About this role
<p><strong>The Role</strong></p> <p>We are looking for a Design Director to lead the Soho Home Design team and drive the creative direction, quality, and delivery of our product collections across Furniture, Upholstery, Lighting, Mirrors, Décor and Textiles.</p> <p>Working closely with the Chief Creative Officer, this role will translate the overarching creative vision for Soho Home into a clear, ownable and commercially relevant product direction - ensuring every collection feels distinctive & cohesive to Soho Home.</p> <p>The Design Director will provide strong creative leadership to the Design team, while bringing pace and consistency to the journey from concept through to sketching, development and finalisation.</p> <p>This is a highly collaborative role, working closely with Product Operations, NPD, QC, to ensure the creative ambition is delivered through to production.</p> <p><strong>Key Responsibilities..</strong></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Creative Leadership</span></p> <ul> <li>Work closely with the Chief Creative Officer to define and evolve the creative direction for Soho Home across each season.</li> <li>Translate the wider Soho Home creative vision into clear product and category direction for the Design team.</li> <li>Maintain a strong and consistent creative point of view across all categories and seasons.</li> <li>Ensure collections feel considered as a whole, with a clear balance of statement pieces, core products and commercial opportunities.</li> <li>Push the team to develop products with a strong design narrative, whilst maintaining the quality, craftsmanship and functionality expected of Soho Home.</li> <li>Identify opportunities for new design directions, materials, techniques, collaborations and categories.</li> <li>Ensure Soho Home continues to feel culturally relevant and creatively progressive without losing its established design language.</li> </ul> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Line Planning & Seasonal Direction</span></p> <ul> <li>Establish clear category direction, product briefs and creative priorities before design work begins.</li> <li>Ensure the Design team is working against an agreed line plan, with clarity on what needs to be designed, why and by when.</li> <li>Balance creative ambition with commercial, production and capacity considerations.</li> <li>Review collections holistically throughout the season to identify gaps, duplication or opportunities.</li> <li>Lead seasonal sketch reviews and ensure designs are developed against the agreed creative and line-plan direction.</li> <li>Ensure the team maintains momentum from initial concept through to finalisation.</li> </ul> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Design Team Leadership</span></p> <ul> <li>Lead, inspire and develop the Soho Home Design team, creating a high-performing and collaborative creative culture.</li> <li>Set clear expectations around quality, output, deadlines and ownership.</li> <li>Allocate design work effectively across the team, taking into account, category expertise and capacity.</li> <li>Manage and mentor Designers supporting their development and creative growth.</li> <li>Provide regular feedback and challenge to ensure the team is consistently producing work at the required level.</li> <li>Identify skills gaps and support the development of the team's capabilities.</li> <li>Build strong relationships across Design, NPD, QC and Product Operations to ensure the wider product team operates as one function.</li> </ul> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Product Development</span></p> <ul> <li>Provide creative leadership throughout the design and development process, from initial concept through to final approval.</li> <li>Work closely with NPD and Product Operations to ensure creative decisions are translated accurately into development.</li> <li>Review and approve key design developments, finishes, materials and details.</li> <li>Ensure the integrity of the original design intent is maintained throughout development and production.</li> <li>Work collaboratively with suppliers and manufacturers where required to push quality, craftsmanship and innovation.</li> <li>Support the resolution of design challenges during development without compromising the overall creative vision.</li> <li>Ensure products are designed with a clear understanding of manufacturing, quality, cost and lead-time implications.</li> </ul> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Cross-Functional Collaboration</span></p> <ul> <li>Partner closely with Product Operations to maintain a clear and realistic design critical path across all seasons.</li> <li>Work with NPD to ensure designs are commercially viable and ready for briefing and development at the required milestones.</li> <li>Work closely with Sourcing and suppliers to identify new capabilities, materials and manufacturing opportunities.</li> <li>Partner with Quality to ensure design intent and product standards are maintained through development.</li> </ul> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Process & Ways of Working</span></p> <ul> <li>Establish a clear and disciplined Design process across concept, sketching, review, development and finalisation.</li> <li>Ensure key creative decisions are made at the right stage and communicated clearly to the wider team.</li> <li>Work with Product Operations to maintain visibility of design progress, risks, dependencies and key deadlines.</li> <li>Identify potential delivery risks early and work proactively with the relevant teams to resolve them.</li> <li>Encourage a culture of accountability, clarity and decisive creative leadership.</li> <li>Continually review and improve the Design team's ways of working to enable the team to spend more time designing and less time navigating process.</li> </ul> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;">What We're Looking For..</span></p> <ul> <li>Significant experience in a senior design leadership role within interiors, furniture, homeware, hospitality or a related creative environment.</li> <li>A highly developed and recognisable design point of view, with the ability to create products that feel distinctive and ownable.</li> <li>Proven experience leading and developing a creative design team.</li> <li>Strong understanding of furniture, upholstery, lighting, décor and/or interiors.</li> <li>Excellent knowledge of materials, finishes, manufacturing processes and product development.</li> <li>Experience developing collections from initial concept through to production.</li> <li>Strong understanding of how to balance creative ambition with commercial and operational realities.</li> <li>Excellent presentation and communication skills, with the ability to articulate a creative vision clearly to both creative and commercial stakeholders.</li> <li>Highly organised, decisive and comfortable managing multiple categories, projects and deadlines simultaneously.</li> <li>Collaborative and confident working with senior leadership, suppliers and cross-functional teams.</li> <li>A strong understanding of luxury, hospitality and/or premium interiors.</li> <li>A genuine curiosity for culture, art, fashion, architecture, travel, craftsmanship and emerging design.</li> </ul> <p></p> <p><strong>Benefits…</strong></p> <p>Soho House offers competitive compensation packages that feature global benefits and perks. Whether you’re seeking entry-level employment or a new opportunity to expand your profession, we offer training to develop the technical and managerial skills necessary to grow your career.</p> <ul> <li>Annual Every House Membership</li> <li>50% off Food & Drink, 7 days a week</li> <li>Staff Room Rates</li> <li>Private Health and Dental Care</li> <li>Weekly Pay</li> <li>Life Assurance</li> <li>Up to 50% Staff Discount on Cowshed & Soho Home</li> <li>In Office Dog Policy on Fridays</li> <li>Season Ticket Loan</li> <li>Christmas Office Closure</li> <li>In conjunction with Soho Impact, take 2 days paid a year to support a charity of your choice.</li> <li>Free Counselling Sessions</li> <li>Cookhouse & House Tonic: Our Cookhouse & House Tonic programmes offer unique food and drink trainings, events and opportunities to inspire and educate.</li> <li>Continuous training to develop yourself personally and professionally</li> <li>Exclusive access to our benefits platform with hundreds of discounts on shopping, gym memberships, holidays, insurance and much more</li> <li>Team Events: From fitness sessions to cinema screenings and art classes, each month we hold a series of fun events which you can sign up to</li> <li>The ability to inspire a team while maintaining high standards and accountability.</li> </ul> <p></p> <p> </p>