Experiential Design Lead in City of London

Location: Marylebone, London

Type: Permanent

Work model: Hybrid, 4 days in Marylebone studio

About Us – Crafting Visionary Creativity. CLOSER is a creative company continuously crafting how humans both understand the world and experience it. Home to the world’s most skilled practitioners in immersive world building and creative craft, we operate three businesses at the centre of the modern consumer economy.

• CLOSER Studios – End-to-end services to realize narratives, environments and cultural moments that shape how brands appear in the world and how consumers experience them.
• CLOSER Experiences – A platform creating immersive environments, installations and managing cultural venues where brands engage audiences physically and emotionally.
• CLOSER Brands – A platform for launching and scaling consumer companies through structured joint ventures with Fortune 100 companies.

The Role

We are looking for a Design Lead to help define the experiential and spatial output across CLOSER’s luxury fashion and lifestyle clients. In this role, you will oversee the creative development of windows, retail activations, pop-ups, exhibitions, and immersive brand experiences — ensuring all work is conceptually rigorous, beautifully crafted, and strategically aligned. You will work in close partnership with Creative Directors, Art Directors, Strategy, and Engagement to shape ideas from early concept through to execution, while guiding internal teams and external partners to deliver work at the highest level of craft. This role blends visionary creative direction with hands-on stewardship and team leadership.

Responsibilities

• Define and lead the experiential and spatial design direction across multiple premium client accounts, ensuring a cohesive approach.
• Lead the translation of brand narratives into scalable, three-dimensional design systems and immersive environments.
• Partner closely with Creative Directors and Strategists to ensure spatial work supports broader brand and campaign objectives.
• Lead the presentation of spatial concepts and design rationale to senior clients and stakeholders, acting as the spatial authority in the room.
• Provide creative leadership and direction to Senior and Mid-weight Designers, fostering a culture of excellence and professional growth.
• Review and elevate design work within the department to ensure it meets rigorous luxury benchmarks for detail, finish, and innovation.
• Oversee collaboration with fabricators and suppliers, guiding complex material exploration, prototyping, and fabrication approaches to ensure design intent is never compromised.
• Stay at the forefront of spatial, retail, and experiential design trends, emerging technologies, and sustainable fabrication methods.

Skills & Experience

• 8+ years’ experience in spatial, experiential, or retail design, with a deep focus on the luxury fashion or lifestyle sectors.
• An exceptional portfolio demonstrating high-end window design, retail environments, and complex experiential projects.
• Extensive experience managing and mentoring design teams, with the ability to provide constructive, high-level creative direction.
• Proven ability to lead complex spatial projects from conceptual inception through to global delivery.
• Ability to illustrate novel ideas through hand-drawn sketches and conceptual drawings.
• Expert-level knowledge of industry-standard tools (Rhino, SketchUp, Blender, or Cinema 4D) and high-quality rendering (KeyShot, V-Ray, or equivalent).
• Advanced knowledge of materials, high-end fabrication techniques, and intricate production processes.
• Highly confident leading senior client presentations and navigating complex creative conversations.

To apply, please send us your CV and an up to date portfolio (PDF or link to Figma or Keynote).