Furniture and Upholstery Designer

As a Furniture Designer, you will be responsible for designing, developing and delivering original, relevant, customer-centric and distinct best in class own brand products, utilising customer insights, to inspire, excite and delight our customers and deliver planned growth for categories, ensuring it aligns to the overall strategic direction. You will take a key role in designing products and working to design briefs, working independently, alongside or in collaboration with the wider Design, Buying and supplier community. Working flexibly, you will provide support where there is the largest demand / tightest deadlines with the product categories.

In addition to your contractual pay, any time worked between 22:00 - 06:00 will attract Night Premium at a rate of £4.75 per hour. This will also apply to existing Partners who have enrolled onto Enhanced Hours Premium arrangements.

• Contract type - This position is a Permanent contract.

• Working pattern/flexible working - The Partnership has adopted a hybrid working approach, meaning you'll be able to work a mixture between the office and home based upon your personal needs whilst balancing the needs of the business. The Design team aims for a minimum of 3 days a week in the office to connect and on a more ad-hoc basis to attend key meetings. 

• Location -  This role is based at our London Head Office campus in Pimlico. Please note, any cost incurred as a result of travel to the office is the responsibility of the successful candidate. There is no travel allowance for this role. 

• FYI Next Steps  - The application process requires you to upload recent portfolio / examples of your work as well as your CV and application answers. An initial shortlist will be invited to a virtual Portfolio review which will be held w/c 27th April. A final shortlist will then be invited to attend a formal interview where you will be required to present a small project that will be provided to you in advance.  INTERVIEWS WILL BE HELD IN PERSON AT OUR HEAD OFFICE IN PIMLICO W/C 4TH MAY. 

Key responsibilities

Design:

• Play a critical role in delivering furniture design that will form a coherent category assortment aligned to brand / sub brand guidelines and in service of our customers. Support the Design Team and studio in fulfilling key tasks across the season.

• Produce commercial and innovative design solutions to briefs. Develops product design handwriting, displaying a breadth of design handwriting to ensure our customer offer is truly unique.

• Assist in the research, preparation and presentation of relevant and appropriate category trends. Demonstrate a good level of research and analytical skills to keep abreast of key customer requirements, market trends and conditions, product trends including technological advancements

• Ensure the sampling process is efficient for your sub-category. Produces precise design packs and fulfils delegated seasonal design briefs with commercial and innovative solutions, supported by illustrating / briefing / sourcing key materials and details. Ensure accurate samples are produced.  Maintains comprehensive records of design projects.

• Works on designated product ranges/projects. Takes ownership of design, product development and sampling process, engaging relevant stakeholders throughout, with the support from L6 Senior Designer and L5 Design Manager

• The role requires the application of a diverse set of skills to effectively bring design concepts to life. Candidates must demonstrate proficiency not only in traditional design and development techniques, such as sketching, model making and design software. This includes tools for 3D modelling, (Solidworks and keyshot preferred), and 2D applications (adobe creative suite) Additionally, a working knowledge of emerging technologies, including 3D printing, rapid prototyping, and the integration of artificial intelligence in the design development process, is essential.

• The role requires you to effectively communicate the technical designs of your designs to suppliers and manufacturers for costing, prototyping and production.

• EU and International travel may be required to develop products as appropriate.

Stakeholder Management:

• Support success driven cross-department working through effective stakeholder relationships.

• Build and maintain strong supplier relationships.

Continuous Improvement:

• Consistently demonstrate a Continuous Improvement mindset

• Think boldly and see issues and opportunities from all angles and multiple perspectives, even the unprecedented, to draw out meaning and connections and make recommendations to adjust strategy and outcomes as a result. Generate a number of workable options and overcome barriers to finding solutions.

Essential skills/experience you’ll need

• Demonstrated ability to translate design concepts into production-ready sketches and technical specifications, using technology. Furniture & Hard product design roles require excellent 3D modelling skills using software such as Solidworks, Rhino, Keyshot.

• A general awareness of current Homeware/interior design trends and a passion for Homeware/interior design and a willingness to research and learn about trends

• Experience in preparing design presentations and technical packages

• A good knowledge of product construction or other relevant technical experience for your relevant role, be it textiles or hard goods.furniture. e.g. an understanding of key materials, construction techniques, commercial manufacturing constraints

• A strong portfolio showcasing Furniture and Upholstery design skills

• Demonstrates a strong understanding of the JL&P brand, sub-brands values and potential for product design to drive commercial outcomes

• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, both written and verbal, with the ability to build relationships with internal and external stakeholders

• Extensive furniture design experience in the retail industry or a design studio.

Desirable skills/experience you may have 

• BA degree in Design (product, furniture, 3D design)

• Specific sub-category design experience in Furniture and Upholstery, further knowledge of product design is also worth demonstrating in your portfolio 

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We’re the largest employee owned business in the UK and home of our cherished brands, John Lewis and Waitrose. We’re not just employees, we’re Partners, driven by our purpose to build a happier world. As we look to our future, there’s never been a more exciting time to join us.  

We’re ruthlessly focused on being brilliant at retail. We continue to innovate, adapt and diversify. Never Knowingly Undersold on price, quality and service in John Lewis and passionately serving food-lovers in Waitrose.   

As Partners we all share the responsibility of ownership and in its rewards. We use our voices to contribute to our success, working together through the good and challenging times, holding true to our behaviours and treating everyone with kindness and respect. 

We all own making the Partnership somewhere we belong. Embracing our differences and creating an environment where we’re free to be ourselves and can THRIVE. Growing ourselves individually, and as a collective. 

As Partners, we make all the difference. And, we all own it.  

Important points to note:  

It’s important to note that some of our roles are subject to pre-employment vetting (which may include DBS checks for successful candidates). If required, you’ll be informed and provided with information about vetting during the recruitment process and we encourage you to complete any vetting documents quickly to avoid delays. Any DBS checks required will be carried out by a third-party registered body and financial probity checks may also be required for some of our roles.  

We occasionally close vacancies early in the event we receive a high volume of applications, and therefore, we recommend you apply early. If you require a reasonable adjustment due to a disability which means you may need longer to complete your application please contact us as soon as possible.

We want all of our Partners to have a good work-life balance and we support flexible working. This might mean flexible or compressed hours, job sharing or shorter hour contracts, where possible. Please discuss this further with the hiring manager during your interview. 

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