Lead Colour, Material and Finish Designer

Role Purpose

The Lead CMF Developer is a hands‑on technical role within the CMF function. The role is accountable for realising colour, material and finish (CMF) development for assigned product categories or programmes, delivering industry‑leading creative, functional and cost‑effective solutions. It provides technical authority, project ownership, and cross‑functional influence—ensuring CMF intent is realised at scale with world‑class quality, manufacturability and cost control.

Key Responsibilities

CMF Development & Mastering

• Own and lead the colour, material and finish mastering deliverables for assigned projects, ensuring alignment to design intent, quality standards, manufacturing feasibility and cost targets.
• Develop, revise and oversee CMF Technical Packages, ensuring all aesthetic, proportion, manufacturing and commercial requirements are clearly defined and achievable.
• Analyse, validate and approve colour, material, finish and grain across all development stages to ensure visual accuracy and production readiness.
• Review and approve sample execution through all development gateways.

Technical Leadership & Problem Solving

• Act as a technical CMF authority, interpreting design intent and proactively proposing alternative or supplementary solutions where risks or constraints exist.
• Identify, communicate and resolve CMF‑related manufacturing, quality and costing issues, escalating risks appropriately and early.
• Educate and influence CMF Design, Engineering and wider teams through deep material and process knowledge.

Project Delivery & Coordination

• Track and facilitate prototyping across multiple, parallel programmes, managing high workloads and tight timelines in a fast‑paced environment.
• Communicate clear status updates on material masters, samples and risks to Design Quality, CMF Design, Procurement and Engineering teams.
• Develop and maintain supply base readiness, tracking timelines to ensure materials are production‑ready for mass manufacture.

Supplier & External Collaboration

• Build and maintain strong working relationships with suppliers, sourcing teams and manufacturing partners, including regular on‑site engagement.
• Track supplier performance metrics and support corrective actions to maintain timing, quality and cost targets.
• Identify and introduce new materials, finishes and processes to elevate product innovation and execution.

Process, Systems & Reporting

• Support and implement CMF protocols, tools and systems to streamline the material mastering process and improve efficiency and transparency.
• Distil complex Excel data into clear, visually compelling, single‑slide updates that communicate project status, risks and decisions quickly.

Creative Direction & Influence

• Contribute to global annual and long‑term CMF creative direction, influencing future innovation through development insight and material capability.
• Present CMF solutions clearly and confidently to senior stakeholders.

What You’ll Bring

Experience & Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Design, Textiles, CMF, Industrial Design, Product Development or a related discipline, or equivalent practical experience.
• Fluent in English and Chinese (spoken and written).
• Proven experience operating at equivalent Lead developer level within CMF or material development.

Technical Expertise

• Exceptional colour acuity with the ability to articulate precise colour and appearance differences
• Strong experience in colour quality evaluation using visual assessment, digital data and colour measurement tools.
• Deep technical knowledge of materials, finishes and manufacturing processes relevant to consumer products.

Ways of Working

• Pragmatic, delivery‑focused approach to creative development—strong in coordination, process and execution rather than direct design authorship.
• Highly organised with obsessive attention to detail and the ability to manage multiple complex projects simultaneously.
• Confident communicator who can influence without authority and build trust across global teams.
• Self‑motivated, adaptable and resilient under pressure.

Tools & Communication

• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Office (Excel, PowerPoint, Word).
• Exceptional visual communication skills, able to convert raw data into clear, actionable insights that fit onto a single slide.

Dyson is an equal opportunity employer. We know that great minds don’t think alike, and it takes all kinds of minds to make our technology so unique. We welcome applications from all backgrounds and employment decisions are made without regard to race, colour, religion, national or ethnic origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, disability, protected veteran status or other any other dimension of diversity.