Head of Color & Material - Design

Who are we?
Volvo Cars is a company on a mission; to bring traditional car manufacturing into a connected, sustainable and smart future.
Since 1927, we have been a brand known for our commitment to safety, creating innovative cars that make life less complicated for our consumers. In 2010, we decided to transform our business, resulting in a totally new generation of cars and technologies, as well as steady growth and record sales. Today, we’re expanding our global footprint in Europe, China and the US, and we’re on the lookout for new talent.
We are constantly pushing our own skills and abilities to drive change in the automobile industry like never before. We are looking for innovative, committed people to join us in this endeavour and create safe, sustainable and connected cars. We believe in the power of people and will challenge and support you to reach your full potential. Join us and be part of Volvo Cars’ journey into the future.

Design is crucial to establish a unique brand and a product identity. Through design, we aim to connect to and delight the customer in thoughtful ways in order to make a difference in the quality of their everyday life. The design of our cars is strongly influenced by our Scandinavian origins of design elegance, thoughtful function, and the appreciation for nature and the world around us. 

Design is a global unit of around 450 employees, with creative studios in Gothenburg Sweden, Camarillo USA, and Shanghai China. The three studios work closely together to deliver excellent cars across global markets. The color & material design department consists of both strategic and production design: To define the future vision of color & material design for the brand through concept cars and strategic work, while creating the next generation of our current premium color & material, in close collaboration with other departments, progressively adapting to the changing world around us.

What we offer 
We are now recruiting a new Head of Color & Material Design to lead the team of 16 designers to create strategic work, develop and deliver world-class products for both Volvo and Polestar brands globally. The role reports to Robin Page, Head of Design Volvo Cars, and will be a member of the Design Steering Group. We will offer you an exciting challenge in an international and growing company with great responsible brand values and a strong culture. 

You will have the opportunity and responsibility to visualize the future of color & material design and actively contribute to the growth of our business, through developing our people. Come join us!

What you will do
You will be a creative lead for the global Design Color & Material team. Providing strong leadership to develop and deliver world-class leading design. 
In this role, you will be responsible for creating new strategies and ideas that beautifully express the Volvo soul of the future as well as Polestar. You will work professionally with all cross-functional disciplines and external partners. As an ambassador, you will be a corporate representative at media events. Here you will manage the portfolio of Color & Material Design projects over time and on a daily basis as well as direct the Design Management team on daily activities and all color & material designers.

You will also: 
•    Creative lead for new car concepts and production cars 
•    Co-create with designers and guide respective team members to develop the most appropriate and desirable proposals for next-generation and advanced products
•    Reporting and synchronization with Volvo Cars, Head of Design
•    Strengthen the connection between satellite studios and Volvo Cars via regular reporting and reviews
•    Manage design team including individual development planning and assessments for all designers
•    Initiate, visualize and present creative design solutions for Volvo’s global color & material direction

Do you fit the profile? 
We are looking for a professional with a bachelor’s degree in Design, or similar from Design University and with more than 10 years of experience in design work and experience in executing production and advanced concepts. For this position, you need to be highly skilled at translating strategies into tangible products – an extensive portfolio of strategies bridged to production solutions. Also, to be successful in this role you need to be strong in leadership, demonstrated through experience guiding teams and developing complete solutions from concept to implementation in production cars. You have a forward-thinking personality with a portfolio of next-generation and long-term strategic ideas & concepts. You have experience in managing design teams including setting project work and guiding daily activities.

Location
HQ Gothenburg, Sweden

How to learn more and apply 
Is this you? Do not wait with your application! We will start the recruitment process immediately. Kindly register your application and portfolio as soon as possible but not later than 2021-04-18