Design Manager
Your tasks
As Design Manager at Kapimex, you will provide direction to our creative course and ensure that ideas grow into appealing, affordable, and producible products. Together with Category Management and other disciplines, you will translate category plans, customer needs, and market trends into distinctive designs and collections for international retailers.
You report to the CEO and work closely with Category Management, Sales, Product Development, Purchasing, Sourcing, Quality, and external partners.
As Design Manager, you combine strategic insight with daily management and creative product development. You:
- Translate strategy into design. You translate the business strategy and category plans into a concrete design plan, with clear goals, priorities, and development projects. You monitor that design choices align with the desired positioning and commercial objectives of Kapimex.
- Manage the Design and DTP team. You distribute tasks, monitor progress, and ensure clear expectations, good collaboration, and the further development of your employees.
- Work closely with Category Management. You translate commercial briefings and customer needs into creative solutions. You make agreements regarding design choices, capacity, deadlines, and approvals, and ensure that everyone knows what is required to complete projects successfully.
- Develop trends into distinctive products. You follow developments in colors, materials, shapes, consumer behavior, and packaging. You visit relevant trade fairs and translate trends into moodboards, color palettes, prototypes, designs, and collections.
- Guide product development from idea to production. You assess designs and samples on appearance, usage, material, finish, cost, and producibility. You discuss improvements with colleagues, suppliers, and other involved partners.
- Present creative concepts to customers. You prepare product developments and collections professionally, present them to internal teams and international customers, and know how to convincingly substantiate your design choices.
- Monitor quality and corporate identity. You ensure that designs, packaging, labels, manuals, and DTP files meet the agreed quality standards and technical specifications. You monitor the recognizability of the Kapimex corporate identity and customer and brand styles.
- Maintain control over planning, capacity, and budget. You identify bottlenecks and deviations in a timely manner, set priorities, and adjust where necessary. You ensure a feasible schedule and reliable delivery.
- Improve processes and stimulate AI use. You investigate how AI can contribute to more efficient design and DTP work. You test applications, share knowledge within the team, and monitor the quality, human control, and confidentiality of company and customer information.
Requirements
Are you a creative leader who knows how to translate trends into distinctive products? Do you get energy from developing new collections, managing a Design and DTP team, and collaborating with international customers? And do you combine creativity effortlessly with commercial insight, structure, and a hands-on mentality? Then this might be your next step.
You combine inspiring leadership with a sharp eye for detail and quality. You maintain an overview, set priorities, and ensure that the Design and DTP team works together efficiently and delivers projects on time and within budget. At the same time, you remain substantively involved in the creative process: from the first moodboards and concepts to assessing samples and the final production.
Your experience and qualities You are a creative and entrepreneurial leader who knows how to bring people along with ideas and plans. You combine a sense for design and trends with commercial insight and understand that good designs must be not only distinctive, but also affordable and producible.
You bring structure without limiting creativity. You maintain an overview, set priorities, and switch easily between strategic issues, team development, and daily practice. You are a strong communicator, dare to make choices, and know how to bring different interests together. In addition, you are substantively involved and like to roll up your sleeves yourself when a project demands it.
Additionally, you bring
- HBO level of work and thinking.
- At least five years of relevant work experience in design and product development.
- Demonstrable experience in managing and developing a Design and DTP team.
- Knowledge of product and graphic design, packaging, moodboards, labels, manuals, and corporate identities.
- Commercial insight and the ability to translate customer needs and market trends into suitable designs.
- Strong organizational skills and experience in monitoring planning, quality, and budget.
- Good communication skills and experience in presenting and substantiating creative concepts.
- Good command of the English language; knowledge of German and French is a plus.
- Interest in new technologies and AI applications within design and DTP.
- Affinity with our product world: candles, fragrance, decoration, Home & Living, Kitchen & Dining, and table settings.
What we offer
We offer you
- Salary: €4,445 - €6,668, depending on experience.
- An inspiring and dynamic working environment.
- A contract for 12 months with a view to a permanent contract.
- A challenging position with room for own initiative and responsibility.
- Travel and home office allowance.
- 26 vacation days for a full-time (40 hours) employment.
- A 13th month.
- Pension.
- Room to develop yourself and put new ideas into practice.