Lead Designer, Materiality (Colour Material And Finish)

Duration: 9 month contract initially

Location: Gaydon

Position Description

Join our dedicated Design Hub - a dynamic, lean, and agile environment delivering premium contemporary vehicle design services to external partners. We are pioneering the future of mobility by blending innovative technology, fresh ideas, and creative approaches that resonate with evolving customer lifestyles. Operating at speed and with commercial focus, we balance bold design innovation with practical feasibility. Close collaboration with our China-based realisation studio and external engineering partners ensures our designs translate smoothly into production-ready vehicles that stand out in the premium contemporary segment.

This role has the lead responsibility for designing and developing sustainable and responsible colour and materials content for our brands. As a Materiality Manager you will create and realise material solutions for both interior and exterior applications through to production. Delivering more sustainable and responsible material initiatives is key to the role. The position is full time located in Gaydon UK and reports to the Materiality Design Manager based in Gaydon UK.

Key Accountabilities And Responsibilities

• Leads research to identify trends, landscape shifts, analogous industry and new ideas for next generation vehicles.
• Identifies and leads competitor benchmarking and co-ordinate and collaborate with external suppliers.
• Leads and co-ordinates the development and implementation of colour and material design proposals feeding into materiality strategies, concept cars, and vision properties.
• Create inspiring materiality concepts through digital and physical assets and prototyping ideas.
• Collaborated across business with all functions required to deliver program requirements. Predicts and identifies issues.
• Leads and co-ordinates the project management of vehicle builds and development related to colour and material design.
• Leads co-ordination and collaboration for all material commodities with external suppliers to develop colours, materials, finishes, grains for all parts through to production.
• Collaborates with creative design teams & design model operation teams to deliver property builds.
• Demonstrates a good understanding of product and knowledge of automotive materials, process and suppliers.
• Translates material concepts from 2D to 3D product / support of the production of components to specification.
• Acts as a source of expertise to others.
• Demonstrates and shares best practice with the team and offer direction as appropriate.
• Identifies solutions to non-standard tasks and queries.
• Support on projects from concept to realisation and proceeds to repeat and improve this process.
• Mentors and coaches others.

Essential Skills

• Relevant design degree.
• Design software competency: Photoshop/Illustrator/VRED.
• Design experience.

Experience & Qualifications Required

• Degree level qualification BA or equivalent. Textile, fashion, graphics, product, automotive design or similar.
• Experience as a senior designer with proven experience or examples in portfolio of colour and material design application.
• Can creatively and pragmatically work at speed.
• Proficient in Adobe Creative Suite: Photoshop or Illustrator or InDesign.

Desirable experience & qualifications

• Experience working with luxury & premium lifestyle brands.
• Proven ability to adjust to changing design, feasibility and cost requirements.
• Proven ability to plan and undertake projects to a strict deadline.
• A good understanding of automotive design and delivery processes.
• Additional software skills like VRED, video editing software good to have yet not essential.

Additional Information

• Key candidates must be able to multi-task and work on several projects simultaneously.
• Proven creative and presentation skills, including advanced use of Adobe and Microsoft Office software and ability to use internet resources appropriately for research purposes.
• A good understanding of product design, combined with good aesthetic judgement, colour vision and colour perception.
• Excellent communication skills and the ability to relate to and communicate at all levels. Ability to influence and engage.
• Passion for colour and material technology, sustainability and design as evidenced by understanding of analogous industries, up to date in field literature, innovations and trends.
• Proven ability to take accountability for own work, including the quality, accuracy and efficiencies around projects.
• Can work independently, is results driven, demonstrates tenacity and perseverance with the ability to understand and navigate complex strategies and operate with an agile and open mindset in a fast paced highly demanding environment.
• Candidates must be confident communicators and comfortable presenting to internal and external stakeholders.
• Successful candidates will have modern luxury taste level and design execution demonstrated in their portfolio.

How to Apply

If you’re interested in applying for this position, submit your application and one of our recruiters will be in touch.

Applicants MUST have proof of immediate, on-going and valid eligibility to work full time in the UK and travel within the EU.