About The Specialist Works
What is The Specialist Works?
The Specialist Works is a London media agency built around specialist media buying: TV, audio, print, out-of-home, direct mail and digital performance channels, planned and bought by channel experts rather than generalists. Founded in 2003 and now part of What's Possible Group, the agency works with challenger consumer brands — its own careers page names clients like Who Gives A Crap, Lucky Saint and Lily's Kitchen — that want media strategies reinvented rather than templated. It is a certified B Corp, and the group runs its own "What's Possible University" of learning modules covering everything from craft skills to ethics policies — part of a stated group mission of "people, planet and profit" that shapes both the client list and the way the agency treats its own staff.
Where will I work?
From London, with hybrid working: current roles are all London-based, and client meetings or industry events happen "on an ad-hoc basis" around that. This is a hybrid-office agency rather than a remote-first one — the fortnightly Friday off is the headline flexibility, not work-from-anywhere.
What is The Specialist Works team like?
Around ninety-five people across client services, planning, data and channel specialisms, inside a group culture summarised by its PICK values (Passion, Inquisitiveness, Caring, Knowledge). The reviews back the people-first claim: Glassdoor shows a 3.9 work-life-balance rating across 103 reviews, with 85% recommending the agency and culture rated 4.2 — unusually strong numbers for the media-agency sector, where long-hours cultures are common.
Work-Life Balance
The agency's own words, from every current advert: "We work a 9-day fortnight, meaning staff have every other Friday off!" — and from its careers page: "Our standout 9-day fortnight gives everyone every other Friday off, no strings attached." Every other Friday, the whole agency is off.
Perks and Benefits
- 9-day fortnight — every other Friday off, "no strings attached", agency-wide
- Share options for every employee after probation
- Private health insurance plus a monthly health contribution to spend on your own wellbeing
- "Enhanced parental policies that genuinely support the health and wellbeing of families"
- EAP services and a wellbeing-focused benefits package
- What's Possible University — continuous personal development across the group