Playground Design Manager

Playground Design Manager Salary: Up to £45,000 depending on experience
Location: Lancashire
Hours: Full-time, 35 hours per week
The Opportunity Axon Moore is delighted to be partnering with a successful and growing manufacturing business to recruit a Playground Design Manager.
This is an exciting opportunity for someone who enjoys leading and developing people whilst remaining involved in the creative and technical side of design. The role offers a varied mix of leadership, project coordination and design work, with the chance to play a key role in shaping both team performance and customer experience.
Working as part of a well-established business with an international reach, you'll join an organisation that places innovation, quality and collaboration at the heart of what it does. The successful candidate will have the opportunity to influence the development of the design function whilst working on engaging projects that bring ideas to life.
The Role As Playground Design Manager, you will be responsible for overseeing the day-to-day running of the design team, ensuring projects are delivered efficiently, accurately and to a high standard.
Whilst previous people management experience would be advantageous, our client is equally keen to speak with individuals who have experience mentoring, coaching or supporting colleagues and are ready to take the next step in their career.
Key responsibilities will include:

Leading, motivating and developing a team of designers, creating a positive and collaborative working environment.
Managing workloads and priorities across the team to ensure deadlines and customer expectations are achieved.
Supporting the ongoing development and training of team members.
Producing high-quality 2D design schemes and customer presentations.
Gathering customer requirements and developing creative, practical and commercially viable design solutions.
Working closely with internal departments to ensure projects progress smoothly from concept through to completion.
Identifying challenges and implementing effective solutions to improve processes and performance.
Monitoring team performance and providing guidance and support where required.
Maintaining accurate customer and project information within CRM systems.
Ensuring processes, systems and quality standards are consistently followed.
Analysing information and data to support decision making and continuous improvement initiatives.
About You We're looking for a motivated and organised individual who enjoys working with people as much as they enjoy creating innovative design solutions.
You will ideally have:

Experience within a design, technical, projects or similar environment.
Previous management, supervisory, team leader or mentoring experience, or a desire to move into a leadership-focused role.
Strong communication skills with the ability to build effective working relationships across different teams.
A proactive and positive approach with the ability to work effectively in a fast-paced environment.
Strong organisational and planning skills.
Excellent problem-solving abilities and a practical mindset.
Confidence working with data and using information to support decisions.
Experience using AutoCAD or similar design software.
Knowledge of Adobe Photoshop would be beneficial but is not essential.
Strong Microsoft Office skills, particularly Excel.
A creative approach and genuine enthusiasm for delivering high-quality customer solutions.
An interest in AI and emerging technologies would be advantageous.
What's on Offer

Salary up to £45,000 depending on experience.
Company bonus scheme.
25 days holiday plus bank holidays.
Additional annual leave for milestone birthdays.
Health Cash Plan.
Employee Assistance Programme.
Retail and gym discounts.
Refer a friend scheme.
Ongoing training and development opportunities.
This role would suit an experienced manager looking for a fresh challenge or an ambitious senior designer ready to step into a leadership position. It's a fantastic opportunity to join a growing business where you can make a genuine impact whilst continuing to develop your own career.
For more information, please contact Ciara on (url removed) for a confidential discussion