Design Manager

Zachary Daniels Recruitment; Middlewich; Hybrid; GBP 40,000 - 50,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Private healthcare for employee and/or

Birthday day off

Company holiday apartment

Corporate football club box

Flexible working

35-hour week

Job summary

Zachary Daniels Recruitment is partnering with an award-winning, fast-growing licensed gifting and collectibles business in Cheshire to recruit a Design Manager on a maternity cover.

You will lead a creative team, maintain momentum on the 2027 roadmap, deliver great products on time, and coordinate with the CEO, Sales and Marketing, with flexible working and a strong work-life balance.

Qualifications

• Excellent people manager with strong organizational skills.
• Proficient in Adobe Creative Suite and design software.

Responsibilities

• Lead and support a team of designers.
• Manage workloads, priorities and capacity to keep projects moving.
• Provide creative direction, feedback and product/packaging sign-off.
• Run regular 1-to-1s and weekly creative team meetings.
• Work with the CEO, Sales and Marketing to align product launches.
• Manage relationships with key brand and licensing partners.
• Oversee high-profile projects across sports, entertainment and other licensed categories.
• Support, coach and develop the team, dealing with people issues when required.

Skills

People management

Creative direction

Product development

Tools

Adobe Creative Suite

Job description

Design Manager | Cheshire | £40,000-£50,000 | 35 hours | Flexible working

Love pop culture, great product and getting the best out of people?

We're working with an award-winning, fast-growing licensed gifting and collectibles business creating products across film, gaming, entertainment, music and sport, working with some seriously exciting global brands.

They're looking for a Design Manager to lead and support their creative team during a maternity cover period. The 2027 product roadmap is already planned, so this is all about keeping the team on track, maintaining momentum and ensuring great products are delivered on time.

What you'll be doing:

• Lead and support a team of designers.
• Manage workloads, priorities and capacity to keep projects moving.
• Provide creative direction, feedback and product/packaging sign-off.
• Run regular 1-to-1s and weekly creative team meetings.
• Work with the CEO, Sales and Marketing to align product launches.
• Manage relationships with key brand and licensing partners.
• Oversee high-profile projects across sports, entertainment and other licensed categories.
• Support, coach and develop the team, dealing with any people issues when required.

About you

You could come from a Design or Product Development background. We're looking for someone who is an excellent people manager, highly organised and commercially aware, with a great eye for design and a genuine passion for pop culture, gaming and entertainment.

You'll be confident managing changing priorities, giving constructive feedback and working with external brands and suppliers. Adobe Creative Suite experience is also required.

What's on offer?

• £40k-£50k
• 35-hour working week
• Flexible working and strong work-life balance
• Private healthcare for employee and family*
• Birthday day off
• Company holiday apartment
• Corporate football club box
• Fun, entrepreneurial and genuinely creative environment

Based in Cheshire, right next to the train station. The preference is for someone predominantly office-based, although there is flexibility around home working and part-time/school-hours arrangements for the right person.

If you're a creative people leader looking for something a little different, we'd love to hear from you!

BBBH37106