Senior Design Manager - Selfridges Selection

Job Introduction

Selfridges has always been much more than a shop. We’re a social space where everyone is welcome and feels a sense of belonging, a creative playground where culture and commerce collide, and an experimental hub where you can discover the most innovative and sustainable ideas in retail. We’re here to help make the world brighter. And you can be an important part of this. We’ll talk more about the role below, but before we get to that, let’s share with you the good stuff…  

Rewards and benefits 

Life at Selfridges is dynamic, exciting, and always evolving. As well as working with some of the most cutting-edge, iconic and boundary-pushing brands, designers and creatives, we also offer our team members opportunities to help make a positive difference through our network of communities, both within and outside Selfridges. Here are just a few of our rewards and benefits that help make our team experience that bit more extraordinary. 

• Flexible working options to benefit you, your family and your wellbeing that can include part-time, flexi-time, job sharing or working remotely 

• Generous annual leave that increases with length of service 

• Up to five paid volunteering days – from beach cleans to co-ordinating food and clothing donations 

• Family leave that suits your set up including Maternity, Paternity, Adoption, Surrogacy and Shared Parental leave policies 

• Defined pension contribution scheme  

• Generous bonus and/or commission scheme  

• Enviable team member discount including sale previews and double discount days 

• Exclusive local discounts on a range of restaurants, bars, beauticians and entertainment 

• Subsidised gym memberships  

• Annual travel pass and cycle-to-work schemes  

• A sustainable car salary sacrifice scheme 

• Several internal communities to get involved in from our Diversity Board and Green Warriors who are leading the charge on D,E&I and sustainability, to the Wellbeings who are always thinking of new ways to champion healthy minds, bodies and routines for our team members 

• Workplace Options, our confidential team member assistance programme for when life gets tricky or you need a little guidance 

• Access to a wide range of training programmes to help your career development 

Read on to find out how you can play your part in Reinventing Retail… 

Role Responsibility

We are looking for an exceptional Senior Design Manager, to lead and develop our Selfridges Selection brand and packaging creative. Based in our London office and reporting into the Head of Design and Production, within the wider Selfridges food B&M, Editorial, digital, and social teams.

The Senior Design manager will support the design team to concept and deliver innovative and cutting-edge creative across in store and all channels. We are looking for a highly talented individual, tuned into the latest creative and cultural movements with a broad skillset and strong aesthetic to bring Selfridges Selection’s unique brand personality to life through their creative concepts.

You will support the Head of Design and Production in defining, developing and executing the Selfridges Selection Brand and franchise design, across multiple touchpoints. Working collaboratively across teams you will develop and create a bench-mark setting brand – with a strong design / fashion-led and user centric aesthetic – to bring Selfridges Selection’s unique personality to life.​

Responsibilities:

• Continue to build Selfridges Selection’s creative reputation through innovative, highly creative graphic design.
• Ensure consistency of Selfridges Selection’s creative/brand message across multiple channels.
• Work with and present to internal clients to develop a creative response to the given brief within budget and time frames agreed with the Head of Selfridges Selection and Head of Design.
• Creatively direct design team, review their work in preparation for presentation to Head of Design, ensuring delivery of work on time for all internal/external presentations.
• Work closely with Head of design and Production, Digital, editiorial and social teams, to ensure all Selfridges Selection and content graphics are consistent from .com to instore. 
• Alongside the studio traffic manager, manage project workflow through the studio, ensuring a fair distribution of work amongst the team and delivery of work on time and within budget.
• Present work at both internal and external stakeholder meetings.
• Ensure attendance by a design representative at all Selfridges Selection matrix steering meetings ensuring that representative further cascades all information from these meetings to the wider team, including when applicable the production team.
• Present work at Director/Board Level where appropriate.
• Art direct external photographic shoots / 3D motion design
• Work with the Head of Design and Production and Studio manager to develop timelines for projects briefed into the studio.
• Work with the Packaging Production manager to develop relationships with external suppliers to understand the print production process and how these processes affect the creative proposal.
• Manage your own time, prioritising workload to meet project deadlines as outlined in the initial creative direction brief.
• Continually review ways to improve communication and efficiencies across all areas of the design process.
• Work with Head of Design and production and external consultancies to achieve effective implementation of external creative solutions across store environment / platforms when applicable.
• Develop Selfridges Selection brand guidelines, templates, artwork and pipeline to make the studio more efficient

The Ideal Candidate

• Support the Head of Design to redefine Selfridges Selection design language and evolve our brand into a bench-mark setting industry leader.
• You have the ability to navigate your team through a complex and fast-paced environment​
• Commercially astute. You will be attuned to both the Selfridges brand, its competitors, and the wider retail landscape of fashion, accessories, beauty, home, food and drink.​
• You are able to translate strategic creative ideas into commercial objectives, and support the Head of Design to drive change in a big organisation, with equal emphasis on process and outcome​
• Culturally connected. With a passion for design and a genuine interest in contemporary culture and what’s happening now and next. Your work must speak to the zeitgeist and be able to contribute to both the design and wider cultural conversation​
• Proven background in designing high-quality work for premium brands with a strong visual portfolio. Interactive design work​ is desirable but not essential.
• A great communicator. You have excellent influencing and negotiating skills, whilst building professional, lasting relationships at all levels​
• An example of our values, a trusted and respected colleague​.
• Mac literate – Adobe Creative Suite, Keynote / Power point / Microsoft word / sharepoint.
• Advanced knowledge of the print/production process.
• Strong typographic skills
• Confident in a meeting situation.
• Presenting work up to Board Level.
• Creative and strategic thinker.
• Organised and efficient.
• Great communication and interpersonal skills.
• Clear understanding of the Selfridges Selection brand and values
• Team player.
• Strong ‘eye for detail’.
• Manage heavy work load, multi-tasking, juggling numerous projects at any one time.
• Calm within busy environment.
• Great stakeholder management

N.B: A portfolio of creative work will be required on application. A website and social page can be additional.

About the Company

Everyone is welcome 

Selfridges is a place where we want everyone to feel a sense of belonging. We embrace every self and are committed to cultivating a diverse and inclusive working culture. We are leading with purpose to not only increase the visibility and recognition of under-represented talent within our organisation, but the wider industry too. Here at Selfridges, everyone is welcome – irrespective of race, gender, ethnicity, sexuality, age or disability, we stand by equal opportunities for all.   

Our awards cabinet  

We’re not ones to brag, but since you asked...Selfridges has won the award for The World’s Best Department Store an unprecedented four times at the IGDS awards, with an additional award for the Best Sustainability Campaign. We were also recognised as a ‘Best 25 Big Company to Work For 2020’ as awarded by The Sunday Times. 

Selfridges