Creative Lead

Address:

Creative Lead 

BMO Design | Toronto, ON

Role Overview

As a Creative Lead within BMO Design, you sit at the intersection of creative excellence and technology innovation. You are responsible for shaping and executing best-in-class creative solutions while leading the adoption, integration, and evolution of new creative tools and platforms.

This role blends creative strategy, hands-on execution, and operational leadership, driving both the quality of work and the way work gets done. You will lead multidisciplinary teams, partner with stakeholders across the bank, and champion new ways of working that elevate efficiency, scale, and impact. 

What You’ll Do

1. Creative Leadership & Strategy

• Own and guide the creative vision across campaigns, digital experiences, social, and integrated marketing initiatives
• Translate strategic briefs into compelling, insight-driven creative concepts
• Ensure all work aligns with BMO’s brand standards, tone, and customer-first approach
• Act as a thought leader, elevating creative quality and channel best practices across teams

2. Creative Technology & Innovation (Core to the Role)

• Lead the adoption and integration of creative technologies, including Figma, Adobe Express, Celtra, Firefly, Copilot, and emerging AI tools
• Identify opportunities to improve speed, scale, and efficiency through automation, templates, and AI-assisted workflows
• Establish best practices for AI-enabled creative development, ensuring quality, consistency, and brand integrity
• Partner with Design Ops, Production, and Technology teams to embed tools into day-to-day workflows
• Act as a hands-on practitioner, demonstrating how new tools can elevate output and unlock new creative possibilities
• Stay ahead of industry trends and translate them into actionable innovation within BMO Design

3. Project Leadership & Execution

• Lead Tier 2 projects independently and support Tier 1 initiatives alongside Creative Directors 
• Oversee projects from concept through production, ensuring timelines, budgets, and quality standards are met
• Balance hands-on creative work with team leadership and project oversight
• Drive scalable creative solutions for high-volume and always-on channels

4. Team Leadership & Collaboration

• Lead and mentor designers, writers, and production partners to deliver high-quality outputs
• Foster a collaborative, inclusive, and high-performing creative culture
• Partner closely with stakeholders across Marketing, Brand, UX, and Lines of Business
• Interface directly with internal clients to ensure strategic alignment and strong relationships

5. Operational & Workflow Transformation

• Identify opportunities to streamline workflows and reduce production overhead
• Support resourcing and team allocation in partnership with Creative Directors
• Drive standardization through templates, design systems, and modular creative approaches
• Champion data-informed creative optimization and continuous improvement

What You Bring

Experience

• 6+ years in creative, design, or advertising roles within an agency or in-house environment
• Proven experience leading integrated campaigns and digital-first creative
• Demonstrated success in both hands-on execution and team leadership
• Creative & Strategic Skills
• Strong concepting and storytelling abilities across channels
• Deep understanding of brand systems and customer-centric design
• Ability to translate business objectives into compelling creative solutions
• Technology & Innovation Mindset
• Hands-on experience with modern creative tools (e.g., Figma, Adobe Creative Suite, AI tools)
• Strong interest and proven capability in adopting and scaling emerging technologies
• Comfort working in evolving, ambiguous environments and driving change
   

Leadership & Collaboration

• Strong communication and stakeholder management skills
• Ability to influence cross-functional teams and build trust with partners
• Passion for mentoring and growing creative talent

What Success Looks Like

• Consistently delivers high-quality, insight-driven creative work
• Drives measurable improvements in efficiency, speed, and scalability through technology
• Establishes BMO Design as a leader in AI-enabled creative innovation
• Builds strong partnerships and elevates team performance
• Acts as a visible leader who challenges, inspires, and improves everything around them

Why This Role Matters

This role is critical to evolving BMO Design from a traditional creative function into a modern, technology-enabled creative engine—one that delivers world-class work at scale while continuously innovating how it operates.

The above represents BMO Financial Group’s pay range and type.

Salaries will vary based on factors such as location, skills, experience, education, and qualifications for the role, and may include a commission structure. Salaries for part-time roles will be pro-rated based on number of hours regularly worked. For commission roles, the salary listed above represents BMO Financial Group’s expected target for the first year in this position.

BMO Financial Group’s total compensation package will vary based on the pay type of the position and may include performance-based incentives, discretionary bonuses, as well as other perks and rewards. BMO also offers health insurance, tuition reimbursement, accident and life insurance, and retirement savings plans. To view more details of our benefits, please visit: https://jobs.bmo.com/global/en/Total-Rewards

About Us

At BMO we are driven by a shared Purpose: Boldly Grow the Good in business and life. It calls on us to create lasting, positive change for our customers, our communities and our people. By working together, innovating and pushing boundaries, we transform lives and businesses, and power economic growth around the world.

As a member of the BMO team you are valued, respected and heard, and you have more ways to grow and make an impact. We strive to help you make an impact from day one – for yourself and our customers. We’ll support you with the tools and resources you need to reach new milestones, as you help our customers reach theirs. From in-depth training and coaching, to manager support and network-building opportunities, we’ll help you gain valuable experience, and broaden your skillset.

To find out more visit us at https://jobs.bmo.com/ca/en.

BMO is committed to an inclusive, equitable and accessible workplace. By learning from each other’s differences, we gain strength through our people and our perspectives. Accommodations are available on request for candidates taking part in all aspects of the selection process. To request accommodation, please contact your recruiter.

Note to Recruiters: BMO does not accept unsolicited resumes from any source other than directly from a candidate. Any unsolicited resumes sent to BMO, directly or indirectly, will be considered BMO property. BMO will not pay a fee for any placement resulting from the receipt of an unsolicited resume. A recruiting agency must first have a valid, written and fully executed agency agreement contract for service to submit resumes.