Design Director

Marks; Salford; Hybrid; GBP 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

Marks, based in the UK, is looking for an experienced Design Director to lead packaging design projects and ensure brand development consistency. This hybrid role requires expertise in FMCG branding and the ability to manage multiple projects efficiently. The ideal candidate will have strong communication and presentation skills, a diverse portfolio reflecting systems thinking, and proficiency in the Adobe Creative Suite. Join a vibrant team at Marks, where innovation and creativity are highly valued.

Qualifications

• Solid experience in packaging design with an ability to understand brand personalities.
• A portfolio representing diverse industry expertise related to FMCG.
• Ability to manage clients and projects independently.

Responsibilities

• Lead multiple projects from brief through adaptation and rollout.
• Provide inspirational direction and share knowledge with the team.
• Ensure day-to-day quality of output.

Skills

Packaging design expertise

Brand strategy understanding

Excellent communication

Client management

Adobe Creative Suite

Presentation skills

Organizational skills

Job description

Overview

Marks, part of the Propelis Group, Marks is a consumer experience agency creating engaging moments across the entire brand spectrum—from brand design and packaging, to content and consumer connections. We are a collaborative global network of 1,900+ team members across 25+ studios and 20+ countries, partnering with some of the world’s most recognized brands to solve complex business challenges through design, strategy, and craft.

Our Culture

Marks is a genuinely friendly, fun and engaging place to work. Whilst we are serious about the work we do, we are emphatic that our employees should have the most rewarding experience at work we can possibly give them in a business environment, as well as a great place for all to nurture their talents. We’re bringing together a diverse team of creative people with perspectives from all over the world to create a vibrant environment full of ideas, opinions and experience.

The Role

We are looking for an experienced Design Director who is comfortable with a high degree of ownership and accountability. This is a great opportunity for an inspiring team leader with a can-do attitude who excels working in a fast-paced and reactive environment. This is a hybrid working role that will be based out of our York based studio. Our ideal candidate is a natural brand builder and systems thinker who understands brand strategy and creative branding principles. You have a background working on FMCG brands and have a deep understanding of how they operate and are developed across printed packaging, POS and other shopper facing comms. You are grounded in brand pack design, both creatively and in its expansion and translation across wide reaching portfolios. You’ll be able to work with and understand brand positioning documents and guidelines to help create exciting new concepts for new ranges and brand expansions. Critical to this role is the ability to flex beyond pack, seamlessly adapting a visual brand language across other touchpoints including POS, Digital and e-comm, maintaining the brand personality throughout.

What You’ll Do

• Be responsible for the day-to-day quality of output
• Lead multiple projects from brief through adaptation and rollout
• Provide inspirational direction and be prepared to share knowledge with less technical members of the team
• Work efficiently, balancing tight deadlines and frequently shifting priorities
• Work alongside the Creative Director on conceptual projects where a more creative skillset is required

What You’ll Need

• Solid experience in packaging design with an ability to understand brands individual personalities, tiering and target markets
• A portfolio that represents a diverse range of industry expertise, showing systems thinking in the world of FMCG
• The ability to be the brand guardian, ensuring its development and executional consistency
• The ability to change perspectives: a keen eye for detail but being able to shift to ‘helicopter view’ when needed
• You’ll need to be an excellent written and verbal communicator
• Ability to manage clients and projects independently
• Good understanding of print and production processes and ability to explain print limitations to those without technical knowledge
• Excellent presentation skills, articulating ideas with conviction in client facing situations
• Organisational skills. You can effectively manage your time, prioritise your work and handle multiple projects simultaneously
• Drive creative quality and technical execution excellence
• A passion for visual culture, creativity, innovation and tech, beyond the world of graphic design
• An expert working knowledge of the Adobe Creative suite and keynote