About the position
To provide support in leading the strategic design, development and execution of all brands, design, and retail format initiatives across the Group. This role includes national design, detailing and implementation to ensure brand integrity, consistency, customer-centric retail experience, and technical excellence across all store formats through innovative and research-led design strategies.
Role reports to the National Retail Operations Project Manager
Key Responsibilities:
- Collaborate with senior manager to develop, refine, and implement national brand strategies across the Group, including all store formats and brands
- Ensure alignment between the overall business strategy, brand vision and the creative design direction across all store formats and brands
- Develop comprehensive brand guidelines and frameworks to ensure visual consistency and brand integrity
- Oversee the execution of store design, layouts, format development, in store concepts, trade shows, and special events to reflect the Group's brand positioning across various formats
- Ensure customer flow, trading area efficiency, and production area layout supports operational effectiveness and brand experience
- Technical detailing and documentation of retail store designs, including wet works, electrical, and plumbing layouts
- Ensure that work produced is compliant with respect to architectural, engineering, and municipal requirements
- Promote best practice using local and international benchmarks in retail design principles and trends to inform ongoing innovation
- Design, test and validate new store formats and retail concepts before national rollout
- Design and oversee the interior design, including ceilings, bulkheads, finishes, branding, signage, and lighting
- Provide direction for graphic design, including logos, stationery, and branding solutions
- Prepare and approve artwork for use by brand agencies
- Be responsible for manual production of copy, artwork, and layouts
- Champion the national design and development service to the regions as well as continuous improvement on brand innovation in alignment with the brand strategy
- Present design proposals and strategic updates to senior leadership and relevant stakeholders
- Lead brand induction workshops for relevant stakeholders to ensure all partners are aligned with brand standards
- Collaborate with regional teams, the Group's retailers, branding agencies, and equipment suppliers to ensure cohesive brand execution across all regions
- Support multiple store development and branding projects simultaneously across regions
- Ensure on time project delivery, within budget and meeting brand standards
Requirements:
- Bachelor's Degree - Interior Design, Industrial Design, Architectural Technologist, or a related field in the building industry
- Minimum of 5 years' experience in design management or brand development
- Experience in FMCG, retail, or similar sector
- Project Portfolio Architectural Projects, Interior design projects, graphic design and unit/furniture design
- Exposure to multi-format brand environments
- Portfolio of work (to be submitted with application)
- Technical building knowledge (essential)
- Industrial design knowledge (design and basic specifications of units and cabinetry (furniture)
- Understanding of building and design materials
- Advance Autodesk Revit skills (essential): Project modelling, Family creation, Rendering (Twinmotion)
- CorelDraw graphics suite (essential)
- Adobe creative cloud suite (advantageous): Photoshop, InDesign, Illustrator
- MS Office: PowerPoint and Excel
- Project management skills
- Creative, practical design ability, logical thinker, able to visualise in 3D
- Excellent time and project management with ability to manage multiple concurrent initiatives
- Strong communication skills and the ability to collaborate with cross-functional and regional teams
- Confident, self-motivated, and proactive with a meticulous attention to detail
- Analytical thinking and problem solving
- Proactive, hands-on, and comfortable working in a fast-paced growth environment
Desired Skills:
- Architectural projects
- Interior Design
- Graphic Design
- Furniture Design
- Technical building knowledge
- Brand environments
- Design management
- Revit
- Design strategies
- Brand development
Desired Work Experience:
- 2 to 5 years FMCG
- 5 to 10 years Middle / Department Management
Desired Qualification Level:
Employer & Job Benefits:
- Medical Aid
- Provident Fund
