Lead Materiality Designer

Our OEM Client based in Gaydon, is searching for a Lead Materiality Designer to join their team, Inside IR35. This is a 12-month contract position initially until 31st March 2026, with the potential for further extensions.

Umbrella Pay Rate: £50.07 per hour.

Essential Skills (CVs must include these or will be rejected):

• Proficient in adobe creative suite: photoshop or illustrator or InDesign.

Experience & Qualifications Required:

• Degree level qualification BA or equivalent. textile, fashion, graphics, product, automotive design or similar.

• Experience as a designer with proven experience or examples in portfolio of colour and material design application.

Desirable Experience and Qualifications Required:

• Experience working with luxury 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.

Key Accountabilities and Responsibilities:

• To be part of a world class design team delivering the client’s new global strategy. a sustainability-rich reimagination of modern luxury, unique customer experiences, and positive societal impact. With an aim to achieve net zero carbon emissions across our supply chain, products and operations by 2039.

• This role has the lead responsibility for designing and developing sustainable and responsible colour and materials content within the materiality organisation for our house of brands - range rover, defender, discovery and jaguar programmes for both core and special vehicles including bespoke. as a colour and materials lead designer you will create and realise innovative proof of concepts and material solutions for both interior and exterior applications from concept through to job 1 and beyond. this role will be focused on all aspects of the design journey from creation through to realisation. delivering more sustainable and responsible material initiatives and methods of make is key to the role.

• Research trends, consumer insights and competitor benchmarking to be aware of the current market and insights for next generation vehicles and help to create vehicle line material strategies for future implementation.

• Research and develops new colours and materials, create mood boards and create and realise material concepts.

• Design, develop and implement colour and material design proposals for concept vehicles and design vision properties and assets - present ideas for direction and create multimedia presentations to communicate these.

• Project management of vehicle & assets builds, and development related to colour and material design.

• Support interior and exterior teams with property builds (including – developing material proposals, supporting business office to procure materials, collaborating with interior teams to define their callouts, being on location to support the builds).

• Co-ordinate and collaborate with external suppliers. both automotive and non-automotive and grow the network for material innovation within the colour and materials team but also the wider business.

• Interprets project briefs assessing full requirements.

• Support on projects from concept to realisation and proceeds to repeat and improve this process.

• Translates material concepts from 2d to 3d product / support and management of the production of components to specification.

• Share best practice with the team and offer direction as appropriate, delegating for the manager as and when required.

• Identifying consistency issues and undertaking root cause analysis to solve problems.

• Develop and implement recommendations for the team.

• Act as a source of expertise to others and contribute to discussions in own area.

• Lead on projects and key flagship programmes.

• Mentor and coach others in design process and methods.

• Undertake any other work as directed by their line manager in connection with their job as may be requested

• Key candidates must be able to multi-task and work on several projects simultaneously. Degree qualified or equivalent.

Experience preferred:

• Proven creative and presentation skills, including advanced use of adobe package software: photoshop, illustrator, InDesign software and ability to use internet resources appropriately for research purposes.

• A good understanding of product, interior, the design industry in general and automotive design combined with good aesthetic judgement, colour vision and colour perception.

• Knowledge of materials, processes and suppliers with a high degree of competitor awareness.

• Excellent communication skills and the ability to relate to and communicate at all levels.

• Capable of working with minimal supervision to meet objectives and implement design on their own.

• Passion for CMF technology & design evidenced by up to date in field literature, innovations & trends.

• Proven ability to plan and undertake projects to a strict deadline.

• Proven ability to adjust to changing design, feasibility and cost requirements.