Contract Designer

Job Title: Contract Designer
Department: Life Sales

Location: Newton Aycliffe

Reports To: Design Manager

Employment Type: Full-Time, Permanent

Hours of Work: Monday – Friday 08:30 – 17:00

Company Overview

The Danesmoor Group is a leading UK manufacturer of kitchens and bedrooms, with a proud heritage dating back to 1909. We're a fifth generation, family-owned company with a long track record, but with a clear focus on what is next. Our ambition is to combine the stability, investment and long-term thinking of a heritage business with the pace, mindset and capability of a modern organisation.
Our success is built on skilled people, strong teamwork, and a commitment to quality. From manufacturing, design, logistics, customer service and business support, every role plays an important part in delivering outstanding products and service to our customers.
We are passionate about creating a workplace where people can develop their skills, contribute new ideas, and build rewarding careers. Whether you are just starting out or bringing years of experience, you will join a business that values collaboration, continuous improvement, and investing in its people.

Department Overview

Life Contract supports customers with a focused, agile, and service-led approach—offering high-quality kitchen and bedroom solutions, reliable lead times, and a collaborative way of working that reflects the Group’s long-standing values.
As we continue to expand our Contract offering, we’re looking for a talented Designer who can bring speed, accuracy, and commercial awareness to our growing team.

Role Summary & Purpose

Based at our Group headquarters you’ll be responding to small, medium and large contract enquiries and tenders. These will be both kitchens and bedrooms. Anything from 1 plot to 150 plots. Often there will be specific deadlines that have to be worked to. You will be designing on Winner Design software and quoting through EQ. We offer the most diverse and extensive range of design choices but at the heart of the contract world is price, value for money, reliability and consistency; from handleless to traditional in-frame and everything in between. We offer excellent in-house training and continual support to help you build a successful career and the opportunity to thrive and develop. As a Contract designer you should be creative with an aptitude and passion for kitchen and bedroom design, coupled with a strong eye on detail and practical solutions.

Key Responsibilities

•Delivering designs, plans costings and presentations back to the Contract customer / Design Manager. These need to be accurate based on the information at hand.
•Responsible for specifying the most relevant appliance brands to suit the needs and price points of the contracts.
•Specifying and costing worksurfaces, whether that be laminate / quartz etc.
•You will identify and interpret our clients' needs and deliver true, well thought out kitchen solutions. This will cover HA, (Housing Association) SO (Shared Ownership) and PD (Private Dwellings) house types

Knowledge, Skills & Experience

Essential

•Proven kitchen/bedroom/technical design background with a minimum of 1 years’ experience
•Experience of working with commercial clients such as contractors, interior designers and architects
•Strong design ability, proficient in the latest design software, with a knowledge and passion for the latest styles and trends
•Experience of working under pressure
•Must be able to plan and prioritise work schedules to meet strict customer deadlines
•Excellent attention to detail
•Ability to work unsupervised
•Flexible, open attitude and keen to collaborate, learn and share knowledge
•Proactive problem solver and willingness to own responsibility
•Highly motivated and effective team player
•Excellent communication skills
•Demonstrates a positive ‘can do’ attitude
•Excellent time and project management skills

Desirable
•Extensive Kitchen and Bedroom industry experience
•Competent using EQ & Winner software packages

Company Values

Though our business has grown over the years, our dedication to integrity, empathy, honesty, and authenticity has never changed. These five values alongside our purpose shape every interaction and help us build lasting trust with our customers, teams, and partners.
We’re proud to share the values that define who we are as a business. At the heart of everything we do are five core values — not just words on a page, but guiding principles that shape how we think, act, and grow with purpose.

All employees are expected to always demonstrate company values. They are:
•Customer at the heart
•Accountability
•Pace - Progress over perfection
•One Team
•Innovation without limits

Additional Information
This job description outlines the main duties and responsibilities of the role. It is not intended to be an exhaustive list and may be reviewed and amended in line with business requirements.