Global Design Manager

What you'll be doing:

As Global Design Manager, Design and Iconicity team, you help shape and govern how our brands show up across every consumer touchpoint. Working closely with the Global Head of Design & Iconicity, you will embed strong brand foundations and ensuring consistently high standards of execution across packaging, retail, digital and communications.

You will go beyond coordination. It requires a strong understanding of brand building, visual identity systems and design quality, with the experience to understand how strategy and guidance inform both internal and external teams and partners.

You will be a key connector across brand, product, packaging, VM and agency partners, ensuring alignment, clarity and consistency. You will also support and guide junior team members, helping build capability within the Design & Iconicity team.

Success in this role comes from combining brand understanding, structured thinking and attention to detail, with a passion for elevating how brands are expressed in the real world.

Key responsibilities:

Brand Governance & Visual Identity:

• Support the development, evolution and guidance of Global Brand Visual Identities (BVI), ensuring they are clear, practical and can be consistently applied across all touchpoints.

• ·Identify gaps in existing brand guidance and lead the creation of new frameworks and playbooks (e.g. retail, VM, digital) to support best-in-class execution.

Design Quality & Execution:

• Champion high standards of design and execution across packaging, retail, and communications, working with internal teams and external partners.

• Review and provide constructive feedback on creative output, ensuring alignment to brand intent and quality expectations.

• Support the delivery of elevated, cohesive brand experiences across all consumer touch points.

Cross-Functional Leadership & Collaboration:

• Act as a key partner to Brand, Product Development, Packaging, and VM teams, ensuring design intent is clearly understood and implemented.

• Build strong relationships across global markets and functions to drive alignment and consistency.

• Manage and guide Assistant Design Managers, supporting their development and day-to-day delivery.

Benchmarking & Continuous Improvement:

• Lead competitor and market reviews across UK, US and global markets, identifying opportunities to elevate brand expression.

• Stay close to industry trends, innovation, and best practice in design, retail, and brand experience.

• Translate insight into actionable recommendations that improve brand impact and execution.

Tools, Training & Capability Building:

• Support the development of training materials, frameworks, and tools that enable teams to deliver consistently high-quality work.

• Contribute to internal capability building through initiatives such as the Beauty Brand Academy.

• Help embed new ways of working that improve clarity, efficiency and creative standards.

Delivery & Operations:

• Oversee the coordination of design-related projects, ensuring timelines, stakeholders and outputs are aligned.

• Manage relationships with external agencies and suppliers where required.

• Ensure accuracy and attention to detail across all outputs, including presentations, mock-ups and proofing.

What you'll need to have (our must-haves):

• Experience working with brand visual identity systems and design governance.

• Background in design management, brand or agency environments.

• Previous experience in Beauty, Skincare or Fashion categories.

• Strong understanding of how brands are expressed across packaging, retail, and digital.

• Ability to translate strategy into clear, actionable guidance.

• Confident working in a matrix environment with multiple stakeholders.

• Strong attention to detail and commitment to quality.

Rewards designed for you:

• Boots Retirement Savings Plan

• Discretionary annual bonus

• Generous employee discounts

• Enhanced maternity/paternity/adoption leave pay and gift card for anyone expecting or adopting a child

• Flexible benefits scheme including option to buy additional holiday, discounted gym membership, life assurance, activity passes and much more.

• Access to free, 24/7 counselling and support through TELUS Health, our Employee Assistance Programme.

There's lots more in our benefits and discounts, MyBoosts - there to give you that little lift in your everyday. Find out more at boots.jobs/rewards. Exclusions may apply; eligible roles only. Please note that any salary estimates provided on third-party sites are not endorsed by Boots and may not be accurate.

A bit about us:

At Boots, we're proud to be an equal opportunity employer, creating a place where everyone feels welcome, supported and free to be themselves. We believe that when our people feel valued and included, they thrive, so we're committed to creating a brilliant Boots for our people so they can make a difference for our customers and colleagues every time.

What's next:

If you apply, our team will be in touch to let you know the outcome of your application or to arrange next steps. Where a role is advertised as full-time, we are open to discussing part-time and job share options during the application process. If you require additional support as part of the application and interview process, we are happy to provide reasonable adjustments to help you to be at your best.