Designer - Homeware

This is a brilliant opportunity for an experienced Homeware Designer to join our Kitchen category on a 12-month maternity cover contract, helping to shape beautiful, commercial ranges across dinnerware, glassware and textiles. You’ll play a key role in driving the category strategy, using your design expertise and customer instinct to develop product that feels fresh, relevant and unmistakably M&S. Working closely with Buying, Technical and Design teams, you’ll bring ideas to life from concept through to delivery, while leading and supporting the Team to do their best work.

Please attach a sample of your portfolio as a PDF when submitting your application. We’re unable to access external portfolio links, so a PDF attachment will ensure your work can be reviewed.

What you’ll do 

Your key accountabilities will include

•  Work in collaboration with technical teams through the design and development process to ensure delivery of agreed materials, finishes, construction, quality and innovation strategy. Create tech packs delivering accurate and commercial product specifications, including, design aesthetic, materials, finishes, dimensions and functional requirements.

•  Work alongside the Buying and Technical teams to ensure critical dates for range line sheets, product specifications and tech packs are met within the critical path, building in key commercial priorities alongside forward-looking trends.

•  Work with the Design Lead and Designers on coordinated looks, trends and lifestyles through the process as required. Share trends across Home design teams to build strong cross-category looks and customer-focused product stories.

•  Build and develop a strong and creative JD/AD design team with a forward-looking approach to effectively work within a commercially focused culture.

•  Coach and manage JD/ADs/Graduates, identifying and acting on training and development needs

Who you are 

Your skills and experience will include

•  Design handwriting and taste level to be in line with M&S style vision and in line with the M&S customer expectation

•  Expert in the field of design with significant designer experience within the Retail and/or Manufacturing industry. Strong understanding of materials, finishes, construction, functionality and product quality to ensure product integrity.

•  Expert level of proficiency in Design related CAD software to include Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, In Design and PLM

•  Deputise for Design Lead as required

•  Strong Communication and Influencing skills

What’s in it for you? 

Working at M&S means being part of something bigger - helping to deliver quality, value and service to millions of customers every day. We’re inclusive, fast-moving and always evolving, with a strong sense of purpose and a focus on doing the right thing.

Here are just a few of the benefits that make working here even more rewarding:

• 20% colleague discount on all M&S products and many third-party brands for you and someone in your household, available once you’ve completed your probation

• Competitive holiday allowance with the option to buy more

• Discretionary bonus schemes linked to your performance and ours 

• Strong pension and life assurance to help plan for the future

• Tailored induction and training to support your development from day one

• Exclusive perks and savings through our M&S Choices portal

• Market-leading family policies, including parental, adoption and neonatal leave

• 24/7 wellbeing support, including virtual GP access and mental health services

• One paid volunteer day a year to support a cause that matters to you

Everyone’s welcome 

We are ambitious about the future of retail. We are disrupting, innovating and leading the industry into a more conscientious, inspiring digital era. We are transforming how we work together and offering our most exciting opportunities yet. Marks & Spencer strives to be an inclusive organisation, trusted and admired by our colleagues, customers and suppliers. Join us and make change happen.

We are committed to building diverse and representative teams, where everyone can bring their whole selves to work and be at their best. We support each other and work together to win together.

If you feel you'd benefit from any support or reasonable adjustments during any stage of the recruitment process, please don’t hesitate to let us know when completing your application. This information will be picked up by our team, so we can try and put steps in place to help you be at your best through this process.

To stay close to customers, our support teams are in the office three days a week as we believe that skills are developed through collaboration, and that spending time together makes us more creative and connected.

Due to high interest, this role may close earlier than advertised. We recommend applying as soon as possible.

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