Design Manager, Europe

Sazerac Company; Kingston upon Thames; On-site; GBP 55,000 - 75,000; Full time

Job summary

Sazerac UK is seeking a Design Manager to lead the team responsible for visual brand building across marketing platforms, retail print and displays, across Europe. You will steer the retail design process for more than 40 brands, coordinating across off-premise, on-premise, ecommerce and B2B channels, with hands-on work or management of external partners.

The role emphasizes tightening briefs, developing team capabilities, and expanding cross-functional workflows while maintaining high quality

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in graphic design, visual communication, advertising, or related field.
• Strong portfolio in retail campaigns, display systems, and brand worlds.
• Proven ability to lead projects across multiple brands.
• Experience balancing strategy with execution in fast-paced environments.
• Experience collaborating with cross-functional stakeholders including marketing and sales.
• 6–10 years of experience in retail design or creative leadership.

Responsibilities

• Lead the retail design process for priority brands across Europe.
• Deliver visuals for off-premise, on-premise, ecommerce and B2B retail.
• Manage hands-on work or external teams and expand in-house capacity.
• Refine cross-functional processes and vendor relationships.

Skills

Team leadership

Brand design

Retail design

Visual storytelling

Cross-functional collaboration

Vendor management

Project management

Presentation skills

Education

Bachelor's degree in graphic design or related field

Job description

Sazerac Company Overview

Build your career at Sazerac! With almost 400 years of rich history, Sazerac Company has thrived as an independent, American family-owned company with operations in the United States and around the world. Since the 2000s, Sazerac has averaged double digit growth every year! Sazerac Company produces and markets the most award-winning bourbons and whiskeys in the world, including Buffalo Trace, Pappy Van Winkle, Eagle Rare, Blanton’s, Traveller, and Sazerac Rye. Additionally, Sazerac owns many popular brands across a range of spirits, including Fireball, Svedka, Wheatley, BuzzBallz, Southern Comfort, Seagram’s V.O., Myers’s, Goldschläger, Parrot Bay, 99 Brand, and Platinum Vodka.

Company/Location Overview

Sazerac UK is delivering explosive growth in the UK spirits and RTD market, now ranking in the top 10 producers in the UK.

Job Description/Responsibilities

As a Design Manager, you will be a Team Leader on visual brand building throughout marketing/advertising platforms specializing in retail print and displays, with team members stretching across key visuals and visual world ideation for emerging priority brands across Europe. You will lead the retail design process for all priority brands in the portfolio, totaling upwards of 40 brands. This includes deliverables for off-premise, on-premise, eCommerce and B2B retailers. As part of retail design, you may be hands-on or may manage external teams. It will be key to expand the in-house team’s capacity in this space. The responsibilities of the Design Manager include tightening strategic approach of client briefs, developing team members’ capabilities, and owning multiple external overflow vendor relationships. You will continue to refine cross functional processes as the team expands into new global markets.

Qualifications/Requirements

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in graphic design, visual communication, advertising, or a related field (or equivalent professional experience).
• Strong portfolio demonstrating expertise in retail campaigns, display systems, brand worlds, and multi-channel visual storytelling.
• Proven ability to lead projects across multiple brands and channels. simultaneously while balancing strategic thinking and executional detail.
• Strong understanding of retail production processes, display systems, print production, and vendor management.
• Excellent communication, presentation, and organizational skills.
• Experience managing creative teams and mentoring designers in a fast-paced, high-volume environment.
• Experience collaborating with cross-functional stakeholders including marketing, sales, production, and external partners. 6-10 years of experience in retail design, shopper marketing, brand design, or creative leadership roles.

Preferred Qualifications

• Familiarity with ecommerce retail content creation and digital shopper marketing assets.
• Understanding of shopper behavior, retail strategy, and omnichannel brand experiences.
• Experience in consumer packaged goods (cpg), spirits, beverage alcohol, or adjacent lifestyle categories.
• Experience managing retail creative across international or multi-market business environments.
• Experience working with legal and regulatory teams on retail compliance and market-specific requirements.
• Experience building or scaling in-house creative capabilities and workflows.