Senior Footwear Designer

Senior Footwear Designer

Department: Womenswear

Employment Type: Permanent - Full Time

Location: Head Office, Chelsea House

Reporting To: Tara Holt

Our Design Team deliver stand-out, affordable fashion with the unique style and touches that underpin the River Island handwriting. As a Senior Designer you’ll take a lead in setting the direction for your categories, and will be accountable for full development cycle of products for inclusion in the final ranges. As a true subject matter expert in driving design excellence, delivering complex and stand out pieces within the range.

Your outstanding market, industry and commercial awareness will ensure delivery of design that represent key trends and drive commercial results, and presentation of a balanced overall range for our customer.

• Deliver excellence in product design, from concept to completion, that represents key trendsand commercial opportunities, and create a balanced range for your category
• Through strong understanding of fabric, engineering, fit and quality, produce designs to a high technical standard, and excellent first sample hit rate, for the level of the market
• Through outstanding broad market and customer awareness and research, and a thorough understanding of the River Island brand, lead and shape Product Development discussions that address key trends and opportunities
• In developing broad industry and competitor awareness, identify and realise new product and design opportunities aligned to our overall Product strategy
• At all stages, incorporate an understanding of sustainable practices in design, development and production to deliver on our sustainability commitments, and role model this to the whole Design team
• Understand sales history, sales and margin targets and range plans across both your own area of countability and more broadly across all divisions to ensure designs are aligned to deliver on commercial opportunities
• Through strong relationships and collaboration with suppliers, fabric mills, Fabric Sourcing and Buying counterparts, identify and realise opportunities for newness, trends and sourcing
• Support new Design Talent through mentoring and developing all team members, creating learning opportunities and fostering inclusion and diversity of opinion
• Provide direction to Designers and Assistant Designers, managing their workload to ensure they contribute effectively to the design process
• Grows talent within the Design team, identifying readiness for next role, providing learning opportunities, coaching and mentoring in a timely way to enable everyone to realise their individual potential

• Substantial previous experience as an established Designer or equivalent is essential
• Qualifications or studies relevant to Design are essential
• Must be able to provide a portfolio of Design work
• Track record of successfully mentoring and developing others
• Excellent network in the market and industry

• Advanced Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop skills are essential
• Excellent Product Development skills
• Excellent technical and creative design skills
• Strong organisation skills, intentional with time and focus
• Strong verbal communication skills
• Excellent mentoring and development skills
  
  Strong commercial acumen
• Strong interpersonal effectiveness and collaboration skills, emotional intelligence and self-management
• Builds strong, genuine relationships with peers, highly collaborative approach
• Self-starter
• Forward-thinking, innovative
• Change champion with a curious, continuous learning mindset
• Tenacious and resilient and adaptable to change
• Passion for the RI brand and customer
• Disciplined and conscientious, results oriented

We’re a much-loved brand with an exciting future. Our Islanders are a diverse bunch of bright, talented people who love working together – and are proud of the work they do. Progression here can take you in all kinds of directions. This is what a career at River Island is like. And this is where yours starts.

This role is based at our Head Office in West London.

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💰 Generous 50% staff discount so you can treat yourself to the…