Communications Design Manager

Founded in 2011, Plain Vanilla is a homegrown bakery-cafe on a mission to bring honest food, warm hospitality, and beautifully designed spaces into the neighbourhoods we call home. What began as a small takeaway counter has grown into six thriving cafés, a trusted Online Bakery for personal and corporate gifting, and a household name known for both everyday comfort and milestone celebrations. In the coming years, we are set to more than double our store count, and become the best of what Singapore can offer in the café, bakery, and gifting space—locally and, in time, beyond.

To drive this next chapter of growth while honouring our commitment to craft, we are looking for a Communications Design Manager to join our small, committed team. In this role, you will take ownership of our visual identity and creative output, go beyond aesthetics alone to craft thoughtful, evocative and impact-driven design across offline-to-online touchpoints. 

This position reports to the Head of Brand & Growth.

Key Responsibilities

1. Design Leadership & Cross-Functional Project Management 

• Own and maintain the quality and consistency of all creative output, honouring brand guidelines and raising the bar in overall artistic vision, design standards and its performance.
• Oversee and manage projects to a successful completion, including the establishment and managing of timelines.
• Manage and mentor the design team; improve design workflows and tools.
• Coordinate with cross-functional teams (Operations, Product, Retail, Front of House, Sales & Order Fulfilment) to produce and implement artwork to meet stakeholder objectives.
• Beyond business-as-usual responsibilities, design holistic brand communication strategies together with the Brand team to achieve long-term brand and business goals

2. Print & Packaging Design

• Design and produce on-brand and cost-efficient print collateral for store operations, brand activations, seasonal campaigns, and client requirements
• Ideate, design, prototype and present packaging as needed.
• Prepare FA files and liaise directly with printers and suppliers.
• Provide editorial design and layout as required.

3. In-Store Brand Experience Design

• Conceptualise and execute visual comms collaterals and placements that enhance the guest experience. 
• For seasonal occasions, manage external collaborators and/or work with colleagues to elevate in-store food & merchandising displays, decor and activations that bring campaigns to life.

4. Content, Graphic Design, & Photography Support

• Plan and create meaningful, value-adding content informed by brand ethos, best practices, and historical performance data.
• Provide design, illustrations and photography from conception to completion as and when required for both print and digital mediums
• Produce product, campaign and digital assets, including the planning and producing of photoshoots, and post-production delivery of images.

Job requirements

• Degree/Diploma in Communication Design, or a related field.
• At least 5+ years’ experience working in a design role, with strong hands-on experience in print design
• Proficient in Adobe Creative Suite (especially Illustrator, Photoshop, Lightroom and In Design)
• Must have a ready portfolio to present; applications without a portfolio link will be automatically rejected.
• Meticulous with an attention to detail.
• Able to work well under pressure and meet deadlines without compromising on quality.
• Able to manage multiple projects simultaneously and communicate priorities effectively
• A collaborative team player with a strong sense of ownership, leadership and respect for others.
• Added bonus if you can write, or if you're good with your hands and have crafting or mock-up experience.

As part of the recruitment process, shortlisted candidates will be required to complete a Design Task to assess competency, strategic thinking and problem-solving skills.

Plain Vanilla Bakery it started out with a simple, earnest ambition to create and share some good old-fashioned cake with our local community; cake that was made with real wholesome ingredients, and was familiar and comforting. In a world of mass-produced confections, we wanted to go back to basics and bake like our mums and grandmothers used to – moist red velvet cupcakes topped with vanilla buttercream, apple pound cake drizzled with caramel, decadent chocolate brownies, warm and fudgey on the inside. The kind of scents, flavours, and textures that make us nostalgic for days gone by.