Associate Creative Director – Design

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 Design, you’ll help lead and elevate Starling’s visual identity. You’ll bring strategic thinking and strong creative execution across digital and physical touchpoints. This role is about design craft, systems thinking and brand guardianship. You’ll work closely with the internal design team, shaping work that’s smart, consistent and beautiful — while making sure it always ladders back to the brand and business goals.

You’ll lead by example, helping others grow their design skills, and acting as a trusted voice for design across the business.

Key Responsibilities

Design Leadership and Brand Systems

• Own and evolve Starling’s visual identity and design system
• Guide the design team through complex briefs with clarity and intent
• Ensure consistency and quality across formats, channels and outputs
• Develop scalable design frameworks that support brand growth

Creative Direction and Delivery

• Lead design thinking and visual development on brand and marketing projects
• Translate creative concepts into clean, confident executions
• Ensure final work meets both strategic and visual standards
• Present confidently to stakeholders and offer clear rationale for design decisions

Team Mentorship and Collaboration

• Support and develop designers across levels with structured, useful feedback
• Champion a high level of craft across the team
• Collaborate closely with product, marketing, motion and writing teams
• Help connect the dots across design, content and technology

Requirements

• 6+ years experience in design, with a strong track record of building or evolving brands
• Expert-level understanding of brand systems, typography, layout and composition
• Deep fluency in Figma and Adobe Creative Suite
• A portfolio that shows clarity, consistency and design excellence across a variety of outputs
• Strong communicator who can advocate for design and inspire others
• Able to give clear, actionable feedback and lead by example

Bonus Points

• Experience building and maintaining design systems
• Comfort working alongside developers or product teams
• Understanding of accessibility, responsive design and digital guidelines
• Ability to input into tooling, process or team operations

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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