Job Description

Music is Universal

It’s the passionate and dedicated team at Universal Music who help make us the world’s leading music company. From A&R to finance, legal to digital, sales to marketing, Universal Music is the place to grow and develop your career within a truly commercial and innovative business that leads in everything it does.

Everyone is welcome to apply for our roles, and we are determined to ensure that no applicant or employee receives less favourable treatment because of gender, race, disability, sexual orientation, religion, belief, age, marital status, background, pregnancy, or caring responsibilities. We also recognise the importance of diversity of thought within our teams and are fully committed to embracing the talents of people with autism, dyslexia, ADHD, and other forms of neurocognitive variation.

We will always seek to make appropriate adjustments to recruitment, workplaces, and work processes to be fully inclusive to people with different needs and working styles. If you need us to make any reasonable adjustments for you from application onwards, including alternatives to the online form or to disclose a neurocognitive condition, please email UniversalMusicCareers@umusic.com.

Apple Corps Ltd
Location:Apple Corps Head Office, Ovington Square, London
Working pattern:4 to 5 days per week expected in the office

About the opportunity

Apple Corps Ltd. was founded in 1968 to oversee The Beatles’ creative and business interests. It initially served as the new outlet for The Beatles’ own recordings as well as the music of a wide-ranging roster of artists, all brought to the label personally by the band (individually and/or collectively). Apple Corps’ mission celebrates artistry in an inclusive, creative environment. Since itsinception, the company has encompassed music, publishing, merchandise, electronic and film enterprises.

For almost six decades, Apple Corps Ltd. has helped to bring The Beatles music to billions of fans in pioneering, creative manners, decade after decade.

Apple Corps and Universal Music Group UK are coming together to build a dedicatedcreativeteam focused on shaping the next chapter of Beatles product, ecommerce,retailand customer experience.

This is a rare opportunity to work at the intersection of music, culture, creativity,commerceand fan experience. The Beatlesremainone of the most important and influential creative forces in the world, with a legacy that continues to inspire fans across generations.

This team will create exceptional products,experiencesand customer journeys for Beatles fans globally. From product design and packaging to retail, ecommerce, trading and fan engagement, every touchpoint must reflect the creativity, quality and cultural significance associated with The Beatles.

These roles are employed by Apple Corps Ltd. The Universal Music Group UK Talent Acquisition team will manage the recruitment process in collaboration with Apple Corpsand the wider UMG team When you apply, you will be redirected to the Universal Music Group careers portal, where you willbe requiredtosubmityour application through Workday.

Role purpose

The Senior Creative Product Lead willbe responsible forshaping and driving the creative vision, productdirectionand overall aesthetic development of Beatles product ranges.

This role will ensure that all creative output aligns with the Apple Corps brand identity, commercial strategy, customerexpectationsand the enduring legacy of The Beatles.

This is a senior creative leadership role, combining product strategy, design leadership, brandguardianshipand commercial awareness. The role will lead the development of compelling, high-quality product ranges that honour The Beatles’ legacy while finding new and innovative ways to connect with fans around the world.

Key responsibilities

Creative vision and direction

• Define and lead the overall creative vision for product ranges.

• Ensure strong brand storytelling and visual consistency across all products and creative outputs.

• Create product concepts that reflect the quality, creativity and cultural significance associated with The Beatles.

Product strategy development

• Develop product strategies aligned with brand positioning, customerdemandand commercialobjectives

• Identifyopportunities to build compelling product ranges around key Beatles moments, releases,campaignsand fan experiences.

• Balance creative ambition with customer insight, operationalfeasibilityand commercial priorities.

Range planning and assortment strategy

• Oversee the structure of product ranges across hero products, core lines, limitededitionsand seasonal collections.

• Ensure ranges feel cohesive,relevantand commercially considered.

• Build long-term product thinking that supports brand growth and fan engagement.

Concept creation and innovation

• Generate new product concepts,collaborationsand creative ideas.

• Expand the Beatles product universe in a thoughtful,authenticand commercially compelling way.

• Bring fresh creative thinking to product, packaging,ecommerceand retail moments.

Design leadership

• Lead and mentor designers, guiding creative development from concept through to final production.

• Set clear creative standards and support high-quality execution across the team.

• Run effective creative reviews and provide constructive direction and feedback.

Brand guardianship

• Ensure all products and creative outputs follow brand guidelines, tone of voice and visual identity.

• Protect the legacy,qualityand integrity of The Beatles across all product touchpoints.

