About the role
We are looking for an established Designer with experience in Business to Business communications. Someone who can join a team with a new ambition. Reporting directly into our Director of Brand Marketing, this role will be allow the right person to genuinely shine. It will suit someone who can be independent, hire a junior, lead the output of the company and work across our geographical footprint.
Internal comms
The variety of tasks ranges from the BAU to helping on a new project to building out our proposition, tone of voice, values and design system for Cognito. We have a range of work from social posts, presentations, collateral and global support that require us to operate like an internal studio. This is the baseline of work that we can make even easier to produce through technology and process and we would hope the designer would come with examples of how we can improve.
Client work
We have a range of client work to build on. At the moment, this is conventional design in print, digital and social, but we are looking to build more film and content capability as we grow. We manage the time spent on projects through Asana and the designer would be protected from volume of projects by freelance and eventually (with their candidate guidance) a junior. We are keen to improve the work and inspire our clients to be braver, push boundaries and generally act a little less B2B…. and win some awards along the way.
Pitching
We are an ambitious lot and love to meet potential new clients. We need good design support through the funnel. From supporting initial RFP to thinking and ideas for pitches and decks. But increasingly, we also want to inspire potential clients with film, digital and social content and include in our pitches too. Initially the job is to improve our consistency, challenge and work with the team to make sure we win more!
Evolving the way we work and what we do
We are not the finished article and have only scratched the surface of what it possible / plausible and legal (for example with AI tools). If we are to consult clients on AI we would want the designer to also be clued up and have a POV on how we can use it for advantage in our business – whether just for workflow, or into adaptation and more inspired thinking. And in doing so, work with the team to show the power of ideas and ways of working with clients that are inspiring, fun and feel different.
Cognito is a small team, but we can call upon global resources and so the designer will also have the opportunity to build wider experiences with team members and clients outside of the UK. For example, we have design capability in Amsterdam and a set of clients in the US for whom we can do more.
Key skills we will be looking for:
- Genuinely excited about design – someone who cares about detail, for whom new ideas is why they get up in the morning.
- Making the complex seem effortless – we want creative thinking to drive the solution. Whether that’s about saying less and meaning more, showing ambition with our client brands or helping to hone a pitch argument
- Up to date with key software (Adobe Creative Suite is a must) and tools to enable the work to shine – a clear workflow and understanding of how to get work out are really important. We are recruiting for a producer to make this easier, but we’d expect the designer to be able to apply themselves
- Emotional intelligence – we want creative to form part of our values, so we want passionate communicators who can inspire others
- Digital and social application are becoming table stakes for good designers and we (like most agencies) would want to see work that pushed into the wider marketing world – we believe in integration and “challenge before channels” so are keen to walk the talk in every department
The ideal candidate would be able to demonstrate:
- Ideally some experience in financial services and/or financial technology/tech industries or B2B professional services
- Strong verbal and written communication skills
- Excellent attention to detail, and organisation skills
- A motivated self-starter
- Ability to manage and delegate work (soon!) with a proven track record in managing multiple projects.
- A team player with the ability to demonstrate enthusiasm, motivation and commitment with initiative and a persuasive manner
- Ideally versed in Microsoft teams and Slack and opening our minds to AI even….
Summary: It’s an exciting career opportunity for an ambitious individual who wants to take on additional responsibility and work with a talented team in a growing and ambitious company. Where ceilings don’t really exist, challenges are frequent and the ambition is ever-present.
Company benefits
- Pension (after probation) – The Company operates a contributory pension scheme. Under government regulations a minimum contribution of 3% must be contributed by the employee which is matched by a company contribution of 5%. Employees may choose to contribute more than 3% but the company contribution will remain unchanged at 5%
- Private medical Insurance (optional after probation)
- 1x half day holiday for each of the summer months – June/July/Aug (extra to holiday entitlement).
- Flexible working approach – minimum 3 days in the office required
- 10 Work from Anywhere days also included
- 25 days holidays per annum + bank holidays (Christmas closure – 3 days of annual leave)
- Season ticket loan (after probation)
- Cycle to work scheme allowing the acquisition of a bike over 12 months with a personal tax saving
- Opportunities to work in our offices around the world
- Cognito offers an annual £100 contribution to the purchase of any sports clothing, equipment or joining of a gym.