Design Director Design IntegrityChicago, Illinois, US

Job Description

DI is searching for a design director to lead our industrial design team and drive the development of innovative, new designs for our clients. Ideal candidates are creative individuals with a passion for design who prefer to work on a wide variety of design challenges in a team environment across a myriad of industries and categories.

Responsibilities

Management of the industrial design staff, including personnel management, hiring, mentoring, and training

Project management on programs with a focus on innovative front-end conceptual work, product design, user interface design, ergonomics and human factors, product line planning, and visual brand language programs

Collaborate extensively with other in-house groups including engineering, marketing, management, and business development personnel

Handle a variety of tasks and responsibilities spanning hands-on design work, client management, sales activities, personnel, project management, user research, and moderation of conceptual ideation and innovation sessions

Develop and document innovative design concepts and solutions with a mix of hand sketches, 2D and 3D renderings, 3D models, foam models, control drawings, rapid prototypes, and any other tools and processes available

Inspire creativity, innovation, and an open-minded approach to design across the full company staff, all the work that our team develops, the company culture and philosophy, and our creative processes

Bring a passion for design and a global perspective that can be applied across various product categories, markets, and channels

Lead client communications on creative design programs for strategic accounts

Requirements

Bachelors degree in industrial design

8+ years of professional product design experience, ideally across multiple product lines, categories, and/or industries

Extensive project management experience including proven ability to manage concurrent design programs with rapid schedules

Strong interpersonal, writing, and verbal communication skills

Ability contribute to sales activities including budget estimation, proposal writing, scheduling, project planning, client presentations and closing

Excellent team collaboration skills with experience working with different groups and departments within the organization, at client companies, and at various other outside entities (vendors, strategic partners, etc.)

Knowledge of common manufacturing processes such as injection molding, machining, casting, rapid prototyping, traditional ID prototyping methods, stamping, etc.

Skilled at collaborative ideation, moderation of group sessions, innovative thinking, brainstorming, and problem solving

Application Details

Send in your resume and a PDF of your portfolio, if available, for consideration.