Womenswear Designer – S.U.N (Nightwear/Swimwear)

As a Designer (L6) within our Product Design Profession, you will be the driving force behind designing, developing, and delivering original, relevant, and customer-centric own-brand products. Utilising deep customer insights, you will inspire, excite, and delight our customers while delivering planned growth for your categories.

We are seeking a true specialist; someone who "owns" their product area. While you will provide strategic oversight across Underwear and Swim, you will act as the primary expert and specialist in Nightwear, ensuring a commercial and clear direction that sets the standard for the industry.

You will take a leading role in design projects, working independently, alongside or in collaboration with the wider Design and Trading community.
As part of your role you will be mentoring within the wider design and category teams, sharing significant experience and knowledge supporting where needed.

• 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 expectation is for three in-person days per week, which can include your time spent on store visits and meeting brands / suppliers. For Fashion Design this is generally Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. 

• Location -  This role is based at our London Head Office campus in Pimlico. Travel may be required to Europe, the Far East & India

• FYI: This position is predominantly focused on Nightwear Design; however, as the role also involves the oversight of our swimwear design team, previous experience in this category is highly desirable. 

• Next Steps: The application process requires you to upload a portfolio / examples of your work along with your CV and application answers. Portfolio reviews will be held virtually with the strongest applications before shortlisting for interviews. If you are invited to attend an interview, you will be required to provide your portfolio to the assessors as well as present a small project that will be provided to you in advance. Interviews will be held in person, at our Head Office in Pimlico. 

Key responsibilities

Strategic Design & Ownership:

• Category Leadership: Take the lead on Nightwear design projects, working independently and collaboratively to deliver "best-in-class" products.
  Specialist Expertise: Demonstrate significant experience in Nightwear, overseeing Underwear and Swim to ensure a cohesive, distinct, and unique customer offer.

• Commercial Direction: Partner closely with Buying, Merchandising, and Technical teams to co-create briefs and deliver outcomes aligned with brand guidelines and commercial goals.
  Strategic Thinking: Work alongside the Category Design Lead to drive your category in line with business outcomes, keeping the "voice of the customer" at the heart of every decision.

Design Excellence & Innovation:

• Research & Trend: Lead seasonal trend research, setting color palettes and mood boards that reflect market conditions and evolving customer needs.
  Sustainability: Review technological advancements and incorporate new ways to meet Partnership ES (Environmental/Sustainability) standards.

• Technical Mastery: Produce precise design packs and fulfill briefs with innovative solutions. You will be proficient in Adobe Creative Suite and specialist design software, ensuring the sampling process is efficient and accurate.
  IP Protection: Limit risk and protect intellectual property through meticulous record-keeping and traceability of style references.

Leadership & Partnership Principles:

• Mentorship: Act as a role model within the Design Profession, mentoring and sharing knowledge to help the wider team achieve their potential.
  Deputising: Support the Category Design Lead, stepping in to deputise and provide leadership for the category when appropriate.

• Co-ownership: Act in accordance with the Partnership’s purpose and democratic principles, speaking honestly and frequently to improve the business.
   

About You:

• The Specialist: You are a seasoned designer with a deep-seated passion and expertise in Nightwear. You understand the technicalities of the product area and have the "handwriting" to create a unique market position.
  The Collaborator: You thrive in a cross-functional environment, working seamlessly with Trading and Technical communities to ensure the best product for the collection.

• The Mentor: You are committed to personal and professional development, both for yourself and for those you mentor within the studio.
  Agile & Global: You are comfortable with EU and International travel for product development and embrace the Partnership’s agile and flexible working practices.

Essential skills/experience you’ll need

• Experience in stakeholder management, excellent communication and presentation skills

• A proven commercial focus

• A track record of credible creative achievements

• A strong understanding of the JL&P brand and / or sub brands, their brand values and potential for product

Desirable skills/experience you may have 

• BA degree in Design 

• Substantial experience within a retail product design studio

• Good external network across the design industry

For internal use only:

#LI-HEADOFFICE

#LI-RZ1 

#LI-HYBRID

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. 

Attachment: Download Job Attachment