BUSINESS FUNCTION:  Customer & Commercial
SALARY: £45,428 - £52,000  / Grade: ML1/SB3
ROLE TYPE: Permanent
LOCATION:  York or Leeds
HOURS: 37

This is a landmark moment for brand and advertising graphic design at Northern.

We're building something new at Northern – an in-house design studio that will transform how we bring our brand to life. As Senior Designer, you'll be instrumental in making it happen.

This is a hands-on creative role. You'll spend most of your time designing – creating compelling work across print, digital, social and environmental touchpoints. But you'll also set our creative direction, establish design standards, and lead a small team alongside your own output.

Working within our Customer and Commercial team, you'll translate business challenges into powerful design solutions, collaborate with senior stakeholders, and prove through your work that great design makes a measurable difference.

This is your opportunity to shape how design works at Northern whilst building a portfolio of work that reaches thousands of customers across our network every day.

What you’ll be doing

• Setting creative vision and strategy for Northern’s new design studio, aligned to our commercial goals and brand values.
• Acting as guardian of the Northern brand – from tone of voice to visual systems – with the confidence to evolve standards where needed.
• Leading, coaching, and developing a small design team, creating a culture of quality, curiosity, and collaboration.
• Partnering with senior stakeholders across the business to shape campaigns, challenge briefs, and provide trusted creative counsel.
• Planning and prioritising studio work, managing capacity, and making sure the right resources are on the right jobs.
• Approving creative output from both internal designers and external agencies, ensuring consistency, accessibility, and value for money.
• Demonstrating the studio’s impact through clear tracking, reporting, and measurable return on investment.
• Championing innovation – from new design approaches to emerging technologies, including AI – to improve how the studio works.
• Embedding strong processes, workflows, and quality assurance so great ideas land brilliantly, every time.

About you

This role needs someone who can balance creative ambition with practical delivery – and bring people with them along the way.

You’ll bring:

• Significant experience in senior design roles, either agency-side, client-side, or both.
• A strong portfolio that shows strategic thinking as well as exceptional craft.
• Proven experience leading, mentoring, and developing designers.
• Confidence translating business objectives into creative strategies that deliver results.
• Deep knowledge of brand, typography, tone of voice, and accessible design.
• Expertise in Adobe Creative Suite, with experience in tools like Figma, XD, or After Effects.
• The ability to present, influence, and challenge at senior leadership level.
• Experience managing agencies and ensuring high standards and commercial value.
• A proactive, organised approach – comfortable juggling priorities in a fast-paced environment.

If you’ve worked in transport, travel, or large multi-site organisations, that’s a bonus, but not essential.

What’s in it for you?

At Northern, we don’t just value our people - we go the extra mile to support them. Here’s a taste of what you can look forward to:

Free Travel: Unlimited free travel for you, your partner, and your dependents on Northern services. Plus up to 75% discount on other networks in the UK and Europe.

Generous Pension Scheme: We top up your contributions by 1.5 times.

Enhanced Family Benefits: We offer 9 months of full pay for maternity leave and 2 weeks for paternity leave.

Cycle to Work Scheme: Save up to 42% on a bike and spread the cost.

Electric Car Scheme: Lease a brand new electric or plugin hybrid car.

Exclusive Discounts: From shopping to wellbeing, Northern Perks has you covered.

Employee Assistance Programme: 24/7 support for family, lifestyle, and more.

Training and Career Development: We offer tailored training to our colleagues and opportunities to gain recognised qualifications. Plus enhanced career pathways no matter what part of the business you’re in.

Recognition: We know how important it is to show how much we appreciate our people. That’s why we have our Northern Lights and Northern Sparks Awards, recognising and celebrating brilliance every day.

Why Northern?

We’re more than just a train operator. We’re the heartbeat of the North - connecting communities, creating opportunities, and driving sustainable growth. With 2,500 trains running daily, we’re on a mission to improve rail travel and enhance the customer experience while protecting the environment.

Back in 1825, the first passenger train set off in the North of England, after which rail quickly spread across the globe. As we look back on the historic events that led us here, we also look towards the future as we move into the era of Great British Rail. Join us at this pivotal moment in rail history and play your part in our journey.

A place for everyone

The best journeys happen when everyone feels welcome on board.

At Northern, we don’t just move people from A to B - we’re building a team where everyone feels they belong. Our talent team can make reasonable adjustments to the process if that’s something you need. We're also a Level 2 Disability Confident employer, so if you meet the minimum criteria for the role, we’ll always offer an interview.

We automate parts of our screening process to remove any unconscious bias and to make sure every application is treated fairly. All successful offers will be subject to a DBS check and a medical assessment.

No matter your background, experience, or whether you call it a bap, barm, or cob… there’s a place for you here in the railway.

Please note that Northern reserves the right to close recruitment for this role before the published closing date, if high volumes of applications are received