Senior Manager of Industrial Design

RealTruck, Inc. • Full-time • Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States • 3w ago

Position Summary

The Senior Manager of Industrial Design will be responsible for managing, guiding, and growing a talented, Industrial Design team and will shape the overall vision and long-term strategies that supports RealTruck’s extensive product roadmap, lifestyle, and branding needs under the direction of Industrial Design Senior leadership. This role will lead cross-functional meetings with various departments including Engineering, Product Management, and Marketing across multiple product categories in Truck, Jeep, and Off-Road accessories. This position will manage and lead the industrial design of all new products within multiple designated product lines and strengthen the brand’s presence within the category to directly influence the organization’s growth and competitive advantage.

Core Functions

Design Strategy and Vision

Work closely with senior leadership to shape the overall design vision and strategic direction for the category, while maintaining deep expertise in user behavior, competitive landscape, and production capabilities to drive groundbreaking, industry-leading design.
Exhibit a visionary mindset, making high-level strategic design decisions that balance user needs with long-term brand vision, competitive market positioning, and emerging trends.
Acts as a strategic leader contributing to the Company's long-term growth goals by developing an industry-leading product pipeline, defining forward-thinking product platforms that enable brand differentiation and targeted revenue growth.
Lead the development of a multi-category product pipeline, setting strategic priorities for innovation that drive significant incremental revenue through the introduction of new products and design platforms.
Direct the development of a comprehensive design language, ensuring consistent and impactful brand representation that solidifies RealTruck as a leader in the category across global markets.
Maintain deep expertise in the competitive landscape, consistently scanning the market and introducing strategic design adjustments to maintain leadership in product innovation.

Collaboration & Cross-Functional Work

Lead cross-functional collaboration with Engineering, R&D, Category Management, and external partners to deliver a strategic, insight-driven approach that shapes the future of product design across multiple categories.
Chair and drive cross-discipline innovation workshops at the organizational level, guiding Lead Designers and senior stakeholders to foster disruptive, market-leading innovation and design solutions.
Advise executive leadership on new opportunities, products, and features that position the company at the forefront of the industry, focusing on enhancing customer satisfaction, optimizing cost-efficiency, and driving competitive advantage.
Lead high-level innovation and concept-generation sessions across multiple categories, establishing new product pipelines that align with long-term company growth and positioning strategies.
Collaborate with design leadership to develop and refine a unified design language, establishing a comprehensive brand identity that resonates across markets and enhances brand equity.

Innovation and Consumer-Centric Design Leadership

Drive the team to deliver high-impact conceptualization and visualization that translate functional needs into groundbreaking, consumer-centric product solutions, utilizing consumer insights and market research.
Lead the design and innovation teams in the rapid conceptualization of visionary products, utilizing cutting-edge tools like advanced CAD visualization, 3D modeling, and prototyping to push boundaries and develop next-gen product concepts.
Strategically guide the team's design direction, ensuring that all concept-generation efforts are aligned with consumer trends, brand vision, and long-term business objectives.

Team Leadership, Mentorship, And Management

Oversee multiple teams and senior-level designers across multiple categories, ensuring that all design efforts are resourced effectively, timelines are met, and the company’s long-term design vision is executed flawlessly.
Provide high-level mentorship to design leaders, fostering a culture of innovation and continual growth, while ensuring the design team remains fully engaged and operating at peak performance.
Develop comprehensive succession plans and talent development initiatives to build and sustain world-class design teams that can adapt and innovate within a rapidly changing market.
Drive initiatives to raise the profile of industrial design within the company and industry, leading internal and external educational efforts to highlight the value of design in driving business growth and innovation.

Project and Resource Management

Lead oversight of multi-year design projects, ensuring that resources are optimally allocated, timelines are adhered to, and design objectives are aligned with business priorities.
Develop high-level communication frameworks and governance processes, ensuring that design initiatives are clearly conveyed to executive leadership and that feedback loops enhance both the design process and business outcomes.
Lead the development of the annual design budget and resource planning, ensuring that strategic priorities are fully supported and that investment in innovation aligns with business growth plans.

Qualifications & Requirements

Education and Experience

Bachelors degree in Industrial Design required.
10+ years of experience as an Industrial Designer of consumer products in a corporate or consultancy setting required.
3+ years 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