• Maintainhigh standardsof care, approvalmanagementand creative control.

Cross-functional collaboration

• Work closely with merchandising, production, marketing, retail, ecommerce,licensingand commercial teams.

• Align creative direction with trading plans, campaignactivityand customer experience goals.

• Build strong working relationships across Apple Corps,UMGand external partners.

Product development oversight

• Oversee the full product development process, including:

• Briefing

• Sampling

• Prototyping

• Materialsselection

• Manufacturing feasibility

• Quality review

• Production sign-off

Trend and cultural insight

• Monitor fashion, retail, music,designand cultural trends.

• Translate relevant insight into product opportunities that feel fresh whileremainingauthentic to The Beatles.

• Use cultural awareness to keep product ranges relevant,desirableand distinctive.

Licensing and intellectual property integration

• Translate licensed intellectual property into compelling product collections.

• Ensure all products respect brand,licensingand approval requirements.

• Work with internal and external stakeholders to manage approvals effectively.

Commercial performance review

• Analyse product sales, customerfeedbackand market performance.

• Use insight to guide future range planning and product decisions.

• Support post-launch reviews and continuous improvement.

Launch and campaign coordination

• Align product launches with:

• Marketing campaigns

• Retail activations

• Ecommerce plans

• Release moments

• Fan engagement activity

Quality and design standards

• Maintainhigh standardsacross:

• Product quality

• Materials

• Packaging

• Finish

• Sustainability considerations

• Overall presentation

Supplier and manufacturing collaboration

• Work with suppliers and manufacturing partners to ensure designs are delivered on time, within budget and to specification.

• Challenge constructively where needed to protect quality,timelinesand creative intent.

Key skills and experience

Creative and product craft

• Proven ability to set and articulate a compelling creative vision.

• Ability to translate creative direction into cohesive product ranges.

• Strong product storytelling skills across product, packaging,printand digital assets.

• Excellent eye for brand identity,detailand visual consistency.

• End-to-end product developmentexpertise, from briefing through to production sign-off.

• Strong understanding of materials, sampling,prototypingand production feasibility.

• Ability to connect fashion, retail,musicand cultural trends to product opportunities.

Commercial and data-led decision making

• Comfortable using performance data and customer insight to guide product decisions.

• Able to use sales, customerfeedbackand market data to inform range architecture and product optimisation.

• Confident working with KPIs, performance readouts and measure-and-learn approaches.

• Able to communicate commercial impact and next steps clearly to stakeholders.

Leadership and collaboration

• Experience inspiring and developing designers.

• Ability to set clear creative standards and coach others effectively.

• Strong stakeholder management across merchandising, marketing, retail, ecommerce,licensingand production.

• Able to align creative ambition with commercial and operational reality.

• Confident working with suppliers and manufacturers to protect quality,budgetand timelines.

Systems,toolsand ways of working

• Confident using modern design tools such as Adobe Creative Cloud and Figma.

• Comfortable working with digital asset management systems, creative automationworkflowsand content management platforms.

• Highly organised,structuredand comfortable managing multiple workstreams.

Experience requirements

• Significant experiencein product, brand or design within consumer, retail, lifestyle, fashion,entertainmentor licensed product environments.

• Experience leading a design function,categoryor creative product area.

• Demonstrabletrack recordof building and launching integrated product ranges.

• Hands-on experience taking products from concept through to production at scale.

• Experience across packaging, product quality,materialsand manufacturing processes.

• Experience translating licensed intellectual property into commercially successful collections.

• Strong approval management experience.

• Cross-functional leadership experience across merchandising, ecommerce, retail,marketingand production.

• Data-informed approach to creative decision making.

• Experience using performance insights and post-launch reviews to improve future ranges.

Desirable experience

• Experience designing for multi-brand portfolios, global fancommunitiesor retail networks.

• Knowledge of sustainability standards across materials,packagingand supplier choices.

• Degree or equivalent experience in product design, industrial design, graphic design, fashiondesignor a related discipline.

• Strong portfolioshowcasingend-to-end range leadership, product storytelling, brandguardianshipand commercial delivery.

Just So You Know…

The company presents this job description as a guide to the major areas and duties for which the jobholder is accountable. However, the business operates in an environment that demands change and the jobholder's specific responsibilities and activities will vary and develop. Therefore, the job description should be seen as indicative and not as a permanent, definitive, and exhaustive statement.

Job Category:

Creative, Design & Production