Retail Design Manager

Virgin Atlantic; Crawley; Hybrid; GBP 100,000 - 125,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading airline company is seeking a Retail Design Manager to define and deliver design strategies for various retail environments. The candidate will lead projects from insight through execution, fostering innovation and collaboration across teams. Required qualifications include a degree in design or equivalent experience, with strong strategic and project management skills. This hybrid role requires presence in Crawley for three days a week and offers a competitive salary.

Qualifications

• Minimum requirement of degree-level qualification in a relevant design field, or significant on-the-job experience in lieu.
• Strong strategic and design leadership experience within retail environments.
• A passion for innovation, creativity and continuous improvement.

Responsibilities

• Define and deliver the design strategy for retail environments.
• Lead retail design projects end-to-end from brief to execution.
• Collaborate with Consumer Insights to validate concepts with customers before investment.

Skills

Design leadership

Strategic thinking

Collaboration

Innovation

Education

Degree-level qualification in a relevant design field

Significant on-the-job experience

Job description

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Job Description

Job details

• Location: Hybrid - 3 days per week at VHQ, Crawley
• Hours: 37.5 per week, Monday to Friday
• Contract Type: 12 month fixed term contract
• Salary: Competitive
• Closing Date : 20th December 2025

At Virgin Atlantic, we believe in the extraordinary power of people to reshape what's possible. With our bold ambition to become the most loved travel company, we're redefining aviation through innovation, inclusivity, and a culture that puts people first. Individuality isn't just welcomed-it's celebrated.

In a nutshell

As a vital member of the Experience Design team, the Retail Design Manager will define and deliver the design strategy for Virgin Atlantic's retail estate-covering flagship stores, high‑street and shopping‑centre locations, and concession formats within partner environments. You'll provide creative leadership and specialist retail design expertise to elevate brand presence, deepen customer engagement and strengthen commercial performance across all physical retail touchpoints. Overseeing the full development lifecycle—from insight and brief creation, through concepting, technical design, prototyping, approvals, build and final activation—you'll ensure every environment reflects Virgin Atlantic's design principles, service ethos and commercial ambitions.

About the role

• Support the Senior Manager in defining future retail visions and translating them into guardrails, playbooks and standards that ensure excellence and consistency.
• Champion customer‑led design principles and uphold brand integrity across all environments.
• Foster a culture of innovation, experimentation and continuous improvement.
• Lead retail design projects end‑to‑end, following insight‑driven development processes from brief to execution.
• Collaborate with Consumer Insights to build robust insight foundations, validating concepts with customers before investment.
• Manage multiple agencies across concurrent projects, resolving issues and ensuring adherence to standards.
• Work within a stakeholder group, such as Retail operations, Commercial and Trading teams to translate insights into improved design proposals.
• Negotiate with contractors to optimise cost, materials and value engineering.
• Advise on site selection, providing clear rationale and recommendations.
• Oversee project budgets, resource planning, prototyping and CAPEX requirements.
• Identify and elevate risks with recommended actions to keep projects on track.
• Track innovations, emerging technologies and cross‑industry trends to inspire future concepts.
• Partner with Consumer Insights to monitor retail and future trends, strengthening proposition development.
• Contribute to the innovation roadmap, shaping opportunities for testing, prototyping and design evolution.
• Inspire leadership teams through clear articulation of future retail visions.
• Maintain playbooks, style guides and guardrails, auditing existing stores and products to ensure compliance and recommending improvements.
• Proactively test and integrate AI tools into workflows to enhance quality and efficiency.

You'll bring

• Minimum requirement of degree‑level qualification in a relevant design field, or significant on‑the‑job experience in lieu.
• Strong strategic and design leadership experience within retail environments.
• A proven ability to shape and deliver design strategies, standards and playbooks.
• Expertise in consumer‑led design, retail brand expression and store development processes.
• Experience managing agencies, multiple stakeholders and complex project portfolios.
• A passion for innovation, creativity and continuous improvement.
• Strong collaboration skills, especially with insight, commercial, construction and operational partners.
• An ability to translate insights into compelling concepts and measurable retail improvements.

Be Yourself - We Celebrate Difference

At Virgin Atlantic, diversity and inclusion are part of who we are. We're proud to be an equal opportunity employer and we welcome individuals from all backgrounds. If you need any adjustments during the application process, reach out to us at [e-mail] — we’re here to help.