Are you a talented creative leader with a passion for design and a flair for retail? We're looking for a Creative Design Manager to bring fresh impactful ideas to life, elevate our brand, and guide design across marketing visual merchandising, digital assets, and packaging in a way that delivers a cohesive brand experience for our customers. If you're ready to make your mark and have a proven track record in delivering distinctive high-quality creative work, we want to hear from you!

As the Creative Design Manager, you will drive the creative conceptualisation of marketing visual merchandising material, ensuring that in-store designs and elements drive impact and create theatre while at the same time reflect our brand identity and resonate with our target audience. You will be responsible for overseeing the creative output of the in-house designers (digital and packaging) to ensure that output is on-brand and aligned to brand objectives. Your expertise in visual design and retail trends will play a critical role in elevating the in-store environment and ensuring a consistent customer experience.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Lead the conceptualisation and execution of marketing visual merchandising designs and elements in-store.
• Oversee the creative output of the inhouse designers (digital and packaging) ensuring all creative work adheres to brand guidelines.
• Manage end-to-end design processes for creative visual merchandising, from concept to final output, ensuring impact, quality, consistency, and timely delivery.
• Collaborate closely with cross-functional teams to create designs that align with overall business and customer strategies.
• Develop impactful in-store designs and elements in collaboration with the Operations VM team, enhancing the overall customer in-store experience.
• Keep a pulse on industry and design trends, ensuring all creative work is fresh, relevant, and in line with current and future market demands.
• Lead and mentor in-house design team members, fostering a collaborative and high-performance work environment.
• Utilise market insights and customer behaviour data to inform and optimise creative decisions across design touchpoints.
• Manage project timelines and ensure design deliverables meet budget and quality expectations.
• Contribute to the development of strategic initiatives, translating high-level goals into actionable creative outputs.

JOB RELATED KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS REQUIRED:

Knowledge

• Expert knowledge of local and international Visual Merchandising (VM) and design best practices, merchandising trends, and branding principles.
• Deep understanding of customer behaviour and retail dynamics in the value retailing sector, particularly within the South African market.
• Extensive understanding of the South African retail clothing and cellular market, including customer preferences and competitive landscape.
• In-depth knowledge of marketing strategies, branding, and communication principles tailored to value retailing.
• A flair for marketing communication that resonates with the target market and aligns with relevant trends.

Skills:

• Ability to utilise market research and customer insights to inform design strategy and impact business goals.
• Excellent budgeting skills and the ability to manage design project costs effectively.
• High-level organisational and time management skills, with the ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously.
• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel, PowerPoint, and design tools (Adobe Creative Suite, etc.).
• Solid project management skills, with a track record of successfully executing multiple design initiatives.
• Strong leadership and people management skills, with the ability to inspire and develop in-house design teams.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, able to engage effectively across all levels of the business.
• Conflict management and problem-solving skills, with the ability to navigate challenges and maintain a positive work environment.
• Ability to work collaboratively across functions, including Marketing, Buying, Trend & Design, and Operations.

QUALIFICATIONS:

• A Degree/National Diploma in Graphic Design, Visual Communication, Marketing, or a related field

EXPERIENCE:

• A minimum of 5-10 years’ experience in a creative design role at a management level in a VM / Design role, which specifically includes responsibility for the formulation and execution of the VM strategy, strong customer relations and branding knowledge as well as exposure to in-store retail execution.