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Design Manager, Close to Halifax, Up to £50k

Location: Close to Halifax, on site
Department: Design
Reporting to: Head of Commercial & Technical

The Role

My Client, a successful, profitable and growing packaging business, is looking for an experienced Design Manager to lead and develop a high-performing structural design team.

This is a key leadership role, responsible for setting the direction of the design function, driving innovation, and ensuring design capability supports long-term business growth in the FMCG and Retail sectors.

As Design Manager, you will take ownership of the structural design function, balancing creative thinking with operational excellence. You’ll work closely with commercial, technical and production teams to deliver design-led solutions that enhance customer experience and meet manufacturing requirements.

Key Responsibilities

Leadership & Strategy

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Set the direction and standards for the design function

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Drive innovation across packaging design, sampling and sustainability

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Champion strong, customer-focused design solutions

Operational Excellence

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Improve workflows, accuracy and sample turnaround times

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Ensure designs align with machine capability and tooling requirements

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Build and maintain strong relationships with tooling suppliers

People & Team Development

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Lead, mentor and develop the Design Team Leader and wider design team (4pax)

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Support recruitment, training and individual development plans

Process Ownership

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Maintain high standards through SOPs and design documentation

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Track and improve performance across lead times, accuracy, errors and workload

What We’re Looking For

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Strong experience in corrugated packaging design

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Proven leadership experience (minimum 2 years)

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Advanced CAD capability (Kasemake, AG CAD or similar)

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Confident communicator with customer-facing experience

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A continuous improvement mindset with strong commercial awareness

This is an excellent opportunity for a design leader who wants to make a real impact, influence strategy, and develop a team in a growing packaging business.

Design Manager, Close to Halifax, Up to £50k