At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead a creative team to innovate and design sustainable packaging solutions.
- Company: Join DS Smith, a leader in sustainable packaging innovation.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, bonus, 25+ days holiday, and wellness support.
- Other info: Opportunity for travel and collaboration across multiple sites.
- Why this job: Shape the future of packaging while driving real change in the industry.
- Qualifications: Strong leadership skills and experience in design/innovation management.
The predicted salary is between 60000 - 75000 £ per year.
Are you a driven leader passionate about packaging innovation and design excellence? DS Smith is looking for a high-performing individual to head up our Design & Innovation function across the cluster, managing a creative team and playing a pivotal role in shaping the future of our packaging solutions.
As our Cluster Design & Innovation Manager, you will:
- Lead the design and innovation strategy within the cluster, ensuring alignment with our wider Division and Country objectives.
- Manage the PackRight Centre and a talented team of packaging designers, fostering innovation and ensuring high-quality, efficient solutions.
- Drive consistency in design tools, services, KPIs, and reporting, and promote a unified approach to innovation delivery.
- Champion technical innovation and creative design that delivers real value to customers and supports business growth.
- Deliver on agreed KPIs and lead innovation development projects that create value and enhance retailer engagement.
- Understand and anticipate customer needs and market trends across the cluster, translating these insights into practical design solutions.
- Develop and maintain deep knowledge of the cluster's manufacturing capabilities, using this to influence packaging design and strategy.
- Ensure all packaging designs meet regulatory standards, developing a local centre of excellence for testing and specification.
In this role, you will have the opportunity to influence major projects, collaborate with forward-thinking colleagues, and make a real impact across the business.
- Strong people leadership and coaching abilities
- Experience managing innovation/design teams in a manufacturing or packaging environment
- Change management skills - able to challenge, improve, and drive transformation
- Commercial acumen with a creative edge - understands how design impacts value
- Willingness to travel up to 50% of working hours across sites
- Fluent English required (additional European language desirable)
Competitive salary + discretionary bonus, ~25 days holiday + bank holidays, ~Pension scheme, life assurance & income protection, ~Electric car salary sacrifice scheme, ~Cycle to work & employee discount programmes, ~Employee Assistance Programme for wellbeing support.
Turn your passion into a career and help shape the future of sustainable packaging with DS Smith. Ready to Lead the Future of Packaging Innovation?
Location: On Site - Hinckley plus regular travel to sites and customers.
Today, we operate in more than 30 different countries, supporting customers across sectors like FMCG, industrial, and e-commerce. We deliver on quality, service, innovation, and added value to deliver market-leading sustainable packaging solutions our customers need. Our industry needs to transform, and we are building the team to drive change across Europe and North America.
Our goal is to create a culture of inclusion where everyone is treated fairly, differences are valued, and everyone has an equal opportunity to succeed.
Design & Innovation Manager in Leicester employer: DS SMITH PACKAGING LIMITED
At DS Smith, we pride ourselves on being an exceptional employer, particularly for the Engineering Team Leader role at our Featherstone site. Our vibrant work culture fosters continuous improvement and employee development, offering competitive salaries, a comprehensive benefits package, and opportunities for career advancement in a fast-paced manufacturing environment. Join us to lead a dedicated team, drive engineering excellence, and contribute to a strong health and safety culture while enjoying a supportive and engaging workplace.
Contact Details:
DS SMITH PACKAGING LIMITED Recruitment Team
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Design & Innovation Manager in Leicester
✨Leverage Innovation Hubs
Tap into local innovation hubs and research centres. These places often host events and workshops where you can meet like-minded people and industry leaders. Plus, they might have job openings that aren't widely advertised, so keep your ears open!
✨Showcase Your Projects
Turn your past innovation projects into compelling stories. Create a portfolio showcasing your creativity and problem-solving skills. This can give hiring managers a real flavour of what you can bring to the table at companies like DS SMITH PACKAGING LIMITED.
✨Connect at Industry Conferences
Make it a point to attend industry conferences and seminars focused on R&D and innovation management. These events are fantastic for networking and often have job boards or career fairs where you can connect directly with firms looking for talent.
✨Use Your University’s Resources
If you're fresh out of university, don't forget to tap into your institution's career services. They often have exclusive partnerships with companies seeking new talent in R&D, especially for full-time roles. It's a good shortcut to landing a gig at places like DS SMITH PACKAGING LIMITED.
We think you need these skills to ace Design & Innovation Manager in Leicester
Some tips for your application 🫡
Showcase Your Creative Thinking:In innovation and R&D management, it's all about thinking outside the box. Make sure your CV highlights any projects or experiences that showcase your creative problem-solving skills. Use specific examples to illustrate how you've developed and implemented innovative ideas in previous roles.
Tailor Your Experience to R&D:When you're crafting your CV, focus on your experience in research and development. Highlight any relevant projects you've worked on, including methodologies used and results achieved. This will show us at DS SMITH PACKAGING LIMITED that you understand the R&D process and can contribute meaningfully to our projects.
Let Your Passion Shine in the Cover Letter:For a full-time role like this, your cover letter should reflect your genuine passion for innovation and development. Share your excitement about the opportunity to work at DS SMITH PACKAGING LIMITED and touch on how your goals align with our mission. This helps us see your motivation for wanting to join our team!
Quantify Your Achievements:Numbers speak volumes in R&D! Whenever possible, quantify your achievements in your CV. Whether it’s a percentage improvement in project outcomes, the budget size you’ve managed, or the number of successful products you've launched, these figures will help paint a clearer picture of your impact and capabilities.
How to prepare for a job interview at DS SMITH PACKAGING LIMITED
✨Show Off Your Innovative Thinking
In an Innovation R&D Management role at DS SMITH PACKAGING LIMITED, they're going to want to see how you approach problem-solving. Be ready to discuss previous projects where you introduced a new idea or process. Highlight your ability to think outside the box and provide examples where your innovations drove significant results.
✨Familiarity with Tools and Technologies
Make sure you're clued up on the latest tools and technologies related to innovation management, such as project management software and data analysis platforms. Being able to discuss specific tools you’ve used or have experience with will show DS SMITH PACKAGING LIMITED that you’re ready to hit the ground running.
✨Demonstrate Collaboration Skills
Since this is a full-time gig, emphasising your teamwork skills will be essential. In innovation, collaboration often sparks the best ideas, so be ready to talk about how you've worked effectively within cross-functional teams in your past roles. Have concrete examples at the ready!
✨Prepare for Scenario-Based Questions
Expect some scenario-based questions in your interview that reflect real challenges you might face in the role. £At DS SMITH PACKAGING LIMITED, they might want to see how you handle tight deadlines or manage conflicting ideas within a team. Prepare some responses that demonstrate your critical thinking and decisiveness in high-pressure situations.
