The Role

Senior Industrial Designer / Industrial Design Manager

Liverpool

About Us

We're a truly international company, fourth largest in our industry and operating across 119 markets. An inclusive, innovative global FMCG business supported by 26,000 employees. As we embrace a new era of growth, we are transforming. Our ways of working and culture are driven by a challenger mindset, constantly questioning the status quo where people can bring their best selves to work. Our agility and collaboration are driving our ambitions, innovation and success all supported by our award-winning development programmes that creates exciting and rewarding career opportunities for all.

As we move forward, our consumers will be at the heart of what we do, evolving to needs and expectations and committing to a more meaningful contribution to harm reduction by building a successful NGP business. Integral to our long-term success is our sustainability strategy, behaving responsibly and supporting our ambitions, all underpinned by high governance.

Encouraging inclusion at local levels and supporting a developing and robust diversity agenda globally, we’re fully committed to creating and maintaining an environment that celebrates and respects difference.

Job Description

Working within the Design Team and reporting to the Head of Design, suited for an experienced Senior Designer/Design Manager within Industrial Design, you will work on New Product Development projects within the R&D pillar of the Innovation function. This role plays a key part in Industrial design for all new product development projects.

Key Accountabilities

• Working within the industrial design team to develop consumer focussed solutions and early-stage prototypes for innovation projects. The role will be a 50/50 mix of hands-on design and design management.
  • Lead design workstreams and creation of new concepts, design solutions for different product categories within innovation projects.
  • Development of product design briefs with category teams for briefing external design partners.
  • Work with internal and external partners to provide innovative consumer centred solutions.
  • Development of new concepts from initial sketches into 3D Cad.
  • Producing concept visuals, mock-ups, and prototypes to support project team review and consumer testing.
  • Participate in in depth consumer testing sessions and co-creation workshops.
  • Liaise and manage external suppliers for early-stage prototypes for consumer testing.
  • Producing and documenting development steps, communicating ideas with project teams and stakeholders.
• Contribute to building a design community and represent Industrial design.
• Act as a role model and mentor other designers within the team to help build internal skills/capabilities and knowledge. As well as subject matter expert for the broader Innovation function.

Key Relationships

Internal

• Discovery, CTI, Device and Formulation Teams
• Insights, Consumer Science
• Categories, Marketing
• Packaging Development
• Legal/IP
• GSC, Quality and Regulatory
• Procurement
• GSC Realisation
• Project Teams as required.

External

• Key suppliers (prototype and production)
• Consultants, agencies, etc

Education, Key Skills & Experience

Essential

• A degree in Industrial design, Product design (or equivalent)
• Significant experience in at least one of the following: Consumer Technology, Healthcare, FMCG, Structural Packaging.
• Strong design portfolio. Able to clearly demonstrate a user centred approach.
• Effective communicator capable of managing and collaborating with internal and external partners.
• Able to clearly communicate ideas.
• High level computer-based skills and 3D Cad proficiency and rendering (Preferably Solidworks, & Keyshot but not essential).
• Comfortable with hands-on modelling, general workshop model-making skills.
• Experience with:
  • Different manufacturing methods and process including high-volume injection moulded components.
  • Rapid Prototyping methods & technologies.
  • IP generation to provide the legal team with enough information to protect your idea.
• The ideal candidate would also have a deeper understanding or interest in one of the following areas:
  • UI/UX design, Human Machine Interface
  • Circular / Sustainable product design
• Colour, Materials & Finish (CMF)

Desirable

• Experience in design and development of connected consumer products or medical devices
• Experience of mentoring junior members of the team
• Experience with EVP and/or HT products
• SolidWorks experience
• Keyshot experience
• Adobe CS experience

What We Offer

Competitive salary, bonus scheme, pension, and 25 days holiday + bank holidays (with an additional 4 days on top to cover the Christmas period), 50 / 50 hybrid working policy, corporate discounts, Health Cash Plan, and other wellbeing initiatives.

Imperial Brands is committed to inclusiveness and creating a work environment where differences are expected, accepted, and valued and people feel like they belong. We embrace diversity in our workforce, as part of this, there are four employee resource groups focused on Gender, Disability, LGBTQ+, and Ethnicity which any employee can join.

If you’re a person with a disability or have a condition that you believe may affect your performance during our selection process, we are more than happy to make reasonable adjustments for you during our application and interview process to enable you to be present your best self.

Next Steps

Interested applicants are encouraged to apply, highlighting their suitability to the post.