Senior Design Lead

Senior Design Lead

  Posted October 15, 2026

Vacancy Details

We’re looking for someone who is equally comfortable developing a beautiful furniture scheme, producing a detailed tender submission and presenting their ideas to a room of clients.

Someone who understands the difference between a good product and the right product, appreciates the detail behind high-end furniture specification and can translate a client’s brief into a compelling, commercially considered solution.

The ideal candidate is a creative, knowledgeable and collaborative designer who takes pride in their work and wants to contribute to the continued success of our Sales team and the execution of design-led projects.

Key Responsibilities

Tender Submissions & Client Pitches

• Take an active role in preparing high-quality tender submissions, RFP responses and client presentations for major commercial projects.
• Develop visually engaging, well-structured tender documents using Adobe InDesign.
• Create furniture concepts, mood boards, product selections and design narratives tailored to each client’s brief.
• Attend and contribute confidently to client pitches, interviews and presentations, communicating design ideas and product recommendations.
• Work closely with the Major Projects and Sales teams to develop creative, commercially competitive proposals.
• Support showroom tours, product presentations and client engagement activities.

Furniture Knowledge & Specification

• Bring extensive knowledge of a wide variety of brands mainly focusing on premium and high-end commercial furniture manufacturers, products and collections.
• Develop furniture specifications that balance aesthetics, functionality, quality, budget, sustainability and lead times.
• Advise clients and internal teams on product suitability, materials, finishes and technical requirements.
• Identify suitable alternatives and value-engineering opportunities without compromising the overall design intent.
• Maintain strong relationships with furniture manufacturers and suppliers.
• Stay informed on emerging products, design trends, materials and innovations within the commercial furniture industry.

Design Development & Visualisation

• Develop furniture concepts, layouts and design proposals in response to client briefs.
• Produce detailed furniture specifications, FF&E schedules and supporting design documentation.
• Create 3D visualisations, renders and presentation materials to communicate proposed furniture schemes.
• Assist with space planning, furniture layouts and technical drawings.
• Coordinate fabric, finish and material selections to deliver cohesive furniture schemes.
• Work with manufacturers to source samples, finishes and bespoke product solutions.
• Ensure design documentation is accurate, coordinated and suitable for procurement and project delivery.

Major Projects Collaboration & Delivery

• Work closely with the Major Projects team throughout the tender, design development and procurement stages.
• Collaborate with Sales, Project Management and suppliers to ensure proposed furniture solutions meet project requirements.
• Support the preparation and review of furniture schedules, specifications and commercial information.
• Assist with supplier coordination, product research, technical queries and design changes.
• Manage multiple project deadlines while maintaining high standards of accuracy and presentation.
• Proactively identify and resolve design, specification and product-related challenges.

Essentials

• Proven experience in commercial furniture, workplace design, FF&E or a closely related field.
• Extensive knowledge of a range of furniture manufacturers, products, materials and finishes.
• Demonstrable experience developing tender submissions, pitch presentations and design proposals.
• Excellent Adobe InDesign skills, with the ability to produce polished, professional client-facing documents.
• Strong understanding of furniture specification, FF&E schedules and design documentation.
• Experience creating design concepts, furniture schemes and presentation materials.
• Ability to produce or contribute to high-quality 3D renders and visualisations.
• Confident client-facing communication and presentation skills.
• Strong commercial awareness, including budgets, product alternatives and value engineering.
• Excellent attention to detail, organisation and ability to work to tight deadlines and a fast-paced environment.
• A collaborative, proactive approach and willingness to support projects from concept through to delivery.

Preferred Skills & Experience

• AutoCAD
• Revit
• SketchUp
• Enscape
• pCon
• Adobe Creative Suite – InDesign & Photoshop
• Experience with large-scale commercial workplace projects.
• Experience presenting furniture solutions to architects, designers, project managers and end-user clients.
• Established relationships with premium furniture manufacturers and suppliers.
• Knowledge of sustainable furniture, circular design and responsible sourcing.

Why This Role Matters

Working closely with our Major Projects, Sales and wider Design team, you will play an important role in developing compelling tender submissions, presenting creative furniture solutions and supporting the successful delivery of high-profile projects.

Benefits

You will receive:

• Holidays & Time Off: up to 25 days annual leave plus public holidays, buy or sell leave scheme.
• Financial & Retirement: Pension scheme, annual pension meeting.
• Learning & onboarding: Role specific onboarding programme, regular share & learns, supplier presentations and industry events.
• Family & Parenting: enhanced company maternity leave.
• Flexible Working: hybrid working between home and office.
• Welfare & Wellbeing: employee assistance programme, mental health first aiders, wellbeing team, sick pay scheme, team building activities.
• Social: Regular team activities and access to lots of industry events

Our Company Values are Consistency, Service and Respect and we seek to embed this in all aspects of our daily work.

Equal Opportunities & Inclusion

We are committed to creating an inclusive workplace where everyone feels valued and supported. We welcome applications from people of all backgrounds and experiences, and we are dedicated to ensuring equal opportunities for all candidates. If you require any reasonable adjustments during the recruitment process or in the role itself, please let us know and we will be happy to support you.

Interested in this role?

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