Senior Designer - A Design Role Built for Pace, Judgment & Storytelling

(Award-winning Interior-led Workplace projects)

A few years ago, a small leadership group asked a question that most design firms avoid…

What if great design didn’t have to be so slow? Not rushed. Not compromised. Just… clearer, sharper, more decisive.

The idea wasn’t to build another delivery machine….

It was to create a studio-like environment that retained the craft, narrative and intellectual rigour of a top tier traditional design practice, while operating with the pace and commercial clarity usually reserved for more pragmatic D+B environments.

Today, that new-age and non-traditional design team is recognised for design excellence, trusted by major clients, and quietly known for producing work that "moves fast without losing its soul".

This role sits at the centre of that thinking.

The Role…

This is not a role where ideas disappear into layers of process.

And it’s not a seat reserved only for concept or only for delivery.

As a Senior Designer here, you will work closely with senior leadership from the earliest stages of a project… shaping ideas quickly, testing them spatially, and helping turn them into something real.

Your days might include…

• Turning a loose brief into a clear spatial idea with intent
• Producing test fits that tell a story, not just fill a plan
• Developing a design narrative, then knowing when to press forward
• Moving naturally from concept into specification, cost thinking and delivery logic
• Collaborating closely with people who value good design and momentum

Projects move quickly by design.

A typical full pitch might be developed end-to-end in around three weeks, before moving straight into cost and delivery conversations. That pace works because decisions are made well, early.

If you enjoy being trusted with judgment and being close to the point where ideas become action… you will feel at home here.

Who This Role Tends to Suit…

There’s no single mould but the designers who thrive here usually share a few things in common:

• A strong practice-based foundation, often from respected studios
• Confident spatial thinking and a clear design voice
• Experience across interior-led / workplace environments (hospitality exposure is often seen as a bonus, not a requirement)
• The ability to think conceptually, then switch into pragmatic mode when needed
• An instinctive understanding of when to push design and when to “get it done”
• Ease working with people… clients, consultants and internal teams

You don’t need to come from a design + build or delivery-led background.

Several of the strongest designers at our clients firm didn’t.

What matters most is judgment, pace, and curiosity… not a checklist.

Practicalities…

• Location: Central London
• Salary guide: £60,000–£70,000 (flexible for the right profile)
• Bonus: Performance-related bonus of up to 30%
• Working style: Office-based, highly collaborative, design-led and fast-moving (with flexibility to book WFH days when needed)
• Culture: Regular social events, a genuinely enjoyable team culture, and clear opportunities for progression within the business.

Why Designers Make This Move…

People join this new-age design firm because they want:

• More ownership
• Faster feedback loops
• Less theatre, more substance
• And to see good ideas realised quickly… without dilution

If you’ve ever felt that your best thinking gets slowed down by process or that you’re ready for a role with more trust, more pace and more immediacy… this is well worth exploring.

Grõ Careers is managing this search as a priority role for our client. To begin the conversation, we ask for a CV so we can understand your background in context. From there, we will invite selected candidates to a short, informal virtual discussion where we will explore mutual fit, walk you through the firm and role in detail, and decide together whether it makes sense to progress.

In some cases, we will also help candidates refine or reframe their CV and folio before any formal submission. We know exactly what this firm responds to… and it’s not uncommon for strong designers to have the right experience, just not yet presented in the way that best reflects it.

Conversations are already underway, so if this resonates, we would recommend getting in touch sooner rather than later.