Print Designer - Cath Kidston - 6 Months Fixed Term Contract

Cath Kidston is all about the joy of detail, unique styling, and using print and colour to evoke nostalgia while remaining beautifully practical for everyday life. As a Senior Print Designer on a 6‑month fixed‑term contract, you will join the Cath Kidston team at NEXT to design across non‑clothing, fashion pyjamas, kids and accessories, with a specific focus on our exciting global licences and collaborations. You are here to push boundaries, look to the future, and create innovative print designs that keep our collections commercially vibrant and ahead of the trend. Working as a pivotal part of the critical path, you will breathe new life into our rich heritage while collaborating closely with buying, merchandising, and external suppliers.

What You’ll Take On

• Design high-quality print collections across multiple categories (non‑clothing, loungewear, kids, and accessories) that elevate the brand and delight our global customer base.
• Develop diverse print repeats, placements and colourways tailored to specific international markets, utilising both hand‑painting/illustration and digital tools.
• Contemporise the brand’s heritage ethos, blending vintage influences with forward‑thinking commercial trends to keep designs fresh and relevant.
• Brief and nurture relationships with suppliers, managing the design process efficiently from initial concept through to final execution.
• Collaborate dynamically with cross‑functional teams to ensure all print designs align seamlessly with critical path deadlines and commercial goals.

What You’ll Bring

• Proven designer‑level experience within a similar lifestyle or heritage brand, backed by a deep understanding of textile and print design.
• Exceptional creative talent, specifically including strong hand‑painting, illustration skills and expert proficiency in Adobe Creative Suite.
• A keen eye for trend and taste, with the ability to translate future industry trends into commercially viable, beautifully detailed products.
• Strong collaborative and communication skills, making it easy to share ideas with team members and build rapport with global external partners.
• Resilience and organisation, allowing you to stay focused, manage multiple projects and deliver high‑quality work within a fast‑paced environment.

Portfolio Requirement

To help us get a feel for your style, please attach or link a digital portfolio to your application. We are looking for work that demonstrates a sharp eye for the future of lifestyle print design, showcases your hand‑drawn and CAD work, and highlights how your designs can be commercially viable for NEXT. Applications without a digital portfolio will not be considered.

Sponsorship

Candidates who require sponsorship to work in the UK must meet the current Home Office sponsorship requirements. For further details, please visit the Gov.uk Skilled Worker Visa page.

Benefits

• 25 days holiday plus bank holidays
• Profit‑related bonus – based on company performance
• Management share options
• Company car or car allowance
• Private medical insurance
• Sharesave scheme – make savings from your net pay to buy NEXT shares at a discount
• Pension – fixed contribution rates from both an employer and employee perspective, with the option for additional voluntary contributions
• Life assurance
• Group income protection
• Wagestream – helping you make the most out of your money
• Salary finance – offers access to affordable loans repaid through salary, simple savings and free financial education
• 25% staff discount on most NEXT products – plus discount on other products
• Direct‑to‑work – NEXT orders delivered free to the office for collection
• VIP sale – early access to the NEXT sale
• Access to NEXT staff shops
• Octopus energy – like cycle‑to‑work, but for electric vehicles
• Free parking (excluding London locations)
• Travel2NEXT – bus services dependent on location
• On‑site dining facilities (excluding London locations)
• National and local discounts on goods and services – including discounted cinema tickets
• Wellhub – includes access to discounted gym membership
• Simply health – a healthcare subscription service
• Aviva DigiCare Workplace+ healthcare service – 7 free services including Digital GP appointments and an annual health check
• On‑site GP – Leicester Head Office
• On‑site Physio – Leicester Head Office
• A range of dedicated 3rd‑party wellbeing partners
• Free eye testing – voucher to use at specific locations

Conditions apply to all benefits. These benefits are discretionary and subject to change. We aim to support all candidates during the application process and are happy to provide workplace adjustments when necessary. Should you need support with your application due to a disability or long‑term condition, feel free to get in touch by email headoffice_careers@next.co.uk (please include 'Workplace Adjustments' in the subject line) or call us on 0116 284 2486 and leave a voicemail.