Designer - Maternity Cover

By living our values - we play to win, customer obsessed, we are one and it starts with me - we deliver That New Look Feeling for our customers and each other. 

The Role: This is a 12 month Maternity cover role.

Here at New Look, Design is where it all starts, we live and breathe all things fashion. We are looking for a passionate and driven Designer to join us and be an integral part of our team! With a finger on the pulse for the latest trends at all times, this individual will drive new ideas, and push trends that are new and relevant for the New Look customer. Working closely with buying, merch and suppliers to build a cohesive Blouses range that we can be proud of. No two days are the same and we thrive in a fast-paced environment.

WHATS IN IT FOR YOU:

• 40% staff discount plus friends & family discounts throughout the year
• Access to our reward platform for external discount and offers
• Private pension scheme
• Virtual GP access for you and your children – it allows you to speak to a doctor at a time and date that suits you
• All employees are covered by our life assurance policy from day one
• Unlock extra leave with our buy more holiday scheme.
• Celebrate YOU! Enjoy an extra paid day off on your birthday each year
• Enhanced maternity, paternity and adoption leave, and shared parental leave.
• Spread the cost of your commute with interest-free season ticket loans
• Do your bit for the environment and save money with our Cycle2Work scheme
• We're proud to partner with the Retail Trust and Fashion & Textile Children's Trust

What you’ll be doing:

• Clearly identify department key items at the start of the season and ensure they are delivered in line with New Look customer profiles
• Identify key item blocks for the season in line with Brand strategy and take full ownership of them
• Driving forward the Design team, with support of the Head of Design, and be a vocal voice in strategic opportunities
• Driving new trends commercially through product ranges with the New Look brand handwriting and customer at front of mind
• Strategically manages the critical path from design concept through to final buying samples reacting to market changes and challenges.
• Creating mood boards, trend presentations and catwalk reports giving clear and concise trend messages to Buying teams
• Sourcing new fabrications overseas inspired from trend research and to share new ideas on fabrics with the wider Design team where relevant
• Working in synergy with Buying to build a strong fashion yet commercial range, sharing ideas and information with other product areas to ensure brand / product consistency
• Good influencing skills and self believe, to ensure that newness is delivered into the range, at the correct grading in collaboration with Buying
• In-depth trend knowledge, being able to identify emerging trends and influence the business at critical points.  Looking at opportunities to react quickly, with strong understanding of the supply base and how to get quick reads on product
• Identifying new sourcing opportunities and providing focused, clear development direction to current supplier base
• Developing the right product at the right time, in line with the departmental design strategy to meet customer requirements
• Monitoring, maintaining, and actioning in-depth competitor analysis, and presenting ideas and new product opportunities to gain competitor advantage
• Sharing information where relevant on product, suppliers, best / worst sellers within business area and across the wider business
• Communicating effectively with all internal and external teams
• Working with QA to complete fit sessions in order to develop block and fit that reflects design direction and customer trends
• An excellent understanding of the New Look Customer
• Strong understanding of our Customer Insight and Market Share
• Actively contributing in trend and competitor analysis, making recommendations for changes or developments
• Ongoing familiarity of the competition’s product range
• Challenging current ways of working and practices across departments and functions, coming up with new initiatives to benefit the whole Business and implementing these
• Managing and developing the Team, displaying strong leadership skills to enable achievement of New Look’s strategy
• Driving the BMD vision into clear goals and objectives for your direct reports and their teams.

Who you are:

• Previous experience as a Designer within a major retailer / department within New Look / established supplier
• Fashion Qualification / Other degree desirable
• PC  / Mac literate - Photoshop, Illustrator, Excel, Word, Adobe Suite
• Excellent spec skills using a mix of hand sketching, illustrator and Photoshop
• Able to present work in an exciting format to Heads Of and / or Directors, influencing buying decisions
• Management of workload according to the critical path
• An in-depth knowledge of the current competitive and inspirational market place
• Excellent interpersonal / communication skills
• Superb understanding of the department, and the ability to predict trend / key items with full conviction at the start of the season
• Ability to line manage, motivate and develop the team
• Ability to initiate, build and maintain strong relationships with Buying/Merchandising /QA
• Ability to contribute to the bigger picture and Design department as a whole
• Good organisational skills
• Predicting and delivering of department key items for the season
• Speed and proficiency of Design work
• Identification and interpretation key trends in line with customer profiles
• Achieves sales and strategy plan