Haglöfs AB

Head of Design

A century ago, 1914, in Torsang, Sweden, a forester’s son named Wiktor Haglöf designed and assembled a backpack for local workers. From that humble start in a farmhand’s cabin, the company he founded has become one of the largest suppliers of outdoor clothing, hardware and footwear in the Nordic region, Europe and Asia, and a member of the ASICS® family since 2010. We believe in our products. At the very heart of Haglöfs are our designers, outdoor enthusiasts and former professionals themselves, who develop concepts based on the needs of real users today and tomorrow. Every seam and zipper, every strap and material receives careful consideration. The result is a strong product, built on technology and experience, ready to face a host of challenges. Haglöfs’ products reflect our core business concept, to be a responsible brand, meeting modern demands for users who invest in an active outdoor lifestyle. We believe that quality is something to be developed, and we strive to reach new heights, offering products with a high degree of functionality, good design and value. Our vision is to be a leader in the world markets, not only in the technical outdoor area, but also in sustainability. Our values are – Curios – Reliable – Proud!

As Head of Design you will lead a team of talented designers and is responsible for translating Business Area seasonal plans into designs that our consumers will love. They own, develop and maintain the Creative Direction Strategy that supports the Brand plan and company targets.

This role will lead a team of talented designers and requires that the individual inspires, motivates and mentors the team to unlock their potential and career potential. The role will ensure designs together with cross functional teams meet margin targets. Furthermore, you will also be responsible for their own designs as part of the team.

This roll works cross functionally with Business Area Managers, Head of Development, Head of Sustainability, Head of Sourcing & Quality. Working as part of a senior management team they will help develop, support and drive the Product Department to success delivering against the department strategies and KPI’s.

The position is based at Haglöfs HQ in Kallhäll and will report directly to the Product Director.

Responsibilities:

Design team

  • Inspire and motivate design team to deliver fantastic designs against design briefs.
  • Mentor team members for the betterment of their careers.
  • Lead seasonal creative workshops that unlock creative potential.
  • Develop a creative design team culture that powers Haglöfs new product development and ensures our design fame is secure.
  • Manage, maintain and develop freelance design talent.

Ensure Consumer focus and understanding

  • Ensure key focus towards target consumers for performance and styling attributes are known and understood by the design teams
  • Lead the creation of design tools that support deep understanding of consumer segmentation tastes and preferences.

Creative Direction Strategy

  • Develop and maintain strategy that supports the translation of brand plan into compelling design language that builds upon Haglöfs design DNA.
  • Translate Macro and Micro trends into creative direction.
  • Work with external input that help inspires and ensures strategy is sharp and fit for purpose.

Innovation

  • Work closely with R&D and product teams ensure development of innovative ideas and technologies are incorporated into seasonal designs helping to build product platforms.
  • Ensure design team have a world class knowledge of performance technology and functional needs across our consumer segmentations.

Critical Path Management

  • Ensure key timelines are kept to and that design team maintain their part of that.
  • Be responsible for delivering against all design aspects of the critical paths.
  • Contribute positively in cross functional seasonal meetings.

Knowledge

  • Have world class product knowledge and experience in design.
  • Deep understanding of industry best practise in all categories.
  • Well-rounded market knowledge in both outdoor and sports industry.

Sustainability

  • Understand and develop the team’s knowledge of sustainable design best practise.
  • Work to ensure Haglöfs is at the forefront of sustainable design in the outdoor industry.
  • Have well rounded and competent knowledge of sustainable sourcing issues and opportunities.

Financials

  • Responsible for meeting design element of design brief margin.
  • Good understanding of margin management and improvement opportunities.
  • Price and benchmark analysis.
  • Work closely with Finance department.

Experience:

  • 10+ years of experience from the outdoor/sports industry
  • Up-to-date knowledge/understanding of design trends.
  • Best practice knowledge and experience of nurturing design talent.
  • Previous experience working with innovation and/or R&D.
  • Good communication skills and well-developed English, both written and spoken
  • Advanced use of Adobe software.

Personality:

  • Demonstrates a love of design and design language with a high level of attention to detail. Well-developed analytical and positive criticisms of new designs.
  • Down to earth personality with an prestigeless approach to work. Have a strong ability to shift between visionary/strategic and executional areas of work.
  • An outgoing and relationship oriented peoples person with a keen interest in creating strong internal relations including members of the management team as well as peers and subordinates.
  • Can self-manage and is highly organised in prioritizing tasks and team work.