Job Summary

The Design Lead is responsible for leading and overseeing the design team to deliver high-quality, innovative design solutions that align with the company’s brand and business objectives. This role requires a seasoned professional with a strong design background, excellent leadership skills, and the ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously.

The Design Lead will work closely with cross-functional teams, including marketing, packaging, and sales, to ensure that all design projects are executed efficiently, meet deadlines, and exceed customer expectations. They will also be responsible for mentoring and developing junior designers, fostering a collaborative and creative work environment, and driving continuous improvement in design processes.

Duties and responsibilities

• Lead and manage the design team, providing guidance, feedback, and support to ensure high-quality work.
• Collaborate with stakeholders to define project goals, timelines, and deliverables to strengthen the brand position
• Contribute to the ongoing development and refinement of the creative branding strategy across all promotional content and channels, including new product development, recipes, landing pages, email newsletters, social media content, catalogs, and related sales support materials.
• Develop and maintain brand strategy and design standards, ensuring consistency across all design projects.
• Oversee the entire design process, from concept development to final execution, ensuring alignment with brand guidelines and business objectives.
• Strategically develop and manage brand themes for packaging materials, ensuring maximum flexibility in execution while maintaining brand integrity; collaborate with the Supply Chain team and related suppliers to ensure adherence to brand guidelines.
• Manage multiple projects simultaneously, ensuring they are completed on time and within budget.
• Mentor and develop junior designers, helping them to grow their skills and advance in their careers.
• Stay current with industry trends and technologies, applying them to improve design processes and outcomes.
• Foster a collaborative and creative work environment, encouraging innovation and experimentation.
• Present design concepts and solutions to clients and internal stakeholders, effectively communicating the vision and rationale behind design decisions.
• Other core expectations as defined by the company.

Requirements and Skills

• University degree in graphic design, new media/creative design, electronic/visual arts, motion graphics
• 8+ years’ experience in graphic design, print production, packaging, photography, video production & animation, website CMS, digital marketing, branding;
• Strong understanding of latest digital technologies and their capabilities; previous agency experiences considered an asset
• Expert in graphic design software including Adobe Creative Cloud; ability to work on both PC & MAC platforms, experience in Adobe Premiere, After Effects, Final Cut Pro considered an asset
• Exceptional communication, interpersonal, and organizational skills;
• Ability to manage several projects/multi-task with daily competing priorities and staggered deadlines
• Working knowledge of WordPress, HTML5, CSS3, PHP and customizing WordPress templates an asset
• Strong attention to detail and accuracy is essential for this role.
• Must be flexible to shift assignments as required to meet both customer & business needs
• Will require submission of professional portfolio, including original concepts, hands-on design, and branding standards; animation experience is considered an asset