Head of Product Design and Development

Founded in May 2015, Papier is a London based start-up, which has raised ~£15 million since launch and is one of the fastest growing start-ups in the UK. We recently placed 8th in LinkedIn's Top 15 UK Startups. Papier’s collection of stationery products, from notebooks & diaries to notecards and wedding invitations, is designed to feed curiosity and contemplation, to invite people to uncover the possibility of a blank page.

What’s the job?

At Papier, the Head of Product Design will lead the lifestyle stationery product design both in Print on Demand and finished goods. Creating and developing inspiration stationery products that are aligned with the overall creative vision. You will be responsible for conceptualising and executing new stationery product design with an emphasis on quality that sets the trends within the design industry. You will propose new stationery product ideas to create exciting and constantly evolving designs to be pushing the brand forward all the time.

Working closely with the Design Director, you will be an essential part of establishing Papier’s in-house design handwriting that transforms Papier into a global stationery lifestyle brand.

What will you do?

Day to day, you will:

• Deliver trendsetting stationery products in a fast-paced environment with tight deadlines
• Take an active role in ensuring best in class quality across all our stationery products
• Oversee the design process from concept to product development and ensure designs are ready for manufacturing at the quality and consistency we require across different printers around the globe
• Maintain an awareness of emerging trends, new ideas, and translate these into designs
• Collaborate with Head of Buying and Head of Merchandising to deliver ranges that are commercial while simultaneously pushing design to the fore
• Coordinate and communicate seasonal stationery product design concepts to the key stakeholders within the business from creative, commercial to marketing teams
• Work alongside other designers and departments to assist in the development of new designs, maintaining effective communication throughout
• Build, grow and lead a Product Design and Development team that aligns with our wider strategy

Requirements

You'll succeed in this role if you have:

• 10+ years product design and product development experience (stationery experience an added bonus)
• Proven track record of producing a trend-setting product design
• Extensive technical knowledge different substrates and construction
• Experience in working directly with manufacturers
• A strong interest in print & stationery design with good knowledge of print techniques and print production
• Thorough attention to detail with excellent drawing and CAD skills
• Excellent design research skills
• Excellent Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign (Rhino and Keyshot skills are an added bonus)
• Detail orientated, organised & able to multi-task with good time management skills
• Self-motivated, with the ability to work as part of a team as well as individually
• Flexibility and willingness to react quickly to changing demands of the business