London, UK
Senior designer
at Holte
Holte is hiring a senior designer to join its team in London.
Holte is a fast-growing system furniture producer and design studio based off Broadway Market in Hackney, East London. Our design studio is founded on the principles of democratic and sustainable design – we believe good design and high quality materials should be available to everyone and should have as low an impact as possible on our environment. By combining a highly practical system with creative and attentive design services, we aspire to position Holte as the first port of call for architects, designers and homeowners. 2022 is going to be an exciting year for Holte, we’re launching new products, expanding the team, moving studios and developing a new modular system kitchen.
We are looking for a confident and experienced senior designer to join our multi-disciplinary team. The role will entail leading design projects, management of the design team, directing & managing product development and liaising with clients. We are a small, growing company which means there can be a large diversity in tasks; the successful candidate must be flexible and prepared to roll their sleeves up and get stuck in. We welcome applicants from a variety of backgrounds including but not limited to: architecture, interior design, furniture design, product design, graphic design, fine art and industrial design.
The successful candidate must have the following skills:
- undergraduate or postgraduate degree interior architecture, product design, architecture or a similar closely related subject or five plus years’ working experience in kitchen design, interior design or architecture
- minimum five years’ professional experience in a studio or office environment essential
- team management experience preferable
- project management experience essential
- some sales experience preferable or adept at and enjoy talking to new people
- an excellent aptitude and eye for design
- good knowledge of materials and finishes used in interior, kitchen and furniture design
- a good understanding of furniture construction methods
- ability to work as part of a team and independently
- the role is client facing so good English language skills are beneficial but language training will be provided where required
- AutoCAD, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe InDesign are essential and a 3D modeling programme such as SketchUp or Rhino preferable
- pastry appreciation mandatory!
Tasks and responsibilities:
- reporting to directors, primarily the design director
- leading design projects including ‘whole house’, multi-unit and commercial projects
- overseeing junior designers including reviewing design work, assisting with technical details and administration questions
- assisting with training junior designers and assistants
- research and design development including looking for new materials, processes and finishes
- leading design and development of new Holte products and ranges including in 2022 a new freestanding kitchen system
- leading the design and project management of the fit-out of a new studio and showroom
- holding meetings with clients in the showroom to discuss their kitchen design and finalise orders
- attending select business meetings at the directors’ request
- liaising with architects and builders on projects
- generating production drawings and coordinating with the Product Director on projects in production
- producing quotes and estimates
- conducting appointments with prospective clients and guiding them through the showroom
Normal working hours are 9am-6pm, Monday to Friday. The role is ideally full time however the company operates and supports a flexi-time policy by arrangement with the directors. We are based primarily at our design studio in Broadway Market, Hackney for client meetings, design reviews and access to the material library, but partial remote working arrangements are available.