Assistant Designer - Special Purchase - Womenswear, Menswear, Kids & Accessories
Next · Market Harborough
The Role
Step into the role of Assistant Designer for Special Purchase.
Discover an exciting opportunity to take on an integral creative role here at Joules Head Office, shaping exclusive, versatile collections across Womenswear, Kids, and Accessories.
Your focus will be on designing pieces that bring together modern British style and effortless everyday charm. Using your sharp taste level and fresh design instinct, you will create adaptable product stories that tap into contemporary lifestyle trends while honouring the authentic heritage our customers know and love.
Working Pattern
This is a full-time role based onsite at The Barn, Joules’ purpose-built Head Office in Market Harborough, Leicestershire. The typical working hours for this role are 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday.
Our Location
Market Harborough in Leicestershire is where the Joules story began in 1989. This vibrant market town is home to the brand’s Head Office and is full of independent shops, bars, and restaurants. It also benefits from great transport links to London and surrounding areas, making it easily accessible for commuters and visitors alike. It is the perfect place to mix a rewarding design career with plenty of well-dressed time off.
What You’ll Do
Our Special Purchase ranges bring the spirit of Joules to life across multiple categories, giving our customers fresh reasons to smile every season. In this role, you will be right at the centre of the action, helping develop ranges that layer, mix, and play across womenswear, kids, and accessories. Working side by side with our buying, garment technology, and print teams, you will turn inspiring ideas into beautifully finished, commercially sound pieces.
You will be responsible for:
Shaping the category vision: Support the planning and creative vision for Special Purchase ranges, bringing forward imaginative ideas and clear proposals for seasonal newness
Crafting visual concepts: Create inspiring mood boards, colour stories, and trend presentations that sell the mood and silhouette to the wider product teams
Spotting commercial opportunities: Identify fresh product potential across womenswear, kids, and accessories, presenting confident recommendations to your Line Manager and product partners
Bringing prototypes to life: Collaborate closely with Buying and Garment Technology to make sure every sample captures your aesthetic vision while balancing cost and high craftsmanship standards
Partnering with suppliers: Use your knowledge of production methods to help review and build an effective, dependable supplier base for your product areas
Refining technical details: Work alongside our technical specialists to find the smartest, most efficient production methods for every sample
Reviewing real-world impact: Stay close to retail store feedback and performance figures to see how our customers connect with your pieces, using those learnings to inform future ranges
What You’ll Bring
To really shine in this role, you will bring an instinctive design eye, technical precision, and a natural appreciation for preppy British style reinterpreted with a modern, effortless feel. You love the fast pace of multi-category product development, have an eye for the small stuff, and bring plenty of creative enthusiasm to the studio floor every day.
You enjoy rolling up your sleeves, sharing bold ideas, and backing your imagination with solid commercial grounding and genuine team spirit.
We would also love to see:
Previous design experience within an Assistant Designer or similar role for a fashion or lifestyle brand
Proficiency in Adobe Illustrator and PLM software, with hands-on skill in building detailed technical sketches, BOMs, and clear tech packs
A well-organised approach to sample coordination, swatch libraries, and design archive maintenance
Experience collaborating with Print Designers, Accessories specialists, and Pattern Cutters
Sound commercial awareness paired with clear, confident written and verbal communication
Strong organisational habits, with a knack for prioritising tasks across multiple product categories to meet key critical paths
A curious, positive attitude, open to feedback and genuinely excited about the journey ahead at Joules
Your Application
Due to the high volume of applications received for our roles, please note that applications not accompanied by a relevant design portfolio and cover letter are unlikely to be progressed.
Sponsorship
In accordance with Home Office guidance, successful candidates will be required to evidence their right to work in the UK before commencement of employment. Joules does not hold a Sponsor Licence and would not, therefore, be able to sponsor a successful candidate under the Skilled Worker route. The successful candidate must be able to demonstrate the right to work without sponsorship.
We encourage early applications for our roles, as our recruitment process begins as soon as the role is advertised. If we successfully fill the position, this advert may close earlier than planned.
#LI-Onsite
Our Working WayAt Joules, we honour our British heritage while creating products and experiences that delight, inspire, and connect with our customers every day. We are committed to bringing freshness and innovation to our collections, delivering style, quality, and joy in every season. We strive to be the leading brand in preppy, heritage ‘time off’ clothing, offering standout outerwear and rainwear, layered autumn and winter essentials, fresh spring and summer styles, and a broad selection across womenswear, menswear, kidswear, and homeware.
At Joules we lead on product, design, print, creative brand strategy and marketing whilst NEXT supports retail, HR, finance, distribution, customer service and returns - offering operational excellence.