Creative Lead - Visual Merchandising

About the Role

The Platform team at Spotify is dedicated to building the technology that drives rapid growth and scalability, supporting hundreds of millions of global users. Within this context, the Visual Merchandising team shapes the appearance and feel of content across Spotify’s platform, covering artwork, visual frameworks, and creative systems for playlists, share cards, video titles, podcasts, and audiobooks.

As artificial intelligence reshapes the landscape of creative production, Spotify is searching for a forward-thinking Creative Lead to envision and drive the future of visual storytelling. This individual will blend world-class creative leadership with innovative technologies to ensure every visual touchpoint remains distinctively Spotify while engaging diverse audiences worldwide.

Key Responsibilities

• Establish and develop Spotify's worldwide visual merchandising strategy, directing the creative approach for artwork, visual frameworks, and brand representation across the platform.
• Advance creative workflows by integrating AI to boost creativity, quality, speed, and scalability without sacrificing craftsmanship.
• Collaborate closely with teams in Product, Engineering, Design Platform, and R&D to align merchandising innovation with product development.
• Drive a visual strategy that balances global consistency with local cultural relevance, ensuring Spotify remains resonant in over 180 markets.
• Create creative standards, principles, and scalable systems that enable teams to deliver exceptional visual experiences at scale.
• Forge partnerships with internal creative teams, external agencies, illustrators, photographers, and freelance professionals to broaden creative capabilities.
• Lead and nurture a team of Senior Visual Designers within a culture of trust, inclusion, feedback, curiosity, and excellence.
• Manage the team’s budget and strategically allocate resources to maximize creative and business outcomes.
• Utilize audience insights, experimentation, and performance data to refine and enhance Spotify’s visual merchandising tactics continually.
• Serve as a trusted creative advisor across Spotify, influencing senior stakeholders through insightful leadership.

Candidate Profile

• Possess over 10 years of experience spearheading creative initiatives in design, art direction, branding, editorial, advertising, or visual storytelling for consumer-focused brands.
• Proven track record of building and mentoring exceptional creative teams, fostering inclusive environments that encourage peak performance.
• Well-versed in emerging technologies including generative AI, understanding their impact on creative strategy, design systems, and production.
• Strong balance of visual craftsmanship and strategic insight, aligning creativity with business goals and user needs.
• Experience collaborating across cross-functional teams including product, design, engineering, marketing, and executive leadership to realize ambitious creative visions.
• Comfortable leveraging data, testing, and audience insights to guide creative decisions without compromising quality.
• Skilled in crafting culturally nuanced creative content that respects diverse global markets while maintaining brand cohesion.
• Committed mentor dedicated to elevating creative standards and fostering ongoing learning and collaboration.
• Curious about design, music, culture, technology, and storytelling, with a passion for creating impactful work viewed by millions daily.

Work Location and Flexibility

This position is situated in London or Stockholm with flexible working options available. While some in-person meetings are expected, there is considerable allowance for remote work from home.

Additional Information

Spotify employs AI tools in parts of the hiring process such as application review and resume analysis to assist recruitment but final decisions are made by humans.

Spotify is recognized as the world’s leading audio streaming service.