Creative Design & Production Manager

The Wine Society is the world’s oldest member-owned community of wine lovers. Since 1874 we’ve been doing business differently, putting our members before profit to ensure fairer bottle prices for both the people that enjoy them, and for those who make them. Our purpose is to champion the joy of good wine for today and tomorrow.Being a responsible co-operative is more than a business model. It’s at the heart of all we do. We don’t just put our members at the heart of our business, we literally exist for them.Our business model also influences our approach to marketing. We offer everyday fair prices – we don’t do fake discounting. We prize fairness and transparency – so we don’t offer different prices to different members. This means that tools and techniques other retailers might use are not right for The Wine Society. Working in marketing in this environment is a challenge that we enjoy rising to. It is a difference that drives the people who thrive here.

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Closing date for applications is 12 noon on Tuesday 9th May 2023

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Keep design and production working smoothly, sustainably and on budget. Make sure that our members experience a strong, consistent, and proud brand everywhere they come across us.To lead excellent delivery of design (internal and external) and print, driving up our design standards, increasing innovation, keeping down costs and our carbon footprint, and reducing our over-reliance on print, all while producing engaging and motivating communications for our members.To manage the design and print production projects lifecycle across the business – design brief, sourcing assets, artwork, and review, print procurement and management, scheduling and quality control and supplier relationships.Our design and production projects will meet a broad set of needs including: sales-driving activity, brand, partnerships, seasonal campaigns, sustainability, own label wines and sub-brands, business launches, subscription services and business services, loyalty activity and corporate communications.

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- Account management duties include managing incoming and outgoing design/print/mailing requests, understanding and preparing briefs so they are ready for designer(s), liaising with stakeholders, sourcing assets, managing licences/image rights, making sure projects run to brand guidelines, brief, deadline, and budget

- Own design and production Workflow Management, evolving our processes and providing clear scheduling both short and longer term. Ensure visibility of project status, work in progress and opportunities for agility or issues for resolution

- Manage and grow our internal graphic design capability. Steadfast traffic manager for external and internal design. Enable agile scheduling and resourcing of design and print projects. Flexibility to design and/or oversee design resource. Hold internal and external stakeholders to account to keep projects on track

- Ensure our internal design capability builds our capacity and agility– create space for the ad hoc projects, innovation, and exploration• Ensure our internal design resource continues to meet our needs.Build the case and ability to grow internal design. Track the ‘value’ of work through the studio to provide reporting and manage return on investment

- Manage a team of 1 designer (to start with) but working closely with our design agencies and freelancers where needed, recruit team over time

- Creating a team culture of creativity, collaboration, accountability,curiosity, and continuous improvement. Development and welfareof the Design team. Recruitment of new team members• Championing new voices, diversity, and inclusivity in our work

- Manage our print, mailing fulfilment and postal procurement needs. Coordinate requirements from marketing managers, tender projects and negotiate prices and contracts. Make our approach more sustainable, more cost effective and more engaging and personalised for members

- Provide business with cost estimates and cost options for projects

- Ensure production scheduling and on time supply of artwork and data. Oversee print standards and proof and data approvals.Resolve issues in production or service levels

- Manage production of new and updated own label wine labels(Society’s, Exhibition, Bin Series, 150th Anniversary). ‘Gatekeeper’ inall label production for the business, working closely with WineOperations team on non-TWS wine label production

- Eye for detail. Brand guardian to critique briefs against clarity of purpose, brand, and strategy alignment. These typically comprise marketing campaign briefs and wine labels, but also wider business design needs where resource allows

- Owner of brand guidelines and their ongoing development, including for our own label wines

- Ensuring content is legal (selling wine) and responsible (with respect to alcohol consumption)• DAM (Digital Asset Management) superuser and champion, and responsible for building and maintaining the Brand Guidelines.

- Being 'insatiably curious' about our members, our product, the market, and innovation• Keep The Wine Society on top of design, print and production best practice and fresh in our thinking• Foster productive relationships with the marketing team andBuying team• Develop and foster excellent relationships with our suppliers, agencies, and freelancers. Bring new options to our attention.Agency selection and agency management

FInd out more on the link below.