Lead Graphic Designer - Materiality

Our OEM Client based in Gaydon, is searching for a Lead Graphic Designer – Materiality to join their team, Inside IR35. This is a contract position until 31st March 2026.

Umbrella Pay Rate: £50.70 per hour.

General Duties:

• Weekly design reviews for project progress assessments with creative teams, line manager, senior manager and / or director(s).
• Weekly 1:1s with manager to run through task list and assess tasks completed.
• High contribution to meetings through suggestions, problem solving and design representation.
• Excellent creative and presentation skills (including but not limited to Photoshop, Illustrator and Vred) to support visual design communication internal (C&M strategies) and external (launch, retails, customer facing).
• Design creation of Product Family Graphic Strategies to successfully deliver into production vehicles.
• High degree of competitors awareness and understanding of product and automotive design combined with good aesthetic judgement.
• Ability to do trend research and find adequate imagery for individual projects.
• Ability to visually communicate complex strategies in digestible and aesthetic presentation.

Key Accountabilities & Responsibilities:

Client Designs and Editions:

• Create highly creative and unique personalisation artworks to a brief or theme in 2D, to be interpreted in vehicle in 2D and 3D.
• Engage and communicate with clients to understand client briefs in full, for graphic interpretation and creation.
•  Interpret already defined client designs for feasible manufacture in various technologies e.g. Embroidery.
• Understand and interpret a vehicle project or other graphic design project, from conception, to develop a vehicle theme for graphic creation.
• Create artwork templates to define release files to Suppliers for part manufacture.
• Liaise closely with SV Bespoke Materiality Designers to execute project design releases timely and in line with project render packs and sampling.
• Engage with Personalisation Engineers, Design Quality Team and Suppliers to sample and improve 2D artworks where necessary, to better physical execution of personalisation items in 3D/ physical. Multiple releases are sometimes required, for improvements, due to development process.
• Work with the Creative Digital Team to visualise artworks in vehicle, in digital/ virtual 3D.
• Organise and archive artworks in line with GDPR.
• Program graphic design and strategy.
• Lead and become a key contributor to the SV Bespoke Materiality Graphic Strategy.
• From individual vehicles to strategic graphical strategies, this includes graphic creation for perforation, embroidery, speaker details, finishers and materiality led branding - from exterior to seat labels.
• Create or further develop a graphic style/ language for SV Bespoke Materiality Presentation Material. Templates to be created for both digital and physical presentations.
• Creation of visual assets that communicate strategies, from icons to info graphics.
• Support high profile launch planning projects that require senior level visual communication presentations.
• Graphic development plays a big part in creating the best possible relationship between materials and form.
• Prepare supplier direction and briefs, support team members to do so.
• Visual communication.
• Be a key point of contact for collaborators outside of the materiality organisation, for example brand design and digital design.
• Continue to grow these cross-discipline relationships.
• Be the benchmark for briefing material.
• Collaborate on creating a visual language for spaces – when required.
• Communication tools - take away''s and handouts.
• Develop a library of reference for the team - for digital and physical use.
• Develop and simplify key materiality messages, creating exciting and impactful visual communication.

 General:

• Share best practice with the team and offer direction as appropriate, delegating for the Manager as and when required.
• Act as a source of expertise to others and contribute to discussions in own area.
• Mentor and coach others in graphic design process and methods.
• Undertake any other work as directed by their Line Manager in connection with their job as may be requested.

Essential Skills, Experience and Qualifications:

• Advanced skill in adobe illustrator.
• High level of creativity and flair.
• Excellent communication skills and the ability to relate to and communicate at all levels.
• Capable of working autonomously to meet objectives.
• Passion for graphic design as evidenced by up to date in program/ skill set, innovations and trends.
• Proven ability to plan and undertake projects to a strict deadline.
• Ability to move between projects swiftly with a productive mindset.

In order to be considered for this position it is advantageous to hold:

• A formal qualification such as degree qualified or equivalent experience preferred.
• Proven creative and presentation skills, including advanced use of adobe package software: illustrator, photoshop, InDesign software and ability to use internet resources appropriately for research purposes.
• A good understanding of product /interior/ exterior design, the design industry in general and automotive design combined with good aesthetic judgement.

Desirable Skills, Experience and Qualifications:

• Proven ability to adjust to changing strategies and reflect in the relevant communication media.
• Additional software skills like Vred.
• Additional video editing software skills such as Final Cut Pro or Adobe After Effects.
• Motion graphics experience would be very relevant to build on in this role.
• Design product knowledge, in automotive or another creative field.

Essential Personal Profile:

• An individual with a customer first mindset who is easy to do business with and makes people feel special, driven to deliver experiences that are personalised, transparent and dependable.
• An individual, who works independently, is results driven, demonstrating tenacity, drive and perseverance with the ability to deliver operational plans in a complex, highly demanding environment.
• An individual with the capability to combine a short-term, pragmatic focus with medium-term planning.
• A resilient and enthusiastic person who responds constructively to new ideas and inputs.
• A good communicator with the ability to communicate complex ideas.
• An effective and reliable team player, actively develops and supports team members.

Desirable Personal Profile:

• An individual with the ability to challenge existing thinking in a positive way whilst building credibility and trust through experience and personal style.