Principal Studio Designer – Forvia
Forvia is a global leader in sustainable mobility technology, designing and delivering automotive experiences that matter at scale.
Responsibilities
Studio Design Leadership
- Lead automotive studio design projects involving internal teams and external partners.
- Balance hands‑on design contribution with hands‑off leadership and direction.
- Provide senior‑level expertise in product definition, design development, and execution.
- Lead and participate in studio design critiques, reviews, and workshops.
- Support and strengthen design studio practices and methodologies.
Customer Interface & Business Development
- Serve as a primary design representative with OEM customers and internal stakeholders.
- Build, maintain, and actively develop customer relationships.
- Leverage your customer and ecosystem network to support early‑phase concepts, RFQs, and new business acquisition.
- Confidently present, defend, and evolve design proposals directly with customers.
- Promote Forvia technologies and innovations through strong studio storytelling and design vision.
Product, Process & Technical Alignment
- Translate OEM and Forvia requirements into clear, actionable design specifications.
- Analyze and clarify customer requirement documents and functional specifications.
- Ensure studio concepts are grounded in technical feasibility, ergonomics, and system integration.
- Apply strong understanding of automotive interior systems, including:
- Displays and interaction systems (HMI / UX)
- Seating comfort and kinematics
- Instrument panels, center consoles, and door panels
- Lead project‑based design contributors across local and global Forvia design studios.
- Mentor designers and provide input on studio capability development.
- Collaborate across Forvia’s global design studio network.
- Support broader management and innovation initiatives as a senior studio leader.
- Willingness to travel frequently to customers and studio locations.
Profile & Competencies
Experience & Education
- Bachelor’s degree in Design.
- 5+ years of experience in automotive or product design.
- Minimum 5 years within an automotive design studio environment.
- International experience a plus.
Design & Technical Skills
- Strong background in studio‑based, system‑level automotive design.
- Understanding of user‑centered design (UX/UI, design thinking).
- Experience with product and service concept creation (use‑case driven, architecture‑aware).
- Strong visualization and communication skills.
- Proficiency in tools such as Alias, Maya, Blender, Gravity, Substance, Adobe Creative Suite, Vizcom, and AI‑enabled design tools.
Behavioral Profile
- Extroverted, customer‑oriented, and commercially minded.
- Comfortable networking, influencing, and negotiating at a senior level.
- Existing OEM relationships strongly preferred.
- Entrepreneurial mindset with high accountability and ownership.
- Decisive, proactive, and comfortable making tough calls.
- Global mindset with the ability to operate across cultures.
Benefits
- Engaging and dynamic environment focused on sustainable mobility technologies.
- Access to extensive training; employees receive an average of more than 22 hours of online and in‑person learning per year.
- Multicultural environment that values diversity and international collaboration.
- Commitment to achieving CO₂ Net Zero, with initiatives focused on recyclability and circular economy.