Senior Designer & Team Leader

We are Whisky Merchants Trading - an established and dynamic whisky cask specialist and private & independent bottler based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Our group found its start in exceptional old and rare Scotch whiskies but has since built a unique collection of brands across whisk(e)y and other spirits with international reach - including Cask 88 and its sister companies. Conventional bottles don't excite us - we're looking to create products that turn heads.

We are seeking a creative and self-motivated Senior Designer & Team Leader to join our design team in Edinburgh. You will work on a vast array of projects for private clients and in-house. Along with independent bottlings that are sold worldwide. You will be involved in developing the ideas from conception to final delivery. We offer a tailored experience to all our private bottling clients - either working to their brief, budget or using our expertise to help them create their ideal bottling.

Within our Creative Team, you’ll be collaborating daily with our designers, copywriters, project managers and directors.

The role involves drafting initial concepts to a specific budget, understanding, communicating, and working efficiently on the briefs set by clients or the Creative Team, liaising directly with packaging suppliers and printers to develop pre-production samples, through to the final manufacture. Other parts of the role will be to resolve in-house design queries and support / mentor colleagues with design needs. Our team is quite close-knit, so expect to work with input from other departments.

Main Responsibilities

• Develop the primary and secondary packaging for new whisky products
• Identify opportunities for new whisky bottle designs and merchandise
• Follow SWA (Scotch Whisky Association) and government regulations
• Collaborates with marketing and creative teams, especially graphic designers, and copywriters, to create eye-catching designs
• Be responsible for implementing a structure to help & encourage the team with the design process inc. packaging materials for products, brainstorming, sketching, and creating prototypes
• Establish timelines for projects and manage the workflow to ensure that deadlines are met
• Set design requirements based on briefs from internal teams and external partners

· Support, guide and mentor senior and junior designers in the team to create a workforce that is not just happy but motivated to succeed.

• Provide constructive and honest feedback to the creative team, ensuring continuous improvements for growth and development.
• Utilise and oversee our team collaboration platforms
• Mentorship to members of the team
• Works with clients to understand their needs
• Evaluates consumer and market trends for packaging materials
• Research materials and techniques

Desired Skills and Experience

Candidates must:

• Have an artistic flair
• Experience of managing & mentoring a creative team
• Strong project management skills and proven ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously
• Experience on multi format creative projects
• Strong people management skills, demonstrates empathy and has experience in recruiting and developing a winning team
• Have strong communication and interpersonal skills.
• Have a strong portfolio demonstrating a range and variety of digital and printed work.
• Work experience as a Packaging Designer or similar role. Design experience in the drink industry is desirable but not essential
• Have a strong understanding of print techniques and materials for print, and working with suppliers to ensure deadlines are met
• Strong creative skillset including Adobe Creative Suite. CAD/AutoCAD/Solidworks is a bonus.
• Display an ability to generate new concepts and original ideas within the boundaries/limitations of a specific brief, being able to adapt their style to fit the brief and to budget.
• Time-management skills - being able to manage their own timeline and projects.
• Show initiative, motivation, problem-solving skills and attention to detail.
• Display interest and understanding of brand visual identities/aesthetics and the drink industry.

This is not a remote position; the postholder will be required to be based in Edinburgh.

Employment Type

£45,000 per year

Full-time (5 days a week - weekends & birthdays off)

Job Type: Full-time

Salary: £45,000.00 per year

Benefits:

• Flexitime

Schedule:

• Monday to Friday

Ability to commute/relocate:

• EDINBURGH: reliably commute or plan to relocate before starting work (required)

Education:

• Bachelor's (preferred)

Experience:

• Graphic design: 1 year (preferred)

Work Location: One location

Application deadline: 19/02/2023
Reference ID: Senior Designer & Team Leader