Industrial Designer

*This is a hybrid role requiring weekly presence in our Ann Arbor, MI office*

POSITION SUMMARY

The Industrial Designer will work under the guidance of a Lead Industrial Designer and will support design efforts that align to RealTruck’s extensive product roadmap, lifestyle, and branding needs. This role will be highly collaborative with Engineering, Product Management, and Marketing covering the development of products in Truck, Jeep, and Off-Road accessories. This position will help define industrial design of all new products within a designated category and strengthen the brand’s presence within the category with innovative, feature rich design.

CORE FUNCTIONS

• Through team collaboration, use a combination of sketching, CAD visualization, 3D models, and working prototypes to evaluate potential design solutions.
  • Contribute to a design language that solidifies the RealTruck brand for the category.
  • Research design related areas of influence such as trend, color, materials, processes, software, and AI aided design practices.
  • Develop designs through sketching, CAD/surfacing, high-quality renderings, mock-ups, and 3D printed models.
  • Communicate the design intent through visual storytelling to gain acceptance by project teams.
  • Explore concept generation through ideation, competitive assessments, and identification of unmet user needs.
  • Participate in brainstorming and concept-generation events to establish opportunities to explore and develop.
  • Create the materials required to convey the design direction to management or cross-functional partners through renderings, and models.
• Seek to gain in-depth knowledge of the user, the competition, and our production capabilities to drive the development of industry leading design for the category.
  • Research, ideate, and contribute to the identification of new ideas, products and/or features that improve customer satisfaction, seek opportunities to reduce costs and keep our product line at the forefront of our industry.
  • Hold a creative mindset that can aid in making design decisions in support of the user and the brand/design vision.
  • Utilize consumer insights and functional needs to provide conceptualization/visualization that enhances new product concepts enabling consumer-centric and winning products for the category.
  • Maintain awareness and solid understanding of existing products and competitive products within the industry.
• Contribute to and support the Company Growth Plan and its goal to ‘Lead the industry through innovation and superior product offering’ by accomplishing the following:
  • Participate in guiding and aiding in building an inspired product pipeline for the category.
  • Introduce category specific consumer-driven innovations year over year.
  • Help to define product platforms that allow for differentiation and step-up strategies.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams, product management and engineering, to deliver designs based on established criteria.
  • Participate in creative workshops and aid in developing design that result in innovative design solutions.
  • Deliver compelling design, meeting the criteria outlined, that supports the user needs, category, brand, and business objectives.
  • Seek to identify insights through research that aid in concept generation through ideation, competitive assessments, and identification of unmet user needs.

QUALIFICATIONS & REQUIREMENTS

Education and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in industrial design required.
• 1-2+ years’ experience as an Industrial Designer of consumer products required.

Skills, Abilities, and Knowledge

• Knowledge of CAD Modeling – Solidworks.
• Knowledge of 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 at all levels.
• Excellent communication (verbal/written) and presentation 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’ needs.
• Ability to dive in, learn, analyze, and create strategy out of ambiguity.

Travel

• Occasional domestic 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.
• Innovative – 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

Individual Contributor: working team member with no oversight of others and no management responsibilities.

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

This position is office based and routinely uses standard office equipment.

Perks That Go the Extra Mile :
At RealTruck, we take care of our people—because they drive our success. Enjoy great benefits like medical, dental, and vision coverage, company-paid life insurance and disability, and a 401(k) with company match (eligible the first of the month after you start). Need balance? We’ve got wellbeing days and parental leave. Want to grow? Take advantage of educational reimbursement. Plus, earn referral bonuses and score exclusive employee discounts on RealTruck products. Great benefits. Great people. Even better careers.

RealTruck is the premier manufacturer and digital destination of accessories for truck, Jeep®, Bronco® and off-road enthusiasts around the world. Globally headquartered in Ann Arbor, Michigan, RealTruck’s 6,000+ associates operate from 35+ facilities across four continents. RealTruck’s industry leading product portfolio, which includes the Husky Liners total vehicle protection brand, boasts over 1,000 patents and pending applications. The company’s omni-channel retail approach delivers a seamless consumer experience online at RealTruck.com, as well as through its 12,000+ dealer network and automotive (OEM) partnerships.

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