Program Manager - Creative

What to Expect

The Creative Program Manager is accountable for the successful delivery of major, cross-functional creative programs spanning brand, product design, industrial design and creative strategy. The role translates McLaren’s creative ambition into clear priorities, executable program strategies and measurable business outcomes.

Operating with a high degree of autonomy, the role sets program direction, makes critical delivery trade-offs and ensures creative quality, timing, cost and organisational priorities remain aligned. It shapes the governance, operating practices and decision forums required to deliver complex creative outcomes through internal teams and external partners.

What You'll Do

• Own the end-to-end delivery of major creative programs, from strategic brief and business case through governance, execution, implementation and benefits realisation.
• Set program direction, priorities, delivery models and decision points, translating creative strategy into an integrated portfolio of work with clear commercial and organisational outcomes.
• Lead program planning across multiple creative disciplines, establishing the critical path, resource strategy, dependencies, controls and escalation routes required for successful delivery.
• Own program budgets, resource allocation, supplier relationships and supplier performance, making informed investment and trade-off decisions to protect quality, value and timing.
• Shape and continuously improve creative strategy, governance, program standards, design systems and operating practices across the function.
• Lead through multidisciplinary teams, workstream owners and external partners, creating clear accountability for commitments, decisions and outcomes.
• Anticipate and resolve complex strategic, commercial and delivery issues where priorities conflict or information is incomplete.
• Own the Creative Forum and other senior creative governance forums, setting the agenda around required decisions and driving timely implementation of agreed outcomes.
• Make or recommend significant decisions on program scope, sequencing, resources, suppliers and investment within agreed authority.
• Influence senior leaders and cross-functional partners to resolve competing priorities and secure the resources, decisions and sponsorship required for delivery.
• Provide clear senior-level assurance on program progress, risk, quality, cost and expected outcomes.
• Ensure creative programs deliver broad organisational impact, including stronger brand coherence, improved delivery performance and effective use of creative capability.
  
  

What You'll Bring

• Substantial experience leading complex creative, design, product or transformation programs in automotive, luxury, technology or another design-led environment.
• Proven accountability for significant programs, budgets, resources and supplier relationships, with evidence of delivering measurable business outcomes.
• Demonstrated ability to set direction and make difficult trade-off decisions across quality, time, cost, risk and strategic value.
• Strong understanding of creative and design development, including how strategic intent moves through exploration, review, approval and implementation.
• Credibility with senior stakeholders and the ability to influence across functions without relying on direct reporting lines.
• Experience creating and leading governance that accelerates decisions and ensures effective implementation.
• Strong commercial judgement and the ability to bring clarity to ambiguous or complex situations.
• Confident leadership of multidisciplinary teams, workstream leads and external partners.
  
  

What We'll Do for You

We offer a wide – ranging benefits package, which includes:

• Structured career development framework
• 25 days’ holiday, plus bank holiday. Annual buy & sell up to five days
• Enhanced company pension scheme
• Discretionary annual bonus award
• Private medical insurance and health cash plan
• Life assurance benefit
• Ability to apply for a sabbatical of up to one year after only two years’ service
• Benefits you can adapt to your lifestyle, such as discounted shopping
• Generous parental leave policies
• A range of wellbeing initiatives, such as employee assistance programme and free financial & mortgage advice
  
  

Who Are We?

No restraints. No limitations. We don’t simply push boundaries. We completely rethink them. McLaren Automotive exists to create breath-taking performance road cars.

It takes a community to do what we do. A diverse group of people with many areas of expertise, united by their passion to deliver visionary products and set new benchmarks.

McLaren Automotive commits to equal opportunity for all. Diversity, Equality and Inclusion is at the heart of our impact, it drives our innovation and enables us to truly create something special. Join us on our journey.