Home and Gift Design Lead

We're looking for someone with the vision and taste to put Oliver Bonas at the centre of the conversation in the UK and as we expand overseas.

As Home & Gift Design Lead, you'll lead the creative direction across our Home & Gift categories, shaping distinctive, desirable collections that feel unmistakably OB.

This is a 12 month maternity cover contract, reporting directly to Olly, our Founder and Managing Director. You'll work closely with the Buying, Merchandising and Creative teams to translate inspiration and brand strategy into collections that are exciting, original and commercially successful.

Together, you'll decide what Oliver Bonas looks like next.

A bit about us

At OB, our values - Work Hard, Play Hard & Be Kind shape how we work together. We're creative, curious and collaborative, but also commercially minded and focused on delivering results.

We take our work seriously, but we don't take ourselves too seriously. We value people who bring fresh thinking, challenge constructively and work with kindness.

What this role is really about

This role is for someone who leads, not just designs. Setting the vision, protecting the OB design handwriting and creating the conditions for brilliant work.

You'll own the seasonal creative vision across Home & Gift from themes, colour, print, pattern, materials and form through to final product while balancing creative ambition with trade insight, pace, quality and sustainable growth.

Your job is to bring

• A clear, distinctive creative vision for OB Home & Gift

• A trained eye for colour, print, pattern, materials, form and product

• Commercial judgement grounded in trade performance and customer insight

• Original thinking and a constant search for new product opportunities

• Collaborative leadership that raises standards and develops future design leaders

You'll challenge convention, stay ahead of the market and hold creative integrity and technical standards from concept through to shop floor.

What you'll be responsible for

• Define and lead the seasonal creative vision for Home & Gift, translating inspiration and brand strategy into distinctive, desirable collections

• Own the OB design handwriting across the Home & Gift categories from concept to final product

• Push for originality, identifying new ideas, categories and product opportunities while staying true to the brand

• Partner with Buying and Merchandising to turn creative ambition into an exciting, commercial strategy informed by trade and instinct

• Stay close to performance, understanding best and worst sellers and where the business is trending

• Own delivery across the critical path, maintaining pace and quality from concept to shop floor

• Partner with Technical and Sustainability to drive quality standards and support delivery of the Impact Strategy

• Present seasonal direction to senior leadership at range sign-off, and travel on overseas development trips

• Lead, develop and inspire the Design team, building a culture where great ideas are found, backed and elevated

• Work closely with the Buying, Merchandising and Creative teams so Home & Gift lands as one coherent story

How you'll approach the role

We're looking for someone who brings

• A strong track record of leading design across Home & Gift categories

• Experience building and running a team of designers in a fast-paced, creative environment

• A strategic perspective on brand positioning and a clear view of where Oliver Bonas should go next

• Self-belief paired with a genuinely collaborative mindset knowing when to listen, when to be flexible and when to hold your ground

• Fluency in Illustrator, Photoshop, InDesign and CAD

This role is not for you if

• You prefer following established formulas rather than setting a distinctive creative direction

• You are not comfortable balancing creative ambition with commercial performance

• You prefer to stay removed from trade, delivery detail or cross-functional decision-making

• You see leadership as coordination rather than coaching, challenge and influence

Why this role matters

This is an opportunity to shape what Oliver Bonas Fashion looks like next and strengthen the brand's position in the UK and overseas.

Bonas Benefits

• Generous employee discount up to 50% off all OB products
• Free access to our 24 hour employee assistance programme with Optima Health - offering financial, emotional and vocational support
• Flexible holiday - 33 days (including bank holidays) - increasing to 35 days with length of service
• Annual discretionary profit related bonus scheme
• Free membership for our Westfield Health Cash Plan or Private Medical
• Auto-enrolment into our pension plan
• Free access to our onsite gym
• Cycle to work scheme
• Refer a Friend incentive
• Quarterly free lunch
• Enhanced maternity, paternity, adoption and shared parental leave
• Equity, Diversity and Inclusivity Voice network and EDI team
• Mental Health First Aider support
• Education and support through 360L eLearning platform