Senior Packaging Designer in Purley

For over 30 years, Tjarks & Tjarks has been a leader in private label branding and packaging, creating design that wins at the retail shelf. We combine creativity, precision, and production expertise to deliver end-to-end design-to-artwork solutions for global retailers. Our culture is built on reliability, consistency, and exceptional attention to detail. We’re hands-on, dependable, and obsessed with craft, delivering work that performs in the real world.

We are looking for an exceptionally creative Senior Packaging Designer to work on a wide variety of brand and own-label packaging projects across food and non-food categories. You will be continuously involved in the creation and evolution of new brands and packaging systems. You should be passionate about all things creative, confident in delivering exciting presentations, and committed to raising the standard of creativity within our company.

Creative Leadership & Ownership

• Take complete ownership of assigned projects, ensuring client briefs are fully understood and creative expectations are exceeded.
• Lead design projects from initial briefing through to final presentation, driving concept development and visual execution.
• Create a variety of highly creative, exciting and outstanding design concepts for each packaging or branding project.
• Visualise your own ideas digitally and develop presentations that inspire and impress clients.
• Demonstrate exceptional attention to detail and uphold the highest standards of craft across all design outputs.

Strategic & Commercial Thinking

• Contribute to the strategic development of packaging systems, brand architecture, and shelf-impact solutions.
• Translate consumer insights, category research and competitor analysis into strong, strategically grounded creative direction.
• Ensure all creative work is aligned with retailer requirements and performs effectively in real-world retail environments.

Client Collaboration & Communication

• Build strong rapport with clients and present creative ideas with clarity, thought and confidence.
• Attend project and design meetings, providing both conceptual and strategic design input.
• Secure Creative or Design Director approval before handing designs to Project Managers.

Technical Expertise

• Demonstrate strong understanding of print technologies (flexo, litho, digital, gravure) and how they influence design decisions.
• Work closely with artwork, production and repro teams to ensure design intent is maintained through to final print.
• Prepare files that meet all technical requirements and provide clear direction for artwork refinement.
• Brief and collaborate with external partners such as illustrators, photographers and mock-up suppliers when required.

Team Leadership & Mentoring

• Serve as a role model for junior designers, inspiring, directing and mentoring them throughout all project stages.
• Provide constructive feedback and support junior designers to ensure work is on brief, on time, and in line with company values.
• Contribute to the continuous improvement of internal design processes, workflow efficiency and overall creative quality.

Innovation & Trend Awareness

• Keep up to date with design, packaging, sustainability, and retail trends, bringing fresh inspiration into the studio, including air efficiencies.
• Identify opportunities for innovation in structure, materials, and visual communication to elevate client work.

Delivery & Responsibility

• Ensure all deadlines are met and all work is delivered to the highest possible standard.
• Maintain a calm, solutions-focused attitude when working under pressure and across multiple concurrent projects.

Requirements

• 5+ years' experience in packaging design, ideally within FMCG or retail.
• A strong portfolio demonstrating exceptional conceptual thinking, brand creation and packaging design.
• Confidence in presenting creative work and communicating design rationale.
• Advanced skills in Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop, with a solid understanding of print and production processes.