This is an ideal opportunity for a visually talented and highly skilled Packaging Creative Manager who is able to deliver high quality, innovative and powerful packaging design solutions across our brands. You should have strong general management and coaching skills to lead the Clicks in-house Packaging Design and Finished Art teams to deliver their very best. The role reports into the Creative Executive.
Job Purpose
To deliver packaging designs through the development, conceptualisation and timeous roll out aligned to the 18 month, Christmas and Unicorn plans to ensure that innovation and powerful design solutions lands within our business in support of sales and operating margin growth across the brands.
To build and manage a sustainable, internal design studio and hub, with top talent to deliver the very best in branding and packaging design for the business and South African market.
Job Objectives
- To lead, manage and mentor the Clicks packaging design team, including senior and junior creative designers, finished artists, illustrators, photographers and freelance designers in order to deliver to plan.
- To develop and communicate our brand objectives, by planning, resource sourcing and multitasking workload across the internal staff and external agencies to deliver.
- To ensure that all work delivered is aligned to the brand CI’s as well as brand tiering and brand architecture.
- To ensure and maintain brand consistency in-line with relevant marketing strategies and Corporate Identity guidelines thus accurate implementation across all sub-brands are key.
- To collaborate with industry leaders to foster inspiration & learnings as well as the know how of keeping up with international trends in order to continually bring an edge to Private Label design continually.
- To recruit, retain and develop the best design talent in order to deliver the best in class and invest in the future of Clicks Private Label.
- To lead and create innovative spaces by leading brainstorming sessions to promote design thinking in order to achieve the highest standard in creativity and ensuring all briefs are met.
- To manage budgets and costings across all resources to ensure we remain within budget constraints.
- To work closely with traffic, client services and the Creative Executive to ensure smooth workflow and delivery of work, while ensuring the team’s creative brief is understood and executed within respective deadlines.
- To maintain good client relationships as well as create strong partnerships with the marketing teams in order to co-create content and campaigns which complement our brand equities making a real impact with consumers.
- To maintain responsibility for all freelance hiring, rate negotiation and management whilst making sure the internal design team is working as efficiently as possible.
- To perform the sourcing of and directing outside resources i.e., production agency, photographer, make-up artists, stylists, illustrators and models, while building and maintaining professional relationships with a network of resources.
- To provide a strong support base to the Creative Executive in order to create the best sustainable design agency & design hub with top South African talent.
Essential Skills, Abilities and Job Related Knowledge
- Strategic and creative design thinking.
- Strong knowledge of packaging construction, holistic design solutions, brands CI’s and implementation thereof essential.
- Strong market and trend related knowledge.
- Excellent knowledge of Adobe Creative Suite CC: Illustrator, Photoshop, In-design.
- A strong understanding of design management systems and studio workflow to drive efficiencies.
- Strong understanding of all printing processes.
- Strong understanding of manufacturing best practices relating to quality checks and high standards of consistency.
- Strong understanding of the various brand CI’s as well as brand tiering and brand architecture.
- Resilience under pressure.
- Strong verbal and communications skills.
- Excellent working knowledge of language and copy.
- Strong influencing and presentation skills.
- Excellent knowledge of all packaging design principles, brand development, creative processes.
- Excellent conceptualisation and packaging design skills.
- High pressure solution solving ability.
Qualifications and Experience
- Bachelor's degree in Graphic Design & Art or equivalent Graphic Design qualification.
- Packaging Diploma.
- At least 10 years packaging and brand design experience with an outstanding working knowledge of concept artwork, finished Art and all print & packaging processes.
- Minimum 7 years management experience in leading teams, conducting performance reviews & measurements.
- Experience of developing high performing design teams.
All positions will be filled in accordance with our Employment Equity plan. We also encourage people with disabilities to apply.
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