Design Manager - Papershop

A unique opportunity has arisen for a Design Manager to join our Papershop category, reporting into the Head of Design. As Design Manager, you will play a pivotal role in shaping and delivering inspiring, trend-driven products that resonate with customers of both Paperchase and Tesco brands.

We are looking for an experienced designer, ideally with a background in the paper, gifting or lifestyle market, who brings a great eye for detail and a strong creative vision. You’ll have experience in trend forecasting and product design within a retail environment, with a proven track record of developing commercially successful, customer-loved ranges.

You’ll be a confident influencer, able to take stakeholders and team members on the creative journey with compelling presentations and a clear, strategic approach. With strong design expertise and forward-thinking mindset, you’ll define and embed design principles that align both brand values and business objectives.

The ideal candidate thrives in a collaborative environment, building strong relationships across Buying, Merchandising, Technical teams and supplier partners to deliver innovative and on-trend product. You’ll be adaptable, motivated and a true team player. Previous experience managing and developing an assistant designer along with briefing print designers is essential.

You will be responsible for:

Identify the latest trend across stationery, fashion and homewares. Communicate them with confidence and clarity to the design and buying teams. Lead and develop a cohesive vision and range that captures the brand essence of both Paperchase and Tesco.
Influence commercial teams by presenting trend stories supported by clear research, customer data and historic sales knowledge to ensure new product formats and key trends are wide reaching.
Set upfront design principles for both Paperchase and Tesco branded product within the Papershop category. Working closely to align the product strategy alongside buying team and the marketing strategy aligned with our brand team.
Identify innovation within the market across trend, substrate and design details to ensure an exciting range that keeps customers coming back.
Source innovative fabrications, trims and techniques alongside Technical Manager, ensuring that regulations are met. Where possible identifying and exploring sustainable materials.
Create commercial trend-led designs that strengthen brand perception and drive customer loyalty for both Paperchase and Tesco.
Apply excellent knowledge of illustration, pattern, page layout, colour theory, product design and trend creation to develop graphic briefs from scratch.
Collaborate with Buying, Merchandising and Technical colleagues to ensure ranges are commercially viable, with risks identified and mitigated.
Compile accurate technical brief packs and liaise with supplier partners to achieve ‘first sample, right sample’. Ensure sample comments are fed back to suppliers in a timely manner.
Use trade data to shape product strategy and product opportunities for the season ahead.
Own the design critical path whilst supporting overall project schedules and deadlines to ensure business deadlines are met.
Inspire, support and develop junior team members by providing clear direction, constructive feedback and fostering a collaborative, growth focused culture.

You will need:

Proven experience designing within the paper, gifting, lifestyle or stationery categories, ideally for the UK retail market.
Proficiency in Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop; MS Office and InDesign experience are a bonus.
Confident influencing stakeholders and presenting design concepts backed by data, trend research and commercial insight.
Strong commercial awareness, identifying risks and opportunities and leveraging sales data to inform design strategy.
Solid knowledge of graphic design fundamentals including illustration, colour theory, typography and layout.
Proven ability to produce detailed accurate technical briefs, and work closely with supplier partners to deliver ‘right first time’ samples.
Motivated, adaptable, and a proactive team player with a passion for innovation and customer-centric design.
Experience in mentoring, developing and managing an Assistant Designer.
Highly organised, able to prioritise and manage multiple projects to meet deadlines.
Ability to manage the whole design development process from trend research and sample development to range building and sign off.
The successful candidate needs to be flexible to work in our Head Office in Welwyn Garden City 3 days per week.

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What's in it for you:

We’re all about the little helps. That’s why we make sure our Tesco colleague benefits package takes care of you – both in and out of work. Click Here to find out more!

Annual bonus scheme of up to 20% of base salary
Holiday starting at 25 days plus a personal day (plus Bank holidays)
Private medical insurance
26 weeks maternity and adoption leave (after 1 years’ service) at full pay, followed by 13 weeks of Statutory Maternity Pay or Statutory Adoption Pay, we also offer 6 weeks fully paid paternity leave
Free 24/7 virtual GP service, Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) for you and your family, free access to a range of experts to support your mental wellbeing

About us:

Our vision at Tesco is to become every customer's favourite way to shop, whether they are at home or out on the move. Our core purpose is 'Serving our customers, communities and planet a little better every day'. Serving means more than a transactional relationship with our customers. It means acting as a responsible and sustainable business for all stakeholders, for the communities we are part of and for the planet.

We are proud to have an inclusive culture at Tesco where everyone truly feels able to be themselves. At Tesco, we not only celebrate diversity, but recognise the value and opportunity it brings. We're committed to creating a workplace where differences are valued, and make sure that all colleagues are given the same opportunities. We're a big business with diverse working patterns and many business areas which means that we can find something that works for you. Everyone is welcome at Tesco.

We have recently announced that we will be moving towards a more blended working week – combining office and remote working. Our offices will continue to be where we connect, collaborate and innovate. Please talk to us to about how this can work for you.

NOTE: Should you be successful in your application, your offer will be subject to and conditional upon you providing your bank account details on your agreed start date.

We're proud to have been accredited Disability Confident Leader and we're committed to providing a fully inclusive and accessible recruitment process. For further information on the accessibility support we can offer, please visit https://www.tesco-careers.com/accessibility