Concept Architectural Designer

We’d all like amazing work to do, and real work-life balance. That’s waiting for you at Sainsbury’s. We’re one of the biggest supermarkets in the UK, with one of the largest retail websites. So marketing here happens at scale. We move faster than you might expect too, across Brand Planning, Brand Comms and Creative, Digital Marketing, CRM and Loyalty, Nectar 360 and Insights. With more people shopping with us every week, there are more interactions, more moments to connect. And thanks to data and insight, we understand our customers in a way few others can. We work alongside incredible brand partners and some of the best agencies in the industry. So if you’re passionate about learning, growing and experiencing new teams, come and explore it all with us.

Why join us

Joining Sainsbury's as a Concept Architectural Designer means becoming part of a renowned brand with a commitment to creating exceptional physical retail environments. As a member of our team, you will have the opportunity to make a significant impact by developing new store formats, contributing to the Macro Principles for Interior Architecture and Design, and enhancing the overall shopping experience for our customers. Collaborating with external agencies and suppliers, you will have the resources and support needed to deliver commercially successful design concepts, while staying informed about the latest trends and best practises in retail and architectural design. Join us and become part of a dynamic and innovative team dedicated to creating inviting, distinctive, and intuitive spaces that inspire our customers.

What You'll Do

As the Concept Architectural Designer at Sainsbury's, you will play a crucial role in supporting the concept design manager in developing new store formats and establishing Macro Principles for Interior Architecture and Design. Your responsibilities will span across all formats and fascias within the Sainsbury's brand, encompassing various aspects such as store approach, customer flow, layout and landscape of fixtures, as well as the visual appearance of walls, floors, and ceilings. You will collaborate closely with external agencies and suppliers throughout the design process, ensuring effective communication, feedback, and appraisal of output. Furthermore, you will develop design principles that enhance the shopping experience, delivering inviting and distinctive stores that are intuitive and easy to navigate. Your expertise will also involve managing and developing the asset library for the design team, as well as providing regular project updates to stakeholders and communicating weekly updates to the Concept Design Manager. Success in this role will be measured by the commercial success of your physical retail design concepts, clear communication with stakeholders, effective guidance and direction provided to the delivery teams, and an in-depth understanding of retail and architectural design trends and best practises.

Who You Are

As a Concept Architectural Designer at Sainsbury's, you are a highly skilled professional with a proven track record in delivering successful physical retail environments. With your expertise in retail and interior design trends and best practises, along with your strong project management skills, you play a vital role in developing new store formats and creating design principles that enhance the shopping experience for customers. Your exceptional communication skills, both written and verbal, enable you to effectively collaborate with external agencies, suppliers, and cross‑functional teams within the organisation. Your creative mindset and strategic thinking allow you to bring design concepts to life and make informed recommendations that drive the success of each project. With your extensive knowledge of environmental design processes and construction methods, you ensure that designs are delivered within agreed timelines and budgets. Overall, you combine your creative vision, technical expertise, and strong network of design resources to contribute to the development of inviting, distinctive, and customer‑centric store environments.

Essential Criteria

• Proven experience delivering physical retail environments (concept to execution).
• Interior architectural design experience across store formats (layout, customer flow, fixtures, finishes).
• Demonstrated ability to develop and implement store design concepts and principles.
• Experience managing or contributing to design guidelines / frameworks (e.g. macro principles).

We are committed to being a truly inclusive retailer so you’ll be welcomed whoever you are and wherever you work. Around here, there’s always the chance to try something new — whether that’s as part of an evolving team or somewhere else across the business - and we take development seriously and promise to support you. We also recognise and celebrate colleagues when they go the extra mile and, where possible, offer flexible working. When you join our team, we’ll also offer you an amazing range of benefits. Here are some of them: Starting off with colleague discount, you'll be able to save 10% on your shopping online and instore at Sainsbury's, Argos, TU and Habitat, and we regularly increase the discount to 15% at points during the year. We've also got you covered for your future with our pensions scheme and life cover. You'll also be able to share in our success as you may be eligible for a performance‑related bonus of up to 10% of salary, depending on how we perform. Your wellbeing is important to us too. You'll receive an annual holiday allowance and you can buy up to an additional week's holiday. We also offer other benefits that will help your money go further such as season ticket loans, cycle to work scheme, health cash plans, salary advance (where you can access some of your pay before pay day) as well access to a great range of discounts from hundreds of other retailers. And if you ever need it there is also an employee assistance programme. Moments that matter are as important to us as they are to you which is why we give up to 26 weeks’ pay for maternity or adoption leave and up to 4 weeks’ pay for paternity leave.