At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead creative direction and enhance passenger experience in aerospace design.
- Company: Join Thompson Aero Seating, a leader in innovative aviation solutions.
- Benefits: Enjoy competitive salary, annual bonus, generous leave, and health plans.
- Other info: Collaborative environment with opportunities for professional growth and innovation.
- Why this job: Shape the future of air travel with cutting-edge design and technology.
- Qualifications: Degree in Industrial Design or related field; extensive aerospace design experience required.
The predicted salary is between 70000 - 90000 £ per year.
Earnings
Salary discussed on application
The Senior Manager Industrial Design will lead the creative direction and passenger experience vision for TAS.
This is a senior leadership role for a design leader who can balance aesthetics, ergonomics, manufacturability, certification requirements, and commercial priorities to create a world-class passenger experience, ensuring every product combines passenger comfort, visual appeal, technical feasibility, airline brand requirements, and long-term durability.
Responsibilities
- Define and deliver the organisation’s industrial design strategy aligned with business and programme objectives
- Lead, mentor, and develop a high‑performing industrial design team (designers, CAD specialists, UX specialists where applicable)
- Act as the Industrial Design subject matter expert across programmes, ensuring consistency, quality, and innovation
- Actively contribute to long‑term innovation roadmaps and R&D initiatives
- Guide design work from research, sketching, concept development, digital visualisation, CAD modelling, prototyping, mock‑ups, and customer presentations
- Oversee colour, material, and finish strategy, ensuring selections meet brand, durability, cleaning, fire, weight, and certification requirements.
- Champion human‑centred design, usability, and passenger experience
- Contribute to thought leadership through conferences, publications, and industry engagement.
- Partner with airline customers & OEMs teams to interpret briefs, develop compelling design proposals, and support bids, RFPs, and customer engagement activities.
- Collaborate with commercial, engineering, marketing, manufacturing, quality, and certification teams to ensure design intent is translated into technically robust, certifiable, cost effective and production‑ready solutions.
- Introduce emerging technologies, materials, and processes (e. g. sustainable materials, digital design tools)
- Monitor aviation interiors, automotive, premium travel, hospitality, materials, technology, and sustainability trends to inform future product direction.
- Reward
- Annual bonus (linked to company performance)
- 33 days annual leave (Increase after 5 years' service)
- 37.5 hours per week
- Health cash plan
- Contributory Salary Sacrifice Pension Scheme
- Holiday Purchase Scheme - Salary Sacrifice
- Electric Car Scheme - Salary Sacrifice
- Cycle to Work Scheme
- Competitive enhanced Maternity and Paternity pay
- IVF & Assisted Conception Policy
- Women in Business - Corporate Member
- Service Awards
- Local charity /sponsorship activities
- Dedicated employee parking
- Discounted Gym membership
- Learning and development opportunities
Requirements
- Degree in Industrial Design, Product Design, Engineering, or related discipline
- Extensive experience in industrial design within aerospace
- Proven leadership experience managing and developing multidisciplinary design teams
- Strong understanding of aerospace design principles, materials, ergonomics, and certification requirements
- Expertise in CAD tools (e. g. CATIA, Siemens NX or similar) and design development processes
- Demonstrated ability to deliver complex design programmes from concept to production
- Strong stakeholder engagement skills, including senior leadership and external customers
- Strategic thinker with a strong commercial mindset
- Highly creative with a passion for innovation and design excellence
- Strong leadership, influencing, and decision‑making capability
- Ability to operate effectively in a complex, regulated environment
- Excellent communication and presentation skills
- Postgraduate qualification or professional certification (e. g. CEng, CSD)
- Minimum 5‑10+ years experience in cabin interiors, preferably aircraft seating
- Knowledge of sustainability and lightweight design approaches
- Experience with key UK aerospace OEMs or Tier 1 suppliers
- Familiarity with digital engineering, PLM systems, and Industry 4.0 practices
We reserve theright to enhance criteria on shortlisting.
Thompson Aero Seating is an Equal Opportunities employer.
The closing date for applications is the 20th July 2026 at 17:00.
#J-18808-Ljbffr
Senior Manager Industrial Design in Portadown employer: Thompson Aero
Thompson Aero Seating is an exceptional employer that values its skilled Machinists by offering a supportive work culture and numerous benefits, including an annual bonus linked to company performance and a comprehensive health cash plan. Located in a dynamic environment, employees enjoy opportunities for professional growth through learning and development initiatives, while also benefiting from generous leave policies and various salary sacrifice schemes that promote work-life balance and well-being.
