Senior Designer - Jewellery in Billericay

This will be a 3 or 4 day per week freelance opportunity.

About us: DCK Group is a global leader in the design and supply of fashion jewellery and accessories. Here at DCK, our people are central to everything we do. We are welcoming, friendly and have a culture that promotes learning and development from day one. Diversity, equality and inclusion are the core of who we are and reflect this in every aspect of our company culture. It’s a great time to join DCK; we are looking for dynamic individuals who are as passionate about our business as we are, as it continues to flourish and grow.

We are currently searching for a Senior Designer to work on a freelance basis as part of a design team, designing and delivering tailored products and ranges which target and focus on the customer and satisfy customer expectations, whilst striving to innovate and influence the commercial fashion market.

The Role:

• Manage team, work collaboratively across the Group, ensuring achievement of KPIs and contribute to creating a positive working environment for all colleagues, inspiring the team in a positive and professional manner to work to the best of their abilities.
• Assist Head of Design/Design Manager in delivering the company & brand strategy, establishing clear brand positioning in the market and making sure customer profiles remain current.
• Undertake & deliver regular competitive retail analysis/reports.
• Manage and deliver the financial plan for the brand/s, adhering to budgets, keeping on target of company sample hit rate and maintaining appropriate cost controls.
• Actively monitor trading across the brand/s and react to sales, making timely decisions and seeking new selling opportunities to maximise revenue and profitability from each season.
• Identify gaps in the market and react quickly to emerging trends and ‘must have’ products, ensuring speed to market with new innovative profiles and product areas.
• Source and develop products through trips that excite and inspire the customer and give reasons to shop our ranges.
• Build strong customer knowledge, ensuring collections meet the customer profile and brand/s identity, delivering an appropriate balance of product assortment between high fashion and commerciality.
• Oversee the development of each range for the Brand/s.
• Produce clear and detailed specifications using appropriate design software as well as producing high quality hand-made samples.
• Proactively resolve design specification queries, paying attention to detail, to ensure all designs come in correct first time.
• Responsible for training more junior members of the team to ensure they are being taught the appropriate standards of producing detailed spec sheets and hand-made samples.
• Oversee the process for company sourcing pack - sourcing relevant material & components to meet the wider design team's requirements.
• Review supplier base and take a pro-active approach to overcoming product and pricing challenges.
• Input in original inspiration themes, through trend research, insight of key colours/themes/must have items & key materials that meet the company & brand/s requirements.
• Work collaboratively, as part of the wider design team to create & present inspiring yet commercial company ingredients boards, contributing input to the key statements for the season, as well as supporting in making handmade samples and creating design sheets.
• Lead in creating & designing innovative, original designs and concepts, applying techniques, applications and ideas that translate into complete ranges for buyers.
• Attend ‘first look’ range building as required to further support and appropriately influence buying and merchandising.
• Ensure all design development is done in line with the brands pricing and option framework, working within target RRP & margins, displaying a good understanding of negotiation and adapting design to meet targets where necessary.
• Review ranges globally to ensure we are sharing & consolidating as many options as possible to maximise margin benefit.
• In partnership with buying, identify, support and grow key suppliers (including the Far East) through relationship building, product development and negotiation activity.
• Actively seek to improve ways of working that ensure healthy and prosperous business relationships.
• Manage and implement key activities in the ‘critical path’ to ensure all work undertaken meets the requirements of the design critical path.

About you:

• Ideally educated to degree level or equivalent with jewellery or accessories degree.
• Competent Adobe Suite skills and good working ability with Microsoft Office Suite.
• Sound commercial acumen, trading experience and a good ability to understand and interpret financial data.
• Creative flair, with at least 6 years design experience.
• Competent hand making skills – construction of buying samples.
• Awareness of Far East suppliers and jewellery production processes.
• Good developed understanding of the retail market, fashion trends and brand positioning.
• Strong interpersonal skills, with the ability to communicate competently and clearly.
• Strong organisational and task management skills, with the ability to prioritise and work in a fast moving reactive business with multiple deadlines.
• Ability to design across multiple brands and work under pressure/tight deadlines.

Please send updated CV to apply!