Lead Packaging Production Designer

Lotus Bakeries UK`; St Albans; On-site; GBP 55,000 - 75,000; Full time

Job summary

Lotus Bakeries UK is seeking a brilliant packaging production specialist to join the in-house Creative Studio. You will lead packaging production across BEAR, TREK, nakd., Kiddylicious and Peter’s Yard, while actively artworking and rolling out packaging across brands and markets.

You’ll mentor the packaging production team, partner with printers and internal teams, and drive smarter, scalable workflows. A hands-on role with a focus on quality, collaboration and innovation.

Qualifications

• Strong hands-on experience in packaging artworking and production within FMCG or consumer brands.
• Ability to mentor and develop a packaging production team while taking greater responsibility.
• Advanced proficiency with Illustrator, Photoshop and InDesign in multilingual artwork contexts.
• Experience collaborating with printers, repro houses and production suppliers.

Responsibilities

• Lead and develop packaging production across the studio with high technical standards.
• Actively artwork and rollout packaging across multiple brands, formats and SKUs.
• Collaborate with Project Manager, Global Packaging, Brand teams and external partners to ensure smooth handoff from approved creative to final production.
• Identify improvements to workflows, simplify processes and scale production.
• Explore and implement AI tools and workflow automation to enhance artwork checking and versioning.

Skills

Packaging artworking

Mentoring

Team leadership

Multilingual artwork

AI tools

Workflow automation

Strong communication

Quality alignment

Problem solving

Tools

Adobe Illustrator

Adobe Photoshop

Adobe InDesign

Job description

We’re looking for a brilliant packaging production specialist who’s ready to take the next step in their career and join our in-house Creative Studio, working across our Natural Foods brands BEAR, TREK, nakd., Kiddylicious and Peter’s Yard.

Job description

You'll work closely with our Head of Design to lead and develop packaging production across the studio, maintaining brilliant technical standards across artwork, masterfiles, colour, proofing, preflight and final production.

This is a hands-on packaging production role. Alongside supporting and developing our packaging production team, you'll be actively artworking, adapting and rolling out packaging yourself across multiple brands, formats, SKUs and markets.

• You'll work alongside our studio’s Project Manager, Global Packaging team, Brand teams, QA and external production partners to make sure work moves smoothly and accurately from approved creative through to final production.
• You'll support and develop the packaging production team, sharing your knowledge and building technical capability across the wider studio.
• You'll help us improve how we work, spotting unnecessary complexity and recommending smarter, simpler and more scalable solutions.
• You'll play an active role in exploring how AI, workflow automation and emerging technology can improve artwork checking, adaptations, versioning, quality control and the wider packaging production workflow.
• Your technical expertise will also support shopper, POS, in-store and other printed or physically produced brand materials.

Profile

To succeed in this role, we believe you should have:

• Strong hands-on experience in packaging artworking and production, ideally within FMCG or consumer brands, with the desire to stay close to the work while stepping into greater senior responsibility. Ideally 10 years + professional experience.
• Deep technical knowledge of packaging and print production, including masterfiles, cutter guides, colour management, print processes, separations, trapping, overprint, finishes and preflight.
• Advanced Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop and InDesign skills, with experience working across complex ranges, SKUs, adaptations and multilingual artwork.
• Experience working closely with printers, repro houses and production suppliers, with the confidence to solve technical production challenges.
• A natural ability to support, mentor and share knowledge with others. You’ve got some line management experience and should be excited by the opportunity to develop further as a mentor and manager.
• A curious and improvement-focused mindset, you question how things are done, bring solutions rather than problems and look for smarter, simpler ways of working.
• Experience using AI tools and workflow automation in a creative, production or packaging environment will be highly valued. You are excited by their potential and are keen to explore, test and implement solutions that improve efficiency, quality and scalability across the packaging production process.
• Strong communication and relationship-building skills, with the confidence to explain technical subjects clearly, challenge constructively and bring people with you.
• A positive, collaborative and hands-on attitude. We’re a friendly, close-knit Creative Studio, so we’re looking for someone who is approachable, engaging and good fun to work with.