Global Director, Creative and Content

About the Bonhams Network

Founded in 1793, Bonhams is one of the world's leading auction houses — defined by connection, and home to the curious.

With over 230 years of expertise, Bonhams operates a global network of trusted specialists across 24 countries, including flagship salerooms in London, New York, Paris and Hong Kong. Across more than 60 specialist categories, Bonhams serves collectors of every kind — from emerging to established — with the objects, stories and expertise that define their collecting journey.

Beyond auctions, Bonhams is both a destination for discovery and for industry-leading services and support. Its rotating programme of exhibitions and public programming is free and open to all, reflecting a longstanding commitment to curiosity, cultural conversation and the enduring power of objects.

For forthcoming auctions and details of specialist departments, visit Bonhams.com.

Bonhams: A house built on knowledge. Defined by connection. Home to the curious. 

About the role

We are looking for a senior creative and content leader to run creative and content as a standalone global function at Bonhams. Reporting to the CMO, you will set the creative standard across categories, regions and channels, and build a content operation that helps win consignments, attract bidders and strengthen the brand.

Bonhams sells extraordinary objects, and the way we tell their stories is a competitive advantage. This is a new seat in the structure, so you will shape the function as well as lead it. You will combine creative judgement with hands-on direction of priority concepts and work, while developing the teams, partners and processes needed to deliver globally.

Mandate and working relationships

You will own creative direction, visual identity, tone of voice and editorial standards within the brand strategy agreed with the CMO. You will hold final creative approval for global brand work and priority campaigns, with clear delegated approvals for regional delivery and escalation to the CMO where required.

The Global Director, Creative and Content will lead brand and channel strategy, audience activation and campaign performance; this role will lead creative development and content strategy and production. You will agree briefs, publishing plans and measures of effectiveness together. PR and Communications will lead media relations and corporate communications, with shared editorial planning.

You will lead the creative and content team and provide functional direction to regional content resources. Direct and functional reporting lines, delegated authority and regional accountabilities will be agreed with the CMO and Regional Marketing Directors as the function is established.

Key Tasks & Responsibilities

Creative leadership and brand implementation

• Set the creative vision and quality bar for brand, campaign and sale communications, translating the agreed brand strategy into distinctive work.
• Embed the visual identity and tone of voice worldwide through guidelines, templates, training and quality assurance across digital, print and physical environments.

Consignment and commercial storytelling

• Partner with specialists and regional marketing on priority seller pitches, collection proposals and presentations that help Bonhams win important consignments.
• Turn specialist expertise into compelling, accurate stories for established collectors, prospective consignors and people new to collecting.

Content strategy and production

• Build a global content model across editorial, film, photography, catalogue design and production, social and sale content. Balance major sale stories with an ongoing programme that builds interest in collecting.
• Define what is created centrally and regionally, and how content is commissioned, planned, approved, published and reused. Adapt work for local audiences, languages and cultural context.
• Own catalogue creative direction, design and production standards; specialists retain accountability for lot descriptions, provenance and factual accuracy. Agree production responsibilities with sale teams.

Campaign development and delivery

• Work with Digital & Brand Marketing, PR and Communications and Regional Marketing Directors to deliver integrated campaigns and tentpole sales.
• Set clear briefs, develop and direct concepts, and deliver assets suited to each channel and audience. Use testing and performance evidence with channel owners to improve creative effectiveness.

Agency and studio management

• Lead the creative agency roster and in-house studio capability. Select and manage partners, agree scopes and fees, and hold them accountable for quality, delivery and value.
• Own the creative and content budget within CMO-approved limits, allocating investment to business priorities and reporting spend, commitments and production efficiency.

Team and regional capability

• Assess the structure, skills and ways of working in the first months, and agree a capability and resourcing plan with the CMO.
• Recruit, coach and develop creative and content talent. Build effective collaboration across the UK, US, APAC and European markets, with clear responsibilities and shared standards.

Planning and operational efficiency

• Introduce one production calendar, clear intake and prioritisation, service expectations and delegated approvals. Resolve competing requests against commercial priorities and available capacity.
• Oversee digital asset management, including metadata, version control, usage permissions and reuse. Improve turnaround times and reduce avoidable duplication and rework.

Editorial integrity and content governance

• Work with specialists, PR and Legal to establish editorial verification, approval and escalation processes, protecting accuracy, confidentiality and the reputation of Bonhams.
• Ensure image, film, music and other content rights, permissions and usage licences are recorded and respected, with accessible production standards.
• Set standards for AI-assisted creative and content production, including human review, rights and confidentiality controls, and safeguards for factual accuracy and faithful representation of objects.

 

Success in the first 12 months

Agree baselines and targets with the CMO and relevant marketing leaders early in the appointment. Success will include:

• An agreed function structure, decision rights, capability plan and budget, with clear central and regional responsibilities.
• Consistent adoption of the visual identity and tone of voice across priority markets, channels and materials.
• A working global editorial and production calendar, supported by reliable approvals, asset management and delivery processes.
• Stronger creative support for priority consignment pitches and major sales, with feedback from specialists and regional leaders.
• Evidence of improved creative effectiveness and contribution to qualified consignment enquiries, bidder acquisition and engagement, assessed jointly with marketing and analytics teams.
• Improved delivery times, asset reuse and production value, with clear reporting on quality, cost and capacity.

Key Skills & Experience

• 12+ years in creative, brand or content roles with progressive leadership experience; 5+ years leading multidisciplinary teams across more than one region.
• A strong portfolio showing distinctive creative work you led and its commercial impact, with a clear point of view on creative excellence for a luxury brand.
• Proven experience building or reshaping a global creative or content function, introducing effective processes and securing adoption across a matrix organisation.
• Fluency across brand, editorial, film, photography and social, with the ability to develop concepts, direct specialists and judge work beyond one craft.
• Experience translating brand strategy into campaigns, practical design systems and tone-of-voice guidance across markets and languages.
• Proven agency leadership, budget ownership and production management at scale, including editorial calendars, asset management and approval workflows.
• Experience in luxury, art, design, fashion, hospitality or a premium consumer brand; a genuine interest in art, objects and collecting.
• Strong commercial judgement: able to connect creative investment to business objectives and use audience insight and performance evidence to improve work.
• Executive presence and collaborative leadership: able to defend creative decisions with the CEO and senior specialists, influence regional teams and work effectively with peers.
• Degree in a relevant field, or equivalent experience. Willingness to travel internationally, including to the US and APAC.

Desirable experience

Previous experience in an auction house, gallery, museum or luxury retail; setting up or scaling an in-house studio; and supporting high-value seller or client pitches.

What We Offer

Time Off

• 28 days holiday (including Bank Holidays), 1 extra day per year of service (up to 33 days holiday a year including Bank Holidays)
• Christmas Closure & Summer Fridays

Healthcare & Protection

• Private health insurance & EAP
• Eyecare Vouchers
• Life Assurance

Family Support

• 16 weeks maternity leave at full pay
• 4 weeks paternity leave at full pay

Other Perks

• Season Ticket Loan
• Cycle to Work Scheme
• Perks at Work cashback & discounts via Medicash
• Gym Discount
• AWITA subscription (Association of Women in the Arts)
• Parent Support Network

*Bonhams’ reserves the right to change company benefits at any time

If you wish to apply, please send your CV and cover letter by the 27th November 2026 at midnight.

We thank you for your interest in this position but please note that we will only contact candidates chosen for further consideration.

Bonhams is an Equal Opportunity Employer. As part of our commitment to fight for equality, we work to ensure a fair and consistent interview process. We celebrate diversity and we are committed to an inclusive work environment.