Overview
Join to apply for the Illustration Team Leader role at Twinkl Educational Publishing
Base pay range
Location: Hybrid in Office (based in Sheffield)
Annual Salary: £28,000 - £34,000 (dependent on experience)
Contract: Permanent
Line Manager: Laurel Wilkinson
Recruiter: Will Thom
Hours: 37.5
At Twinkl, we are committed to supporting those who teach by ensuring that our content meets the exceptional quality standards that our customers deserve. With a mission to inspire and empower teaching and learning. Ensuring we have high-quality, educationally aligned images is a key part of our brand style and offering.
Responsibilities
* Manage the full lifecycle of illustration requests from intake to completion, ensuring work is delivered on time, on brief, and aligned with broader business objectives.
* Provide exceptional leadership to guide a team of illustrators and maintain lead times under one week.
* Integrate AI technologies and optimise resources to improve quality and efficiency.
* Maintain quality, improve efficiency, and foster the growth of the illustration team.
* Oversee the full request-to-completion process, ensuring delivery within the agreed 1-week lead time.
* Maintain a clear prioritisation framework to ensure high-impact projects are addressed first.
* Act as a strategic filter to ensure creative resources are spent where they will have the greatest impact.
* Ensure illustrators have all the information, references, and context they need to work efficiently.
* Challenge and refine briefs where needed to ensure maximum relevance and quality.
* Standardise the briefing process to reduce misunderstandings and rework.
* Escalate resourcing or priority issues to senior leadership when required.
* Monitor request timelines and proactively address potential bottlenecks to prevent delays.
* Introduce new methods, templates, or tools to improve efficiency and communication.
* Identify opportunities to use pre-existing illustrations to meet new requests and track reuse for cost and time savings.
* Promote the effective use of AI tools to assist and accelerate illustration work; provide training and guidelines for AI integration.
* Measure AI adoption rates and track time saved through automation.
* Provide day-to-day direction, motivation, and guidance for illustrators; conduct regular 1-to-1s and performance reviews.
* Support team members through workload challenges with mentorship and feedback.
* Use data and metrics to identify performance trends, skill gaps, and improvement opportunities.
* Encourage innovation, experimentation, and continuous learning; support development plans and progression.
* Implement performance improvement plans if necessary.
Qualifications
We’re interested in anyone who meets one, or a combination of the following:
* Strong leadership skills with experience managing creative teams.
* Excellent organisational and project management capabilities.
* Ability to translate creative concepts into actionable tasks.
* High level of proficiency in illustration tools (traditional and digital).
* Familiarity with AI-assisted creative platforms and eagerness to explore new technologies.
* Data-driven mindset with experience in monitoring and improving team performance.
* Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to inspire and motivate a creative team.
* A strong creative portfolio or evidence of managing high-quality illustration output.
Benefits
* A friendly, welcoming and supportive culture with a focus on people first.
* Diversity, inclusion and belonging through Employee Network Programs.
* From day 1 - Westfield Health, 33 annual leave days per year plus an additional day after two years of service; flexible working policy and Twinkl subscription.
* Seasonal events and referral scheme.
* Company sick pay after 3 months of service; cycle-to-work scheme post-probation; long-term service rewards including life insurance and enhanced pension contributions.
Jobs data and location notes have been trimmed to keep the focus on the role and requirements.
#J-18808-Ljbffr