Menswear Designer, Swimwear, Nightwear and Underwear

We are looking for a creative, high-energy Menswear Swimwear, Nightwear and Underwear Designer on a fixed term contract, Maternity cover, to join our growing team. Working directly with our Design Manager, you will lead on the development and curation and have overall responsibility for the look and feel of our Own brand collections. This isn't just about technical skill, we are looking for a "culture add", someone to bring a positive, collaborative spirit and a sense of fun to the studio every day.

At a glance:

• Salary: £ 57,400.00 - 86,200.00 per annum based on skill and experience

• Contract type: This is a fixed term contract opportunity until May 2027 (Maternity cover)

• Hours and location of the role:

  • 35 hours per week

  • Your home location will be our London Pimlico Head Office

  • This is a hybrid working role. The expectation is a minimum of 3 days per week in the office as team collaboration is critical in this role - core days will vary across teams

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

Key responsibilities:

• End-to-end development of product

• Ability to integrate trends while moving best-selling lines forward in a commercial way

  Evolve our swimwear, nightwear and underwear collections from concept to final sample

• Bring new, trend-forward ideas to the table that push the brand forward while maintaining our core "look and feel"

• Contribute to a high-vibe, positive workspace where ideas are shared freely and creativity thrives

• 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 & planned growth for categories

• As part of your role you will be mentoring within the wider design and category teams, sharing significant experience and knowledge supporting where needed

• Deputising for your Category Design Lead when appropriate

• Preparation and presentation of relevant and appropriate category trend research. Demonstrate a good level of research and analytical skills to keep abreast of key customer requirements, market trends/conditions and evolving product needs. Reviewing technological advancements and new ways to incorporate sustainability inline with partnership ES standards/goals

• You will research thoroughly into your Category by setting out seasonal trend boards and colour palettes, have excellent illustration and cad skills, whilst being proficient in Adobe and other specialist design software

• Ensure the sampling process is efficient. Produce precise design packs and fulfil seasonal design briefs with commercial and innovative solutions, supported by illustrating / briefing / sourcing key materials and details. Ensure accurate samples are produced. Maintain comprehensive records of design projects

• Work autonomously and set a clear direction when working on additional project teams, agreeing key objectives and a process to achieve the outcome. Taking the lead where needed. Task management responsibilities can include projects, new category collections, developing sub brands

• Work collaboratively with all levels of buying, merchandise and the technical team to co-create the briefs & deliver identified outcomes 

• Align to our Own Brand's strategies with a strong focus on understanding our customer and their evolving needs with desire to ensure that we deliver appropriate and relevant products

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

Essential skills and/or experience you’ll need: 

• Proven experience in specialist product categories ie: swimwear and/or nightwear and/or underwear

• A professional understanding and experience using the Adobe Creative Suite 

• Experience in stakeholder management, excellent communication and presentation skills with the ability to build relationships with internal and external stakeholders

• Demonstrated ability to translate design concepts into production-ready sketches and technical specifications, using technology (e.g. Adobe) to do achieve this

• Delivering designs on time within the seasonal critical path

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

• Design experience in the retail industry

Desirable skills and/or experience you may have: 

• Print experience

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.