About Hello Starling
What is Hello Starling?
Hello Starling is an award-winning media planning and buying agency based in Cardiff. Per the careers page: "We specialise in delivering results for our clients by getting them the right kind of attention. Our focus is on results. They can take many forms, from sheer numbers of advert views to changes in audience perception, a return on investment or more visitors to an event, more subscriptions, the list goes on."
Hello Starling Advertising Agency Limited (Company No. 11282669, registered in England and Wales) plans and buys across TV, Cinema, Radio, Outdoor, Press, Digital, and Social. Named clients include Amgueddfa Cymru, Visit Shropshire, Welsh National Opera, Polish Tourism, the University of Wales Trinity St David, and Cardiff City FC.
Measurable results from public case studies include: 857% return on ad spend for Catch the Breeze Retreats (almost £10 returned per £1 spent), 133 leads at 47% below target CPA for William Raveis Mortgage, a 34% increase in Cardiff City FC season-ticket sales, 20,000+ new subscribers for HorseWorld, and 45% of survey respondents reporting feeling more responsible for their own litter after a Keep Wales Tidy campaign.
Where will I work?
Hello Starling's office is at Tramshed Tech, D, Pendyris Street, Cardiff CF11 6BH — Cardiff's tech and creative hub. The team operates a hybrid model: "From our home in Cardiff's tech and creative hub, Tramshed Tech, (and also our actual homes for our remote workers), we work with some amazing brands."
What is the Hello Starling team like?
The agency is guided by four values: Attention Seeking ("we make sure you get attention from the right people, in the right place at the right time"), Clear Talking ("we cut out the jargon wherever we can and we tell the truth. We give you the best advice based on data and insight not price"), Easy Working ("we're easy to work with"), and Results Focused ("we listen to what results mean to you. We figure out how to get them, we research, we plan, we buy and we get results").
Hello Starling is a Disability Confident Committed Employer (certificate number DCS023227): committed to inclusive and accessible recruitment, communicating vacancies, offering interviews to disabled candidates meeting minimum criteria, and providing reasonable adjustments. Recruitment runs on a rolling basis — no fixed closing dates.
Work-Life Balance
Hello Starling has operated a 4-day work week with 5 days' pay since April 2018 (confirmed publicly by CEO James Robinson via LinkedIn in September 2023). The careers page advertises this verbatim: "4 days work for 5 days' pay." Holiday allowance is 40 days annual leave plus UK bank holidays (pro-rata if part-time), with an additional day off for your birthday.
Perks and Benefits
- 4 days work for 5 days' pay — 4-day work week (32 hours, Fridays off) since April 2018
- 40 days annual leave plus UK bank holidays (pro-rata if part-time)
- A day off for your birthday
- Hybrid working (Tramshed Tech, Cardiff + home)
- Pension match: 5% employee + 5% employer
- Private healthcare with Vitality Health
- Subsidised eye care
- Study time + on-the-job training for industry-recognised qualifications
- Monthly tree-planting per employee as part of the Climate Positive Workforce commitment
- Disability Confident Committed Employer (DCS023227) — accessible recruitment + reasonable adjustments
- Rolling interview process — apply any time