Head of Design

Love restaurants? Have an eye for detail? Always spotting ways spaces could work better, look better, or create a better experience?

At Nando's, we're constantly evolving our restaurants, and we're looking for a Head of Design to help shape what's next.

This 12-month parental leave opportunity will see you lead restaurant design across Australia and New Zealand. Reporting to the Chief Development Officer and leading a Design Coordinator, you'll oversee the design of new restaurants, refurbishments and innovation projects that bring our brand to life.

From new restaurant openings and drive-thru enhancements to bottomless beverage rollouts and new concept development, you'll create spaces that are innovative, commercially smart and unmistakably Nando's. Working closely with Development, Construction, Operations, Global Design teams and external partners, you'll balance creativity, customer experience and commercial outcomes while leading a diverse portfolio of projects across Australia and New Zealand.

If you love creating memorable spaces, solving complex challenges and seeing your ideas come to life, you'll fit right in.

❤️ What You'll Love at Nando's

• Free Nando's: Meals on us when you work, plus perks for friends and family
• 12-Month Opportunity: Full-time parental leave cover from November 2026 to October 2027
• Hybrid Life: Split your time between our state of the art Richmond Restaurant Support office (3 days), overlooking the Yarra River 🌳, and working from home (2 days)🏠
• Travel with Purpose: Visit projects across Australia and New Zealand, travelling approximately two nights every four weeks
• Be You: Bring your whole self to a values-led, inclusive family that genuinely cares
• Creative Freedom: No two projects are the same. Create distinctive restaurant environments that reflect each location, community and customer.
• Work + Play: A close-knit, high-performing team that loves what they do, with team lunches, quarterly catch-ups, project travel, plenty of laughs and the occasional WhatsApp meme battle.
• Wellness Support: Access resources for mental health, fitness, nutrition and financial wellbeing
• Do Good: Be part of a brand that champions South African artists, sustainability and social impact initiatives, including curating one of the largest collections of South African art outside South Africa.

What You'll Be Doing

• Lead the design of new restaurant builds, relocations and refurbishment projects across ANZ
• Manage and develop Nando's network of external architects and design partners
• Create customer-focused restaurant environments that balance design excellence with commercial outcomes
• Partner with Development, Construction and Operations teams to bring projects to life
• Drive continuous innovation across restaurant formats, customer experiences and operational design
• Ensure consistency with Nando's global design principles while adapting for local market needs
• Represent ANZ in global design forums and collaborate with international design counterparts
• Maintain and evolve Nando's restaurant design and artwork standards across the portfolio

Who You Are

You're a commercially minded design leader who loves turning ideas into reality and thrives on balancing creativity, complexity and competing priorities. You'll bring:

• Experience designing hospitality, restaurant or retail environments, including back-of-house and kitchen design
• A strong eye for detail and a passion for design excellence
• Experience managing multiple concurrent projects and competing priorities
• The ability to balance creativity, customer experience and commercial outcomes
• Strong stakeholder management skills and confidence working across diverse teams
• Experience working with architects, designers, consultants and project teams
• A collaborative approach and a passion for continuous improvement

Most importantly, you're excited by the challenge of creating distinctive restaurant experiences that customers love and teams are proud to work in.

🔥 Ready to Fire It Up?

If you're excited by the opportunity to shape the look, feel and future of Nando's restaurants across Australia and New Zealand while leading some of our most exciting design projects, we'd love to hear from you.

Only applicants with the right to work in Australia will be considered.