The posting
Job Description
Working Pattern: Typically 4 days in the office, with core hours flexible between 8am-6pm.
Part Time: 4 days a week
The Role Next Sourcing are looking for a trend driven experienced Childrenswear Designer to design their boys and girls jacket product ranges.
We’re so much more than just a British retailer. From Istanbul to Shanghai, our Sourcing teams live and work in some of the most iconic cities in the world.
They're at the heart of finding, developing and delivering the products our customers love, wear and use every day. Located across the globe, our Next Sourcing teams specialise in all different parts of the sourcing operation, from design and technology to product development.
What You’ll Take On
- Lead Range Creation: Drive the end to end design and development of dynamic, commercially viable Boyswear and Girlswear jacket ranges for NEXT.
- Spearhead Trend Research: Conduct targeted market research and global inspirational travel to identify key trends, silhouettes, fabrics, and trims, translating them into cohesive seasonal stories.
- Produce Factory Ready Technical CADs: Create highly detailed CADs, precise colour palettes, and comprehensive technical packs to brief international manufacturers and vendors efficiently.
- Drive Commercial Design to Cost: Balance creative integrity with targeted price points, working directly with sourcing and factory teams to maximise product value without sacrificing quality or style.
- Own Overseas Vendor Collaboration: Partner directly with global factories, fabric mills, and supply chain partners to review prototypes, solve production challenges, and elevate sample quality.
- Cross Functional Partnership: Work hand in hand with Buyers, Merchandisers, and Garment Technologists to ensure collections deliver on aesthetics, fit, durability, and commercial targets.
What You’ll Bring
- Proven Childrenswear Design Expertise: Extensive experience designing Boyswear and Girlswear jacket garments within a fast paced retail or vendor/sourcing environment.
- Advanced Technical Mastery: Expert level proficiency in Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop, with a proven track record of creating factory ready technical briefs and detailed CAD artwork.
- Factory & Sourcing Know How: Strong practical knowledge of garment construction, fabric performance, wash techniques, and direct communication with overseas factories.
- Strategic & Commercial Eye: A keen instinct for emerging trends balanced with a strong understanding of product margins, commercial viability, and the NEXT customer.
- Communication & Time Management: Highly organised and self motivated, with the ability to manage workloads efficiently across a 4 day schedule and communicate effectively across international teams.
Portfolios To help us get a feel for your style, please attach a digital portfolio to your application. We are looking for work that demonstrates a sharp eye for the future of boyswear, how your ideas can be commercially viable for NEXT, and showcases your direct design and CAD work. To help you put your best foot forward, we’ve put together a few top tips on what makes a portfolio stand out to our team.
Applications without a portfolio will not be considered.
Sponsorship Candidates wishing to apply who would require sponsorship for this role will be required to meet the Home Office sponsorship requirements. For further information please see: https://www.gov.uk/skilled-worker-visa.
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.
At NEXT, we believe the best work happens when there are no barriers to collaboration. That’s why we are a Google-powered workspace. From your very first day, you’ll be using the full Google Workspace suite; Docs, Drive, and Meet, to stay connected and move fast. If your previous experience is rooted in other software suites, don’t worry! We’ll point you to a digital Google toolkit the moment you join, packed with handy guides and insider tips to help you transition smoothly and hit the ground running.
#LI-Onsite
About Us
You know Next, but did you know we’re a FTSE-100 retail company employing over 44,000 people across the Next group. We’re the UK’s 2nd largest fashion retailer and for Kidswear we’re the market leader. At the last count we have over 450 stores, plus the Next Online and it’s now possible to buy on-line from over 80 countries around the world! So we’ve gone global!
- 25% off most NEXT, MADE*, Lipsy*, Gap* and Victoria's Secret* products (*when purchased through NEXT)
- Company performance based bonus
- Sharesave scheme
- On-site Nursery available; OFSTED outstanding in all areas
- 10% off most partner brands & up to 15% off Branded Beauty
- Early VIP access to sale stock
- Access to fantastic discounts at our Staff Shops
- Restaurants with great food at amazing prices
- Access a digital GP and other free health and wellbeing services
- Free on-site parking
- Financial Wellbeing - Save, track and enhance your financial wellbeing
- Apprenticeship - Grow and develop on the job whilst gaining a qualification
- Direct to Work - Discount online and instore, collect your items the next day for free from your place of work or local store
- Support Networks - Access to Network Groups to empower and celebrate each other
- Wellhub - Discounted flexible monthly gym memberships, with apps, PT sessions and more
Conditions apply to all benefits. These benefits are discretionary and subject to change.
We aim to support all candidates during the application process and are happy to provide workplace adjustments when necessary. Should you need support with your application due to a disability or long-term condition, feel free to get in touch with us by email [email protected] (please include 'Workplace Adjustments' in the subject line), or call us on 0116 284 2486 and leave a voicemail.



