Head of Creative Solutions

Job Description

About the Job The Head of Creative Solutions at Bolster is a creative visionary and strategic leader, responsible for shaping and evolving the agency’s design, content, social, and campaign creative into a market-leading force. Sitting at the nexus of culture, media, and storytelling, this role ensures that Bolster’s creative output is not only visually and conceptually groundbreaking but also strategically aligned, commercially impactful, and flawlessly executed. A creative, empathetic and strong leader, they will lead and mentor the Creative Solutions team, fostering a high-performance culture where creativity and innovation really thrive, where people feel empowered to push boundaries,think outside the mould, and are passionate about what they do. The Head of Creative Solutions works closely with the Group General Manager - Marketing Solutions to maintain quality control, creative innovation, and alignment with the agency’s broader media strategy. They will also work alongside the Senior Leadership Team (SLT), including the Head of Media, to ensure creativity is aligned to a changing media landscape, and also help infuse Bolster’s media offering with a dose of creativity. The Head of Creative Solutions is instrumental in winning pitches, crafting compelling creative solutions for clients, and then working hand-in-glove with the delivery teams to ensure these ideas are executed at the highest level. They are responsible for bridging creative ideation and execution, ensuring Bolster delivers industry-defining work that makes an impact for our clients – whether through brand storytelling, high-production campaign creative, best-in-class social, or design-led thinking. Ultimately, they will play a key role in building Bolster Group’s reputation as APAC’s most culturally connected creative and media agency. OK, I’m sold – but what even is Bolster? We are integrated communications specialists with an eye on culture.Headquartered from Melbourne Australia, we’re a team of 50+ passionate individuals spread across four specialist teams.Our foundational clients include festivals and events such as Splendour In The Grass, Bluesfest, St Jerome’s Laneway Festival, and more recently RISING Festival, ALWAYS LIVE and Sydney Festival.Bolster Group has devised integrated campaigns for some of the world’s biggest brands including Bacardi-Martini Australia, KFC, Google, EA Games, Samsung, Warner Music, and more. We’re the agency you bring in when you want to play meaningfully in music and broader culture.At Bolster, we do loads of stuff, but 3 things really well: Consulting: We guide brands and experience makers through a challenging landscape with pointed insights and cultural understanding. Our consulting services extend across culture marketing, creative and content, media, social and community building. Branded entertainment: We devise fan-led creative solutions and storytelling that helps brands cut through. Media: We amplify brands within impactful media, ensuring our clients are in front of the right people at the right time. Our offering extends even further when you consider our sister agencies: Aeroplane (experiential and commercial rights); Common State (PR); and Going North (First Nations cultural engagement). Ultimately, Bolster Group is famous for connecting brands to their fans. What You’ll Be Doing Creative Direction & Creative Execution Lead the creative response for new business opportunities, working with the Client Partnerships team and other teams to develop compelling, insight-driven, culture-led pitches Oversee creative ideation, campaign direction, and design thinking, ensuring all creative work is innovative, brand-aligned, and commercially effective Confidently present creative ideas to clients, addressing concerns and ensuring a seamless transition from concept through to execution Work closely with the GM - Marketing Solutions to refine Bolster’s creative offering, ensuring it remains cutting-edge and differentiated in the market Oversee all creative and social retainers – providing ongoing creative direction and oversight – to ensure that clients receive consistent, high-quality content and campaign work over time that is aligned to brand strategy, audience insights, and platform trends Optimise creative retainers, identifying opportunities to maximise both efficiency and creative impact, improve output quality and innovation, and – importantly – strategic pivots where required, to deliver work that meets and exceeds client objectives Work collaboratively with the Creative Solutions team members to develop engaging, culturally relevant content that drives sustained impact Ensure all creative outputs are measurable and performance-driven, collaborating with the GM - Marketing Solutions, strategists and the Media team to integrate audience and data-driven insights into creative execution Partner with the delivery team members to ensure that all work – from retainers to one-off projects – are executed at the highest possible standard, on time and within budget Work closely with the delivery team members to problemsolve creative challenges during execution, ensuring the original vision is upheld without compromising feasibility Team Management & Leadership Lead, mentor and develop a high-performing creative team (of 3-4 direct reports), fostering an environment of collaboration, creativity and excellence Conduct weekly 1on1 meetings, set clear expectations, provide ongoing, timely and actionable feedback Monitor progress month-to-month via progression plan, ensure individuals are motivated, supported and growing in their roles Foster a culture of collaborative problem-solving, encouraging the team to push creative boundaries while maintaining strategic alignment Complete annual performance reviews of direct reports, with assistance from the GM - Marketing Solutions Support team resourcing and project planning, ensuring workloads are balanced and the team is set up for success Build and maintain relationships with external creative contractors (i.e. the ‘freelancer bench’) Assist with and participate in the recruitment process for the Creative Solutions team Oversee project workflows and creative processes, ensuring efficiency, scalability, and quality control across all creative and social outputs Proven leadership in creative direction, campaign ideation, and social strategy, with a strong track record in delivering ongoing creative retainers An inspiring leader and mentor, with the ability to develop and grow a team of multidisciplinary creatives Hands-on expertise in a creative discipline – such as design, video, copywriting, or art direction – with the ability to guide, critique, and elevate creative work across multiple formats A strategic mindset, with a deep understanding of audience behaviour, media integration, and performance-driven creative An expert in social content and platform best practices, ensuring work is always relevant, engaging, and optimised for performance A natural storyteller and persuasive communicator, able to present creative work to clients with confidence and clarity Highly collaborative, working closely across Media, PR, Client Partnerships, and Project Delivery teams to bring ideas to life A problem-solver, able to navigate creative and logistical challenges while maintaining the integrity of ideas Our Culture Best described by our values, which serve as the guiding principles in how we interact with our peers, partners and clients: Eyes on culture. We connect our clients to culture and current affairs, immersing ourselves in the communities we serve. We know everything they need to know. We turn up. In a presentation. At a launch. At an event. In a WIP. For our clients and teammates, every day. We roll with the punches. We know the nature of this work is unpredictable. We do our best work when we’re thrown a curveball, or dive into the deep end. We keep it real. You can’t fake what we do. We strip away the BS and build trusting relationships. Knowledge, transparency, authenticity – this is what we’re about. It’s in our hands. We take responsibility, stay one step ahead, push outside our comfort zone and never phone it in. We’d rather fail trying something new than die wondering. What You Can Expect From Us Interesting, exciting, and challenging work with an enviable list of clients Support, guidance, and growth including an annual learning and development budget Fortnightly 'Bolster Uni' sessions featuring both internal and external speakers Flexible working model with office and WFH days split 50/50 Free coffee, Class Pass credits and access to Masterclass online training Employee Assistance Program (EAP) services including counselling and wellbeing resources Complimentary tickets to industry, music and arts events Progression – recognition and reward for your efforts We believe that diversity of thought, skills, experiences and background create more effective and successful teams. We promise equal opportunity for all applicants, irrespective of gender, age, ethnicity, cultural background, race, religion, disability, or sexual orientation.Bolster values diversity and nurtures the uniqueness of our team and the individuals who make us stronger. We encourage candidates from diverse and / or minority backgrounds to express their interest. Our team is excited to share our experience, share our space and share the mic. We believe in creating a working environment where each individual is able to bring their full self to work and is valued for their unique contribution. #J-18808-Ljbffr