Design Director, Marketing

Who We Are:

We power the passion for sport - IMG is an industry-leading global sports marketing agency, specializing in media rights management and sales, multi-channel content production and distribution, brand partnerships, digital services, and events management. It powers growth of revenues, fanbases and IP for more than 200 federations, associations, events, and teams, including the National Football League, English Premier League, International Olympic Committee, National Hockey League, Major League Soccer, ATP and WTA Tours, the All England Lawn Tennis & Croquet Club (Wimbledon), EuroLeague Basketball, DP World Tour, and The R&A, as well as UFC, WWE, and PBR. IMG is a subsidiary of TKO, a premium sports and entertainment company. 

We're looking for an exceptional creative leader who thrives where strategy, storytelling and design meet. Someone equally comfortable shaping the creative vision for a global marketing campaign, leading a business-winning pitch, or inspiring a team to produce their best work. This is a rare opportunity to influence one of the world's biggest names in sport and entertainment while helping define how IMG shows up to clients, partners and fans around the world.

This role oversees and influences creative across graphic design, presentation design, campaign creative, brand identity, digital, social, motion and experiential activation. Bringing together strategy, storytelling, design and innovation to create work that wins clients, builds brands and inspires audiences. Perfect for someone who thrives in a fast-paced environment, champions bold, original thinking grounded in strategic insight with a passion for sport. You’ll collaborate closely with senior leaders, business development teams and marketers to ensure visually striking, strategically effective designs are delivered to the highest standards.

Key Responsibilities and Accountabilities

• Lead creative for IMG's most strategically important pitches and RFPs from initial brief through to presentation.
• Raise the creative ambition of every pitch by bringing unexpected ideas, strong conceptual thinking and world-class execution.
• Build pitch frameworks, templates and presentation systems that enable faster, higher-quality responses.
• Drive creative direction for major clients from initial concept through final delivery.
• Oversee brand development through campaigns, brand activities, and marketing collateral.
• Manage, mentor, and inspire a team of designers and set standards for quality, consistency, and creative excellence.
• Collaborate directly with senior stakeholders, industry-leading strategists and marketers to interpret briefs and shape visual direction.

Knowledge and Experience

• 10+ years in design with at least 3 years leading teams in an agency, studio, or in-house creative environment.
• A strong portfolio - we'd love to see examples of:
  • Winning pitch presentations

• Integrated marketing campaigns
• Brand systems
• Large-scale activations

• Exceptional typography, layout and visual storytelling skills.
• Knowledge in AI-driven design tools (E.g. Flora, Runway, Nano Banana, generative design) to improve creative, storytelling and time efficiencies.
• Experience presenting and selling creative concepts to senior leadership.
• Fluency in Adobe Creative Suite, Figma, and comfort with motion and digital design.
• Proven ability to manage multiple projects and priorities without sacrificing quality.
• Experience in sports, entertainment, or culturally driven brands preferred.

Skills and Abilities

• A creative leader who raises the bar for everyone around you.
• A natural storyteller who knows how to turn ideas, strategy and raw content into beautifully crafted narratives.
• You give direct, constructive feedback and create space for your team to do their best work.
• You believe great design can change how people feel about a brand, an event, or a moment and you want to prove it at the highest level.
• Highly organised, thrive in high-pressure environments, staying calm, focused and sharp when deadlines are tight.

In addition, success at IMG is driven by four core competencies that apply to all employees:

• Business Acumen – Understanding financial drivers, interpreting business data, aligning decisions to strategic outcomes
• Operational Excellence – Driving efficiency, governance, and continuous improvement in delivery & operations
• Innovation Mindset – Cultivating curiosity, experimentation, and forward-looking capability development
• Leadership & Collaboration – Inspiring others, building trust, and enabling collaboration across teams

Working Conditions

• This is a permanent position
• This role will be based at Chiswick Park, with some flexibility on remote working as appropriate
• Working hours are 9:00 – 17:00, Monday to Friday
• May be required to attend (and travel to) locations, including other IMG buildings and meetings and industry events.
• Unsocial hours may be required, as dictated by the demands of the business schedule, including when working to a pitch or proposal deadline.
• Adapting to use of new systems and technology where appropriate

TKO EEO Statement:

TKO is an Equal Opportunity Employer and complies with all applicable federal, state, and local laws regarding non-discrimination in employment. TKO makes employment decisions based on merit and qualifications, without considering an employee’s or applicant’s race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, age, disability, marital status, veteran status, or any other basis prohibited under federal, state or local laws governing non-discrimination in employment in every location in which the Company has facilities. TKO also provides reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and applicable state or local laws. For information about Privacy and Information Security for TKO employment candidates, please review our Privacy Policy