Industrial Design Manager

POSITION SUMMARY

The Manager of Industrial Design will be responsible for managing and growing a talented, Industrial Design team in support of RealTruck’s extensive product roadmap, lifestyle, and branding needs under the direction of Industrial Design leadership.

This role will be highly collaborative with Engineering, Product Management, and Marketing across multiple categories in Truck, Jeep, and Off-Road accessories. This position will drive, define and advise on the industrial design of all new products within a designated product line and strengthen the brand’s presence within the category with innovative, feature rich design.

CORE FUNCTIONS

Design Strategy and Vision

• Develop and maintain design expertise within the category, developing in-depth knowledge of the user, the competition, and our production capabilities to drive the development of industry-leading design.

• Hold a creative mindset that can make decisive design decisions in support of the user and the brand/design vision.

• Contribute to and support the Company Growth Plan and its goal to ‘Lead the industry through innovation and superior product offering’ by accomplishing the following:

• • Manage and define the development of an inspired product pipeline for the category.
  • Help to define product platforms that allow for differentiation and step-up strategies.
  • Lead as a key contributor that supports targeted incremental revenue growth via new product introduction.

• Manage designer to contribute to the development of a design language that solidifies the RealTruck brand for the category.

• Maintain awareness and solid understanding of existing products and competitive products within the industry.

Collaboration & Cross-Functional Work

• Collaborate with Engineering, R&D, and Category Management teams to deliver insight-driven, cohesive approach to the design of our products.

• Collaborate with the Lead Designers and lead cross-discipline innovation workshops within the category, to deliver insight-led innovation and compelling design solutions to the category on an ongoing basis.

• Advise and collaborate with the team as they identify new ideas, products and/or features that improve customer satisfaction, reduce costs, and keep our product line at the forefront of our industry.

• Collaborate in brainstorming and concept-generation events to establish opportunities to explore and develop.

• Collaborate with the design leadership team to deliver a comprehensive design language that solidifies the RealTruck Brand for the category.

Innovation and Consumer-Centric Design

• Utilize consumer insights and functional needs to provide conceptualization/visualization that enhances new product concepts enabling consumer-centric and winning products for the category.

• Support the communication of ideas quickly and drive a team in effectively using a combination of sketching, CAD visualization, 3D models, and working prototypes to evaluate potential solutions.

• Advise and contribute to the communication of ideas quickly and drives a team effectively using a combination of sketching, CAD visualization, 3D models, and working prototypes to evaluate potential solutions.

Team Leadership, Mentorship, and Management:

• Manage workload activities for the team, ensuring on-time delivery and that projects are resourced adequately.

• Coach and mentor the Industrial Design team, providing ongoing inspiration to ensure the team is continually engaged and functioning at its optimum capacity.

• Maintain in-depth understanding of team member capabilities and strengths.

• Contribute to and promote team initiatives that educate others on the value and contribution of industrial design. Seek out opportunities to relay the design vision and strategy.

Project and Resource Management

• Manage projects concurrently while ensuring communication flow to designers and stakeholders is maintained.

• Support the creation of documents required to convey industrial design initiatives to leadership.
• Participate in preparing annual budget and resource plans.

QUALIFICATIONS & REQUIREMENTS

Education and Experience

• Bachelors degree in Industrial Design required.

• 7+ years’ experience as an Industrial Designer of consumer products in a corporate or consultancy setting required.

• 1+ year of experience supervising or managing Industrial Designers required.

Skills, Abilities, and Knowledge

• Proficiency in CAD Modeling – Solidworks.

• Proficiency in Rendering Software – Keyshot.

• Proficiency in Adobe Creative Suite, Photoshop, Illustrator.

• Skilled in Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook); ability to prepare professional PowerPoint presentations.

• Strong interpersonal skills that bring a positive and collaborative working relationship.

• Excellent communication (verbal/written), collaboration, and problem-solving skills.

• Ability to write, speak and comprehend English.

• Proven leadership skills that inspire and motivate team members and colleagues.

• Strong understanding of branding and the development of a design strategy that aligns with the brand.

• Naturally curious, passionate and relentlessly driven to find better solutions to solve for users’ needs0

• Ability to dive in, learn, analyze, and adapt.

• Ability to work effectively in a fast-paced, dynamic environment and manage multiple projects simultaneously.

• Strong sketching and conceptualization skills, with the ability to communicate ideas visually.

Travel

• Occasional travel may be required; less than 10%.

COMPETENCIES

• Analytical – Synthesizes complex or diverse information; Collects and researches data; Uses intuition and experience to complement data; Designs workflows and procedures.
• Design – Generates creative solutions; Translates concepts and information into images; Uses feedback to modify designs; Applies design principles; Demonstrates attention to detail.
• Innovation – Displays original thinking and creativity; Meets challenges with resourcefulness; Generates suggestions for improving work; Develops innovative approaches and ideas.
• Interpersonal Skills – Focuses on solving conflict, not blaming; Maintains confidentiality; Listens to others without interrupting; Keeps emotions under control; Remains open to others' ideas and tries new things.
• Professionalism – Approaches others in a tactful manner; Reacts well under pressure; Treats others with respect and consideration regardless of their status or position; Accepts responsibility for own actions; Follows through on commitments.
• Teamwork – Balances team and individual responsibilities; Exhibits objectivity and openness to other views; Gives and welcomes feedback; Contributes to building a positive team spirit; Puts success of team above own interests; Supports everyone’s efforts to succeed.
• Verbal Communication – Speaks clearly and persuasively in positive or negative situations; listens and gets clarification; Responds well to questions; Demonstrates group presentation skills; Participates in meetings.
• Written Communication – Writes clearly and informatively; Edits work for spelling and grammar; Varies writing style to meet needs; Presents numerical data effectively; Able to read and interpret written information.

SUPERVISOR RESPONSIBILITIES

• Manager+: Plans, organizes, evaluates, and directs the employees within the department function. Has direct reports.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS

• This position is subject to Sedentary Work: Exerting up to 10 pounds of force occasionally and/or a negligible amount of force frequently or constantly to lift, carry, push, pull or otherwise move objects. Sedentary work involved sitting most of the time. Walking and standing are required only occasionally.

Physical Activities

• This position is subject to the following physical activities: standing, walking, talking, and hearing.

Visual Acuity

• The worker is required to have close visual acuity to perform an activity such as preparing and analyzing data and figures; transcribing; viewing a computer terminal; expansive reading; visual inspection involving small defects, small parts and/or operation of machines (including inspection); using measurement devices; and/or assembly of fabrication of parts at distances close to the eyes.

Working Conditions

• This position operates in a professional office environment. This role routinely uses standard office equipment.