Industrial Designer

Tech21; San Mateo (CA); On-site; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Telementum is seeking a Product Designer to drive CMF design across new and existing products. You will develop colors, materials and finishes, ensure manufacturability, and collaborate with product management, engineering, and production teams to deliver compelling consumer experiences.

Reporting to the Design Director, you will lead workshops, build robust design briefs, and translate consumer insights into tangible design concepts while upholding brand values and sustainability standards.

Qualifications

• A degree in Textile Design, Color and Material Design, Product or Industrial Design or equivalent.
• Professional CMF experience.
• Strong design skills with cross-functional collaboration.

Responsibilities

• Assist in creating category leading CMF designs from concept to production.
• Develop colors, materials and finishes to realize CMF narratives.
• Grow the CMF function within Telementum.
• Collaborate with internal teams and external manufacturers to maintain brand values.
• Plan workshops and work sessions with diverse teams and clients.
• Develop 3D surface models and engaging presentations to communicate concepts.
• Deliver manufacturable and commercially viable product designs.

Skills

Cross-functional

Creative thinking

Communication skills

Attention to detail

Travel flexibility

Independent worker

Adaptable

Education

Textile Design, Color & Material Design, Product or Industrial Design degree

CMF design experience

Tools

Adobe Illustrator

Photoshop

InDesign

KeyShot

PowerPoint

Excel

Job description

What we need

We are looking for a Product Designer to support a successful and rapidly growing business with trusted brands. Overall purpose of the role:

Reporting into the Design Director, you will be intimately involved in New Product Development of our next generation products as well as continuing our most successful products across new devices.

Innovation is at the heart of Tech21’s success and the purpose of this role is to ensure we create relevant innovations that resonate with consumers and enable them to live fearlessly.

You will identify user needs, generate robust Product Propositions and working cross functionally with Product Management and Marketing to capture the need and create a design briefs, before ideating solutions. Working with the Engineering, Production, QC and Materials teams you’ll create world class designs that are manufacturable and meet our highest qualities of impact performance and sustainable standards.

The role requires a natural aptitude for aesthetic form, and leading product design and development therefore, an ability to observe and communicate evidence-based foundations for creative concepts, and an awareness of the wider technical, functional, cost and manufacturing implications of your design thinking, is vital.

About Us:

Telementum was established in 2021 as a holding company for some of the largest and most recognized brands in mobile accessories. From product, distribution, logistics, and business insights, Telementum is changing the category with fresh solutions to our customers challenges and outstanding products to consumers. Our portfolio of brands include:

Speck Products is the OG of the mobile accessories category. Founded in 2001 and headquartered in San Mateo, California, Speck has gained recognition for its innovative and stylish cases that offer both protection and personalization for consumers' devices. Speck's cases are known for their durability, impact resistance, and slim profiles. Speck continues to innovate and expand its product offerings with the introduction of ClickLockTM attachable accessories and true wireless earbuds in 2023.

Tech21, since 2005, has been developing the most advanced cases and screen shields for mobile, tablet and laptop devices worldwide. Tech21 combines science, engineering, and British design to create products that address three core consumer benefits: style, protection and performance. As the brand evolves to continue meeting the needs of its consumers, Tech21 has developed the most advanced impact protection material on the market – FlexShock™. The ultra-thin and lightweight material absorbs and dissipates force and can withstand drops up to 13 feet.Tech21 puts all its products through a rigorous testing program, and in an industry-first has worked with the National Physical Laboratory to develop its testing methodology.Tech21 is the number one case brand in the UK.

Alphacomm custom designs, manufactures and distributes wireless accessories to over 18,000 points of distribution, primarily in the Prepaid wireless market in North America. Alphacomm leads the wireless industry in the number of carrier brands managed and is the first to market carrier-licensed accessory portfolios for over fifty devices launched annually. In-house brands, Quikcell and BosBos, are leading brands designed and manufactured by Alphacomm for the Prepaid channel.

Responsibilities

• Assist in the creation of category leading CMF Design of our products from concept, through various stages of development, and into production.
• Support in sourcing and maintaining a comprehensive internal library of inspirational, advanced, and relevant materials and finishes, and CMF design Masters.
• Ideation and development of colors, materials and finishes to realize CMF Design narratives.
• Takes an active role in growing the CMF function at Telementum.
• Develop and maintain good relationships with internal teams including Purchasing, Finance, Quality, Engineering and Project Teams for project success.
• Plan and facilitate workshops and work sessions with internal teams, clients, and people from different backgrounds and areas of expertise.
• Support new Telementum business efforts and shape proposal approaches with the business development.
• Working closely with the wider Product Design and Engineering teams
• Liaising with partner manufacturers, often working on collaborative design projects, ensuring that Telementum brand values are always maintained, whilst expanding the product portfolio.
• Assist in project planning and provide technical support to project execution and timelines.
• Discussing and solving complex problems with manufacturing departments, sub-contractors, suppliers.
• Share your expertise in strategic thinking, design research, and design methods, and facilitate collaboration with multidisciplinary teams.
• You are responsible for creating products that solve real consumer needs whilst being manufacturable and commercially viable.
• Delivering relevant and engaging innovation though an in-depth understanding of consumer needs.
• Organize and lead creative workshops, generating and visualizing ideas as well as stimulating ideas from the team involved.
• Communicate the brand language through form, color and materials, across a range of product categories.
• Responsible for the developing designs for manufacture through liaison with both internal product development teams as well as external suppliers.
• Develop 3D surface models of high complexity and sophistication that are both aesthetically accurate and technically feasible.
• Develop engaging presentations that communicate the consumer benefits and express the features of design.
• Create high quality images and video to communicate with internal and external stakeholders.
• A degree in Textile Design, Color and Material Design, Product or Industrial Design or equivalent.
• Professional CMF experience.
• Highly motivated and collaborative – keen to learn and be part of a fast-paced, dynamic work environment.
• Self-motivated, able to take initiative with the ability to work independently when needed.
• Excellent communication and presentation skills both verbally and visually.
• Superior color vision and eye for detail.
• Ability to travel if required.
• Software Tools – Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, InDesign, KeyShot, Office Suite including PowerPoint and Excel.
• Have a base understanding of both soft and hard material developments.
• Communication of Design using visuals and models.
• Interpret and communicate research findings, apply brand values, and articulate product features, in the context of a fast-paced product development environment.
• Have a deep understanding of current market trends and be able to adapt/develop products to meet those needs.
• Articulate strategic intent and create supporting presentation materials.
• Articulate the context of strategic design work with an understanding of business strategies and current market contexts.
• Detail oriented - verifies important details, ensures there are no surprises or gaps in needed information.
• Interpersonal relations - exhibits respect and understanding of others to maintain professional relationships.
• Forward thinking - looks beyond immediate tasks to consider long-term impact; always considering what comes next.
• Adaptable - applies knowledge to new circumstances
• Ability to quickly learn a given product category and the competitive landscape.
• A creative thinker with an eye for detail.
• Ability to work cross functionally.
• Strong design skills and ability to innovate is essential.
• Ability to manage concurrent projects.
• High 3D CAD competency (preferably SolidWorks),