Job Description
Due to ongoing growth, my client is looking for a Senior Designer who can enable design teams to plan and deliver the design development strategy for specific brands.
This is a fashion jewellery brand for the UK High Street so price points are low and you must be able to design commercial jewellery, this is not a role for a fine jewellery designer.
NB: This role is based in Essex
Main responsibilities will include:
- Accountable for design of commercial collection from concept to end product
- Has extensive commercial acumen, able to take accountability for a financial plan
- Highly effective influencing skills, builds ranges that achieve a buy of greater than 50%.
- Works to build long term partnerships with suppliers
- Manage and deliver the financial plan for the brand, adhering to budgets and maintaining appropriate cost controls.
- Actively monitor trading across the brand and react to sales, making timely decisions and seeking new selling opportunities to maximise revenue and profitability from each season.
- Identify gaps in the market and react quickly to emerging trends
- Build strong customer relationships and develop innovative and original ranges with strong sensitivity to material and colour.
- Ensure collections meet the customer profile and brand identity
- Lead in creating & designing innovative, original designs and concepts, applying techniques, applications, and ideas that translate into complete ranges for buyers.
- Take responsibility for leading first look mood boards and original inspiration themes, through colour, trend, handmade samples, and design sheets.
- Sign off range boards, having received feedback from relevant parties.
- Closely manage the development of each range for the brand, working with all relevant functions, staying close to the detail and resolving design specification queries.
- Manage and implement key activities in the 'critical path' to ensure design compliance for all products and ranges.
- Undertake competition shops to ensure knowledge of brand positioning and customer profile remain current.
- Research collate and deliver trend reports and presentations
- Oversee process for sourcing relevant materials to meet design requirements and for identifying a suitable supplier for each project, from first sample production stage, sample amendments, second samples through to bulk orders.
Person specification:
- Ideally educated to degree level or equivalent in jewellery or accessories degree.
- Competent Adobe suite skills and good working ability with Microsoft office suite.
- Sound commercial acumen, trading experience and a good ability to understand and interpret financial data.
- Creative flair, with at least 4. years FASHION JEWELLERY design experience
- Competent hand making skills - construction of buying samples.
- Awareness of Far East suppliers and jewellery production processes.
- Good developed understanding of the retail market, fashion trends, and brand positioning.
- Strong interpersonal skills, with the ability to communicate competently and clearly.
- Strong organisational and task management skills, with the ability to prioritise and work in a fast-moving reactive business with multiple deadlines. Ability to design across multiple brands and work under pressure/tight deadlines