track record of developing innovative, commercially impactful campaigns, comfortably aligning creative strategies with tangible business objectives. Experience in retail, healthcare, or optical industry would be highly valued, particularly with luxury or premium brand creative direction. You excel in high-volume creative production, delivering personalised, segmented campaigns at scale via leading marketing-automation or similar platforms. Experienced at managing creative budgets strategically, you'll understand how to allocate resources to maximise ROI while maintaining creative excellence. You thrive in fast-paced environments, effortlessly balancing creativity with strategic thinking, and excel at managing and developing multidisciplinary creative teams. Adaptable and proactive, you'll confidently navigate relationships with senior stakeholders and independent practice partners, translating complex creative ideas into clear, commercially relevant direction. You're someone who embraces challenges, driving innovation while consistently delivering measurable commercial outcomes. Your outstanding creative vision and aesthetic judgment will be matched by strong leadership abilities and excellent project management skills.

What's Next?:

Click apply below and we will ensure you are contacted as soon as possible by one of our team.
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