Visual Merchandising Manager

JR United Kingdom; Slough; Hybrid; GBP 40,000 - 65,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading company is seeking a passionate Visual Merchandising Design Manager to drive innovative retail storytelling and oversee impactful consumer experiences. You will partner with regional teams, mentor other designers, and lead creative projects that resonate with consumers and elevate brand presence.

Benefits

Private Medical for ALL employees

Birthday day off

Cycle to work scheme

Team days

Allowance for products each month

Dog friendly office

Qualifications

• 5+ years experience in a head office VM role, especially in the beauty space.
• Comfortable understanding type, layout, and smart, clean design.
• Passionate about visual storytelling in real-world, in-store environments.

Responsibilities

• Design impactful consumer experiences in-store.
• Manage direct reports and perform appraisals.
• Create bold VM concepts and adapt visuals.

Skills

Creative energy

Design eye

Project juggling

Collaboration

Vendor relationship management

Tools

SketchUp

InDesign

Illustrator

Photoshop

Figma

V-Ray

Microsoft Office

Job description

Social network you want to login/join with:

• Job Title: Visual Merchandising Design Manager
• Contract Type: Full-time
• Reports to: Head of VM & Events
• Location: Based at the London Office with at least 2 days a week in the office with the team.

POSITION OVERVIEW

Are you a design-led creative with a passion for storytelling through retail spaces? We’re looking for a Visual Merchandising Design Manager to join our team at Inkey—someone who’s not afraid to shake up the status quo and bring big, bold, disruptive ideas to life in-store.

In this role, you’ll be a driving force behind our visual merchandising and events—partnering with regional teams, designing impactful consumer experiences, and mentoring a talented VM Designer to grow with you.

This role leans heavily into creative concepting and design, with a dash of hands-on action—so an obsession with our consumers (and how they shop) is an absolute must.

WHAT YOU’LL DO

• Always think like a consumer—what would you love to see in-store?
• Keep our brand looking sharp and teaming up with other creative minds to make sure our brand story is told consistently everywhere
• Come up with bold, exciting VM concepts and working closely with our regional teams to bring them to life
• Adapt graphics and visuals to suit each unique VM idea
• Help dream up and deliver unforgettable in-store events that make people stop, smile, and remember Inkey
• Keep an eye on what others (both inside and outside the beauty world) are doing in the VM and event space—and share the inspiration with the team
• Manage direct reports within your team, including to but not limited to regular catch-ups, appraisals, performance reviews and personal development planning.
• Review all concepts ahead of Head of VM & Events, ensuring consistency and creativity are maximised.
• Have 5+ years of experience in a head office VM role, especially in the beauty space
• Full of creative energy and have a great eye for design
• Confident using SketchUp, V-Ray, InDesign, Illustrator, Photoshop, and Microsoft Office
• Passionate about visual storytelling in real-world, in-store environments
• Comfortable understanding type, layout, and smart, clean design
• Great at juggling multiple projects without breaking a sweat
• A team player with a positive, solutions-first attitude and a love for collaboration
• Happy to share your ideas and bring others along for the ride
• Experienced in managing vendor relationships, and both internal and external partners
• Know your way around Figma and IWD
• Have worked with retailers like Sephora or Boots
• Passionate about improving self-navigation and creating seamless, intuitive in-store experiences environments

BONUS POINTS IF YOU

• Know your way around multi-brand environments
• Have international or multi-regional work or education experience
• Started your journey on the shop floor—we love that grounding
• Keep an eye on seasonal and fashion trends and know how to work them into your ideas

Want to be part of the future of beauty retail with us? Apply now—and don’t forget your portfolio. Let’s make something unforgettable.

What we will give to you (our Company Benefits):

• Private Medical for ALL employees - Vitality Medical scheme
• Part of the BCORP organisations
• Birthday day off
• Cycle to work scheme
• Team days
• Allowance to use on our wonderful products each month
• Dog friendly office

The INKEY team

At INKEY we are a dynamic and enthusiastic team with huge ambition.

We make things happen (sometimes against the odds!) by thinking differently and being solution-led.

We love hearing creative, innovative ideas that provide opportunities for improvement. Proactiveness is an absolute must. In return, we are committed to developing the knowledge of our team, as we do with our consumers, and the scope for growth is enormous.

We are a diverse team of passionate individuals who fundamentally believe that better knowledge creates better decisions.

We are really proud of the culture and environment we have built in our business since our launch in 2018.

We stand for transparency, equality and fairness and live this through our brand and our team every day.