Senior Manager – Brand Design

at  Nationwide

The Nationwide brand was very successfully relaunched in October 2023. At the heart of the relaunch was a new brand visual identity fitting for a modern mutual. Twelve months on and we need to protect, extend and augment this brand identity. Nationwide is committed to brand, and our brand’s identity, cut through and use, is fundamental to this.
This is an opportunity for someone highly literate in brand design, but also capable of running a team, collaborating both across the customer function, and through the rest of Nationwide to ensure our brand is nurtured and protected as one of our most priceless assets.
We’re looking for a proactive, dynamic individual who has worked in and with brand design; a great communicator who will collaborate cross-function, and across the Society, to uplift brand design across all touch points.
At Nationwide we offer hybrid working wherever possible. More rewarding relationships are supported through our hybrid approach, bringing colleagues together across our UK wide estate, whilst also supporting generous access to home working. We value our time in the office to solve problems, to learn, and to feel connected.
For this job you’ll spend at least two days per week, or if part time you’ll spend 40% of your working time, based at either our London or Swindon office. If your application is successful, your hiring manager will provide further details on how this works. You can also find out more about our approach to hybrid working here.
If we receive a high volume of relevant applications, we may close the advert earlier than the advertised date, so please apply as soon as you can.

ABOUT YOU

• A strong design background - creative, design production or agency experience required
• Proven track record of leadership and influencing at a senior level
• Knowledge of current Adobe Suite applications - InDesign/Photoshop/Illustrator
• Working knowledge of print/production procedures
• Collaborative ethos including Senior stakeholder management
• Self-starter, able to think creatively to solve problems with excellent eye for detail
• Must have a strong knowledge and interest in best in class design
• Ability to consult effectively with designers and non-designers on projects
• Project management experience

Our Customer First behaviours are all about putting customers and members at the heart of how we work together. You can strengthen your application by showing the behaviours that resonate with you, and how you might have already demonstrated these.

• Say it straight - This is about being honest and direct with good intent and saying what needs to be said in the room. It’s also about being clear, precise, and using language that we and, importantly, our customers and members can understand.
• Push for better - This is about aiming high and constantly looking for better in how we work together and serve our customers and members.
• Get it done - This is about prioritising what will have the greatest impact, being decisive and taking accountability for delivering on the end-to-end outcome.

We know applying for jobs can sometimes feel like you’re sending an application into a black hole. We review each application individually. So, it’s a good idea to call out your most relevant experience on your application to give yourself the best chance.

You will be responsible for brand design, overseeing the ongoing evolution of the look and feel of the Nationwide brand. You will be working with our brand and advertising agency, New Commercial Arts.
You will lead a design team, who create assets across a range of marketing and owned channels and crucially, you will work collaboratively with key senior stakeholders across Customer, Brand & Engagement, and the wider business, to embed our brand design vision and principles across every touch point.
You will also be the go-to brand guardian for the organisation including customer and colleague facing teams, offering support and creative solutions to design challenges. Your role will also require management of design quality checking and will ensure that the brand’s rulebooks are kept up to date and implemented across the organisation and by our creative roster.
This role will enable the evolution of effective processes that ensure team standards of production, productivity, quality and design services are met.
You will embed design thinking, experimentation and continuous improvement within the team to ensure design decisions are aligned with our Blueprint and brand objectives, keeping pace with the organisation and the outside world.
This role reports into the Director of Brand, Marketing and Corporate Affairs.