Automotive Design Consultants Abu Dhabi & Shanghai

K2 is hiring across our transportation design practice. Three consultancy roles, six months to start, with an option to extend another six. The work splits between our studio in the UAE and our partners in China, so you'll need to be comfortable moving between the two and responsive across time zones.

We work AI-first for ideation, then move fast into Alias and Blender to resolve form. If that's how you already think, you'll fit here. We're hiring on portfolio, not years - if the work is right, the conversation starts there.

1. Senior Interior Designer

This role is for someone who has taken an interior from concept to production. Not a concept-only portfolio - we want someone who knows what survives the engineering review and what doesn't.

What you'll actually do

Lead interior design directions across vehicle programms from early ideation through to production-intent proposals. Set the architectural intent of the cabin. Resolve IP, door, console, and seat language. Make the calls on materials, surfaces, and detail that hold the whole interior together. You'll work alongside the design lead, exterior designers, CMF, and CAS modelers, and you'll be expected to drive your work through engineering review without losing what made it good in the first place. Mentor mid-level designers on the team when you're on-site.

Must have

• Strong 2D communication, digital or traditional. Interiors live or die on package and proportion, and you need to be able to explain both quickly
• Working knowledge of Alias or Blender at a level that lets you check your own ideas in 3D and brief CAS modelers properly
• Comfort with AI image generation for ideation (Midjourney, Stable Diffusion, Nano Banana, or similar)

Plus

• VRED or KeyShot for self-reviewing your own work
• Experience working closely with CMF and trim engineering
• Background in production programmes at an OEM or tier-one studio

Who you are

You've taken at least one interior to production. You understand package, ergonomics, sightlines, and the hundred small fights that decide whether an interior feels resolved or compromised. You can defend a design decision in front of engineering, and you know when to hold the line and when to give. You treat AI as a tool for opening up directions, not as a substitute for judgement. You read a cabin the way other people read a room, and you can tell within thirty seconds whether something is going to work.

2. Mid-Level Exterior Designer

This isn't a traditional pen-and-paper role. We lead with AI for ideation, then move quickly into Alias and Blender to resolve form properly.

What you'll actually do

Generate exterior design directions for vehicle programms from early ideation through to surface-ready proposals. Lead with AI image generation to explore volume, stance, and graphic language at speed, then take the strongest directions into Blender for 3D resolution and into Alias. You'll work alongside the studio lead.

Must have

• Autodesk Alias, including surface modelling at a level usable by the wider team
• Blender for sub-d modelling, blockouts, quick iteration, and visualization
• Adobe Photoshop, advanced level
• AI image generation for ideation. Comfort across tools like Flux Lora, Vizcom, Stable Diffusion / SDXL, Nano Banana, and similar. You should know how to prompt, how to control output, and how to use AI as a thinking tool rather than a final answer

Plus

• Sketching, traditional or digital. Not core, but useful when communication needs to move faster than a render
• VRED or KeyShot for self-reviewing your own work

Who you are

You have a few years of studio experience and at least one program you can talk through end to end. You understand proportion, surfacing intent, and why a shoulder line either works or doesn't. You treat AI as a tool that gets you to interesting territory faster, not as a substitute for design judgement. You can take a generated image and explain what's good about it, what's wrong with it, and how you'd resolve it in 3D.

3. Mid-Level CAS Modeler

We're looking for an Alias CAS modeler to work with us on a consultancy basis.

What you'll actually do

Build concept and design-intent surfaces in Alias from sketches, AI-generated imagery, Blender blockouts, and design reviews. You'll cover both exterior and interior work depending on the programme phase. Expect to move fast at the front end, with surfaces clean enough to render, present, and hand off - but not yet at Class A production quality.

Must have

• Autodesk Alias at a strong construction level. Exterior and interior surfacing. Comfortable working from rough inputs and resolving them into clean, presentable surfaces
• Ability to read and work from CAD packages, sketches, AI-generated reference, and Blender meshes as starting points

Plus

• Blender, for quick blockouts and mesh cleanup
• VRED or KeyShot for self-reviewing your own surfaces
• Experience working with engineering data and hard points, even if your output stops at design-intent

Who you are

Your portfolio shows surfaces that hold up under light. You understand the difference between a surface that looks right in a render and one that actually flows properly when you turn it. You can take a designer's sketch or an AI image, ask the right questions, and come back with something they can present. You don't get precious about your work - when a designer says the shoulder needs to move, you move it.

Working arrangement (all three roles)

• Initial contract of 6 months, with a 6-month extension at K2's option
• Split between off-site work in China and on-site work in the UAE
• The exact split depends on project phase, so flexibility matters more than a fixed schedule
• Expect to travel between the two regularly
• You're comfortable working independently when off-site, and integrating into a studio quickly when on-site
• You travel well and you're responsive across time zones

How to apply

Apply with a portfolio and a resume. We read every submission. If the work is right, we'll be in touch.