Print and Packaging Designer

Grind is a coffee brand that lives and breathes London. Since we opened the doors to Shoreditch Grind in 2011, we’ve expanded across the city with vibrant cafes, coffee shops, and trucks - burning the candle at both ends to serve exceptional coffee, food, and cocktails to a killer soundtrack.
Today, we serve millions of cups of coffee across London and the UK each year, and we’ve helped hundreds of thousands of people make better, more sustainable coffee at home. You’ll find our coffee beans, compostable coffee pods and ready-to-drink coffee cans - in supermarkets across the UK and in hotels around the world.

Our locations are the beating heart of Grind. They are high-energy, fast-paced, and incredibly rewarding places to work. But we’re more than just great coffee; we believe coffee can be a force for good. From creating the UK’s first compostable coffee pods and using plastic-free packaging to carbon-free shipping, we are on a dedicated mission to be the world’s most sustainable coffee company. In 2023, we established the Better Coffee Foundation to help undo the environmental damage of the global coffee industry, recovering 43 million pods' worth of ocean-bound plastic in our very first year.

Responsibilities

• Own packaging design end-to-end, from initial concept through to final artwork and print production.
• Develop original, commercially effective packaging concepts across Retail, Grocery, B2B and DTC, with a strong focus on shelf standout and POS.
• Translate approved concepts into technically accurate, production-ready artwork across multiple formats and SKUs.
• Build high-quality mock-ups and visuals using Adobe Creative Suite and relevant 3D rendering tools.
• Set up artwork against dielines, print specifications, finishes and colour profiles, working closely with artworkers and printers through to sign-off.
• Bring the same level of craft to menus, print collateral and B2B trade show materials.
• Apply a strong understanding of packaging materials, substrates, print processes and finishes to inform design decisions from the outset.
• Ensure all packaging meets relevant legal, labelling and retailer requirements, including shelf visibility and planogram considerations.
• Present concepts and technical decisions clearly and confidently to stakeholders and external partners.
• Manage multiple projects and timelines at once, keeping accuracy, brand consistency and design craft high throughout.
• Stay ahead of design and packaging trends through regular research, keeping an eye on the wider category and beyond for fresh thinking.
• Work with the Head of Design to bring bigger seasonal projects, like Christmas, to life in bold and exciting ways.

You’ll have.

• Solid packaging design experience, ideally in FMCG or beauty, with the confidence to own the function and shape how packaging works across the business.
• Room to make the role your own. With no other packaging designer on the team, you'll have real ownership over how packaging is run day to day, a chance to build something rather than slot into an existing process.
• A proactive problem solver. Comfortable taking initiative and moving fast without waiting to be told, staying level-headed and motivated by creative problem solving.
• Comfortable working at both speeds. Some projects give you time to think, craft and build out considered work. Others land last minute and need a fast turnaround. You move between the two without losing quality in either.
• Hands-on experience taking packaging from concept to finished, printed product, including artwork, dielines and supplier management.
• Experience artworking yourself or working closely with artworkers, with a solid grasp of dielines and print specs.
• A strong grasp of core design principles. Solid graphic design and typesetting skills, and the ability to translate brand guidelines confidently across every format you touch.
• A strong understanding of consumer insight and shelf appeal, designing with strategy, insights and the end-user in mind.
• Technical knowledge of packaging materials, print processes, consistency and production limitations.
• Advanced proficiency in the adobe suite
• Excellent attention to detail and strong communication skills, organised process and ways of working, confident presenting to creative, commercial and NPD teams.

Requirements

We're looking for a talented Print and Packaging Designer to join our brand team in an end-to-end role, owning packaging projects from initial concept through to final artwork and production. Packaging will be your main focus and the core of what you're measured on, but Grind is a business with a lot of moving parts, and you'll also lend your eye to menus, print collateral and B2B trade show materials. It's a varied and exciting role for someone who wants their design to show up everywhere from a supermarket shelf to a restaurant table to a trade show stand, and who likes staying connected to the full breadth of the brand rather than working in a single lane.
This isn't a role where design stops at the creative stage. You'll be responsible for taking ideas all the way through the production process - developing concepts, creating mock-ups, preparing technically accurate artwork, liaising with artworkers and production partner in conjunction with our NPD team to ensure the finished product lands exactly as intended.

You'll report directly to our Head of Brand, who oversees all channels of the business, you'll be trusted to own your area and bring real confidence and experience to how packaging shows up across the business. Working across our omnichannel business, including Retail, Grocery, B2B and DTC, you'll create standout packaging that connects with consumers, performs on shelf and online, and delivers against both brand and commercial objectives. You'll work closely with Brand, the Design team, NPD, agencies and freelancers to balance creativity, strategy, production feasibility and real-world functionality.

Benefits

Grind is an equal opportunity employer and we value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, colour, national origin, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, marital status, age, veteran status, or disability status.
If there are any adjustments you need to help you bring your best self to an interview with us please let us know.


Benefits and perks

• Smart Pension: We offer a pension scheme to help you plan for your future.
• Financial support: access to interest-free, short-term loans when you need them most
• Paid Time Off: Generous holiday allowance, plus an extra day of holiday for each year of service (up to 3 additional days).
• Referral Bonus: Earn up to £450 in tiered bonuses for referring great talent to our team
• Discounts online: Up to 40% off our retail line online.
• SpectrumLife: Access our confidential Employee Assistance Program (EAP) for personal and professional support.
• Crew Card: Enjoy 50% off all food and drinks, plus two free coffees a day at Grind locations.
• Friends & Family Discount: Share the love with discounts for your friends and family on our website and at our sites.
• Social Events: Join us for team social events to connect and have fun.
• Enhanced Maternity and Paternity: Enjoy enhanced maternity and paternity benefits once eligible.
• Wellbeing Allowance: Up to £200 annually to spend on your wellbeing.
• Birthday Treat: £20 birthday gift