Lead Designer

Howatson+Company is an advertising agency that's committed to expressing creativity in all its forms to positively influence people and culture.

Put simply, we care fiercely. For the people who work here. For the brands we work on. And for the community we live in. That's why we overinvest in training, generosity and pausing to recognise excellence and effort in our people.

It's also why we're 100% carbon neutral.

What's my job?

Our Melbourne team are looking for a Lead Designer to bring new ideas and a fresh perspective to elevate our craft. Your role will involve shaping the creative direction of projects, ensuring they meet the highest quality standards while aligning with client objectives. Working across multiple projects, you will refine large-scale outputs, push creative boundaries, and elevate the overall design approach.

You will report to the Chief Design Officer.

A Day in the Life

• Own and oversee the design process from conception through delivery, guaranteeing that each project meets its objectives while pushing the boundaries of what is creatively possible.
• Mentor junior designers and provide thoughtful, constructive feedback to foster growth and creativity within the team.
• Take the creative lead in client collaborations, from the briefing process through to final client presentations, ensuring alignment between client vision and creative output.
• Set and elevate the quality benchmarks for all projects, ensuring precision and excellence are the default standard.
• Drive a strategic approach to design that delivers not just on immediate needs but anticipates future requirements, demonstrating a proactive approach to challenges and opportunities.
• Manage multiple high-impact projects at once while maintaining priorities, timelines, and quality.
• Drive cross-functional collaboration across internal teams to blend innovation with creativity, ensuring seamless and compelling design execution.

How will we know if you are the one?

• You have a comprehensive understanding of end-to-end design - from strategy and ideation, to execution and delivery, both digital and print outputs.
• You've proven your expertise in branding, art direction, and design systems, with an emphasis on crafting brand identities that are innovative and future-proof.
• Your portfolio showcases career defining work that has achieved real-world results.
• You're able to think strategically and connect design decisions to broader business and marketing objectives, delivering measurable value.
• You have exceptional communication skills: whether to clients or internal teams, you can present ideas, feedback, and decisions with clarity and persuasion.
• Your problem-solving mindset looks beyond the obvious for new, creative possibilities.
• You stay ahead of emerging design trends, tools, and platforms, and guide the integration of these innovations into studio methods.

Other things that will make you excel in this role

• Experience in brand strategy and development, with a deep understanding of how design impacts and enhances brand identity.
• Experience working in a collaborative agency environment, with a positive attitude and the ability to give and receive constructive feedback.
• Bachelor's degree in graphic design or a related field (preferred, but not required).
• Experience working on a client in the retail, fashion or beauty space is a huge plus.

Who are Howatson + Company?

Howatson + Company are a fully integrated creative agency that believe in the power of influence.

We believe that the magic comes from the '+'.

The intersection of diverse people, culture and capabilities, that create solutions that drive business outcomes for our clients and leave the world a better place.

How do we do it?

We care fiercely about the people we work with, the brands we work on and the world we live in.

We have several key values:

Be a customer

We act without judgement or preconceptions.

Diversity creates breakthrough

We embrace challenges and different points of view.

Collaboration is the only way

The intersection of our specialisms creates our magic.

Creativity is our weapon

We believe creativity can solve problems, create things people love and change the world for good.

We can only afford to be distinctive

No 'house style', we express creativity in all its forms.

Never walk alone

We bring everyone on the journey and it's everyone's job to contribute.

Values cost something

We don't compromise on our values, ever.

Some of our most recent accolades

• Contagious Pioneers - Best and Bravest 2024
• Adnews Creative, Independent, Employer and Agency of the Year 2024
• Cannes Global Independent Agency of the Year - Good 2023, #1 Independent Agency Australia 2024
• Mumbrella Full Service Agency of the Year 2025 & 2024, Creative, Independent and Emerging Agency of the Year 2023
• B&T Independent Agency of the Year 2023
• Andy's Global Independent Agency of the Year 2023
• Spikes Grand Prix, 4x Gold, 2x Silvers, Independent Agency of the Year 2023
• Adnews Independent Agency of the Year 2023
• LBB APAC Creative Agency of the Year 2022
• D&AD Global Independent Agency of the Year 2022
• LIA Grand Prix 2022, Independent Agency of The Year AU/NZ
• Mumbrella Emerging Agency of the Year 2022
• B&T Grand Prix Agency of the Year, Advertising Agency of the Year, Independent Agency of the Year, NSW Agency of the Year 2022
• Campaign AU/NZ Independent AOTY, AU/NZ Marketing AOTY, AU/NZ B2B AOTY 2022

Howatson+Company is proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity employer. We are committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive work environment. We do not discriminate based upon race, religion, colour, national origin, gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, status as an individual with a disability, or other applicable legally protected characteristics. We invite anyone to apply. Please send your details and CV to

If you require any reasonable adjustments to the recruitment process or the role, please let the recruitment consultant know.

To be eligible to apply, you must have Australian working rights.