Senior Designer Leisure & Brand Experiences

Sandenburg; Amsterdam; Hybrid; EUR 70,000 - 95,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Market-competitive salary

Pension plan

Employee benefits

Amsterdam studio

Job summary

Sandenburg Experiences in Amsterdam seeks a Senior Designer to lead leisure and brand experiences. You will own creative direction from concept to final realization, blending spatial design with storytelling across international projects.

We value collaborative leadership, a strong portfolio, and fluency in English. Dutch is a plus. Join a studio overlooking the IJ, with team lunches, pension and competitive salary.

Qualifications

• Experience in leisure, visitor attractions and/or brand experience design.
• Strong spatial eye with a portfolio of multidisciplinary concepts and realised projects.
• Ability to connect brand identity, storytelling, guest journeys, spatial design and operations.
• Fluency in English; Dutch is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Lead the creative vision across brand strategy, storytelling, visitor journeys, spatial design and operational requirements into one coherent experience.
• Take a hands-on role in developing original, engaging concepts translated into spatial experiences that can be realised.
• Lead, coach and inspire multidisciplinary creatives; ensure design quality and consistency across disciplines.
• Develop and manage creative planning, priorities, capacity and design hours while safeguarding project scope, budgets and deadlines.
• Present concepts to clients, advising on design decisions and building consensus.
• Collaborate with technical specialists, suppliers and production partners to ensure feasibility and buildability.
• Bring fresh ideas and developments in leisure and experience design into the studio.

Skills

Team leadership

Spatial design

Concept development

Brand storytelling

Tools

SketchUp

Adobe Creative Cloud

Keynote

Job description

Senior Designer – Leisure & Brand Experiences

World class experiences for brands, leisure, and retail

Our mission? Creating value for brands through memorable experiences. With over 25 years in the game, we’ve created spaces for legends like the Heineken Experience, Tony’s Chocolonely, Super Store, the Gouda Cheese Experience, the Balashi Experience and VodafoneZiggo.

For our studio, we’re looking for a Senior Designer with proven experience in leisure and brand experiences, a strong sense of spatial design, and the ability to combine creative vision with hands‑on design expertise, strategic thinking and natural leadership. Someone who understands how to translate ambitious ideas into compelling, memorable and achievable experiences, bringing spatial awareness and a clear design vision to every project.

If you have a passion for leisure and brand experiences, thrive in a fast‑paced environment where creativity meets strategy and execution, and love working internationally, this position is made for you!

What you’ll do:

As Senior Designer, you’ll take creative ownership of multidisciplinary projects in leisure and brand experiences, from initial strategic concept through to final realisation.

• Lead the creative vision:Bring together brand strategy, storytelling, visitor journeys, spatial design and operational requirements into one coherent experience.
• Design and create:Take a hands‑on role in developing original, engaging and commercially viable concepts, translating creative ideas into spatial experiences that can be brought to life.
• Inspire and guide the team:Lead, coach and inspire multidisciplinary creatives, share your expertise and ensure design quality and consistency across all disciplines.
• Manage the creative process:Develop and manage creative planning, priorities, capacity and design hours, while safeguarding project scope, budgets and deadlines (in collaboration with the Project Manager).
• Present and convince:Act as a trusted creative partner, confidently presenting concepts, advising clients and communicating design decisions.
• Turn concepts into reality:Collaborate with technical specialists, suppliers and production partners to ensure creative concepts are technically feasible, buildable and delivered to the highest standards.
• Stay curious and push boundaries:Bring fresh ideas, materials, technologies and developments in leisure and experience design into the studio, continuously raising the creative bar.

Who you are:

• An experienced Senior Designer with a proven track record in leisure, visitor attractions and/or brand experience design.
• A creative thinker with a strong spatial eye, supported by a portfolio of multidisciplinary concepts and successfully realised projects.
• Able to connect brand identity, storytelling, guest journeys, spatial design and operations.
• Passion for the craft: you’re happiest when you’re designing cool projects in collaboration with your team!
• A team player: positive, collaborative and eager to share your knowledge, with a natural ability to inspire others and bring out the best in your team.
• Commercially aware, with hands‑on experience in developing project plans, managing budgets, defining project scope and ensuring technical feasibility.
• Proficient in SketchUp, Adobe Creative Cloud, Keynote and relevant design software.
• Excited to work internationally: fluency in English is required (Dutch is a plus).

This is what we offer:

• The opportunity to work on international projects, ranging from the Caribbean to Berlin.
• Passionate and driven colleagues with team spirit.
• An inspiring Amsterdam studio overlooking the IJ.
• Delicious and healthy team lunches.
• A market-competitive salary, pension plan and employee benefits.