Design Team Leader – Experience Design

Join The Magnum Ice Cream Company – Design Team Leader, Experience Design

The Ice Cream division at Unilever is preparing to stand on its own, aiming to become an independent, EUR 8.3 billion publicly listed company by the end of 2025. We’re on a mission to create the ultimate snacking company—a place where growth, innovation, founder and ownership mentality, and performance are cultivated and rewarded. Here, we craft extraordinary ice cream experiences, transforming ordinary moments into lasting memories. Because we know, life tastes better with ice cream.

ABOUT The Magnum Ice Cream Company

The Magnum Ice Cream Company is all about growth—growing our business, our customers’ businesses, and our people’s careers. Growth begins with empowerment, so we free our people to be innovative, responsible entrepreneurs, driven and equipped to give our consumers more amazing products and unforgettable moments—while having fun doing it.

With 19,000 expert ice cream colleagues and iconic brands like Wall’s, Cornetto, and Ben & Jerry’s, loved in 76 countries, we are the world’s largest Ice Cream company leading the industry. We have been taking pleasure seriously for more than 100 years, serving happiness with every lick or scoop of ice cream for generations.

We are investing to unlock the full growth potential of The Magnum Ice Cream Company as a standalone entity, once we separate from Unilever, which is planned to happen before the end of 2025.

We dream big but keep things simple to act fast.

If you want to grow with us, make an impact, and shape the future of Ice Cream, this is the place for you!

JOB PURPOSE:

As Design Team Leader, you will guide innovation project teams to deliver impactful, consumer-focused products. You’ll foster a strong design culture, inspire creativity, and build team capability through mentorship and collaboration. You’ll scope and lead projects from early opportunity identification to product launch, ensuring design excellence and alignment with brand intent. By setting clear goals and encouraging ownership, you’ll drive team performance and innovation. You will foster a collaborative environment, helping design team members grow and develop their skills. Your role connects cross-functional teams and external partners, amplifying creative impact and contributing to brand and portfolio growth.

DESIGN AT TMICC

In TMICC, we design holistic experiences with consumer obsession and high expertise. We don’t just design products, we create memories. The Experience Design Team brings together experts in consumer technical insights, culinary innovation, and design. It’s a dedicated and ambitious creative team focused on the development of market-making innovations shaping ice cream’s future. Team members are strong and passionate thinkers and doers who are constantly seeking to improve purpose in terms of brand, people, sustainability, technology, and business growth. As design team lead, you will collaborate with multi-disciplinary teams and external partners to create value and meet consumer needs with convincing and meaningful creative solutions.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Scope high-growth innovation areas and translate them into clear, actionable design briefs.
• Guide and lead cross-functional project teams through the full design process—from early-stage innovation to manufacturing—using TMICC best practices and design thinking.
• Collaborate across the Amsterdam HQ and UK RD&I centre to connect functions and drive alignment.
• Build and maintain a strong network with technology partners.
• Manage and guide external design partners from briefing through to design handover.
• Support the initiation and coordination of feasibility prototypes.
• Develop, monitor, and ensure adherence to project schedules and roadmaps.
• Communicate creative opportunities and solutions clearly across functions.
• Continuously improve design tools, workflows, and both internal and external collaboration.
• Contribute to the creation of brand books and design guidelines.
• Build a strong network to foster creativity and deliver holistic design solutions.

WHAT YOU NEED TO SUCCEED:

The right candidate should demonstrate the following skills and competencies with clear examples:

• Comfortable with leading and facilitating others’ creativity
• Creative thinker and doer
• Mentoring & progressing team members
• Entrepreneurial mindset
• Accountability & responsibility
• Bias for action
• Attention to detail
• Consumer and customer focus
• Agile mindset
• Strong presentation skills and storytelling

KNOWLEDGE REQUIREMENTS:

• Applied working knowledge of 2D / 3D CAD software for design application
• Applied knowledge of design disciplines, design terminology, ways of working, and project management
• Experienced in collaboration with design agencies and suppliers
• Can lead and facilitate design workshops with stakeholders of all levels
• Able to handle multiple projects at the same time while supporting the wider team
• Knowledge in material properties, processing, and manufacturing processes is an advantage
• Ability to distil consumer understanding and needs into opportunity areas for design
• Understanding and application of semiotics and market codes to packaging
• Can write and articulate creative briefs to agency partners in English to a good standard
• Knowledge of sustainable / circular design is a clear advantage

EXPERIENCES & QUALIFICATIONS:

9+ years professional experience of design within a corporate or creative agency environment, working as part of cross-functional teams. You should hold a degree or identified qualification within the area of industrial product design or innovation.

LEADERSHIP:

We are looking for bold, driven individuals who thrive in a fast-paced, dynamic environment and share our approach to growth, collaboration, and innovation. Here’s what defines success in our organization:

• Focus on Growth – Embracing new challenges, seeking opportunities to innovate, and continuously looking for ways to expand and improve. Whether it’s scaling markets, evolving roles, or leading teams, we value those who see possibilities and take initiative.
• Speed & Simplicity – Working efficiently, adapting quickly, and simplifying processes by leveraging technology to drive better outcomes. With ethical decision-making as the backbone to this, we drive agility and stay focused.
• Winning with Fun – Collaborating, integrating seamlessly with a founder/owner mindset, keeping what’s best for the company at the heart of all that is done. We build diverse, inclusive, and winning teams that drive our business.
• Bold Innovations – Experimenting with fresh ideas and innovative thinking that shape our industry, through product development, process improvements, and customer experiences. Being obsessed with the consumer, we embrace change to drive growth.
• Care & Challenge – Fostering an open, transparent environment where team members can grow, share feedback openly, holding themselves and each other to high standards while maintaining a strong sense of support and camaraderie.
• Expertise in our category – A deep understanding of our industry, customers, and market trends enabling us to stay ahead and turn challenges into opportunities. Curiosity, insight, and a willingness to learn and lead enables us to remain market makers.

If these qualities resonate with you, we’d love to connect and explore how you can be part of our team.

WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT:

• A unique mix of global scale & start-up spirit—€8.3bn powerhouse with an agile, entrepreneurial mindset. We’re building a new high growth Ice Cream company from the ground up.
• Career without limits—42 markets, international opportunities, and fast tracked growth.
• A performance-driven culture—Freedom to act, disrupt and grow – your success is measured by impact.
• A company that celebrates joy, innovation, and purpose—We create extraordinary careers, just like our ice cream creates extraordinary moments.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

As publicly announced, Unilever will separate its Ice Cream business which is expected by the end of 2025. This role will transfer to the new Ice Cream company. For the recruitment of this position, we would like to emphasize that local conditions apply to the position.

ARE YOU EXCITED TO CRAFT THE ICE CREAM FUTURE?