Product Design Director jobs in Knoxville, TN

ABOUT THE JOB
Cirrus Aircraft seeks a dynamic and visionary Design Director to lead our creative teams and translate Cirrus’s brand vision into compelling design solutions. As Design Director, you will be pivotal in shaping our organization's visual identity, ensuring consistency and innovation across various platforms and facilities.

As Design Director, you will lead Cirrus’ exclusive Xi Design Team. The Xi Design Studio invites customers to personalize their Cirrus aircraft and experience 'the art of the possible’. In this role, you will mentor designers and foster a customer-first culture inspired by our Cirrus Service Essentials. Encourage collaboration across all teams to deliver on the brand promise for current and future products. Moreover, you will provide creative and strategic leadership to the Graphic Design team, which works like an in-house agency. You will work closely with product teams, marketing, and sales to align their needs with the brand. You will lead with the brand vision and inspire others to see the value of that opportunity in every project. As team leader, you will support your team's development, bring their ideas forward, and enhance the brand experience through design.

This position is located in Knoxville, Tennessee. Chosen as the location for our Vision Center Campus, the hub of our customer experience activities, Knoxville is often described as a hidden gem. Surrounded by the Smoky Mountains and home to the rambling Tennessee River, the town offers a plethora of outdoor activities and a vibrant downtown. Very few places feature the opportunity to experience live music, culture, outdoor adventures, and acclaimed cuisine in one location. It’s no wonder why Trip Advisor recently named Knoxville as one of the Top 10 Destinations on the Rise.

ABOUT YOU
Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree in Graphic Design
• 5 years of Adobe Suite, 2D-Design & 3D-Design
• 10 years of Graphic Design
• 5 years people leadership

Preferred Qualifications

• Ad agency experience
• Player/Coach - working leader
• Expertly understands all aircraft platforms and provides leadership to the team on behalf of the customer
• Creative Leadership: Provide strategic direction and leadership to the design team, inspiring creativity and maintaining a cohesive design language. Oversee the entire design process, from concept development to final execution, ensuring high-quality and on-brand deliverables
• Brand Development: Collaborate with cross-functional teams to understand brand goals and translate them into compelling visual communication strategies. Drive the evolution and enhancement of the brand identity, ensuring alignment with market trends and business objectives
• Team Management: Recruit, mentor, and manage a team of talented designers, fostering a collaborative and innovative work environment. Conduct regular performance assessments and provide constructive feedback to enhance team skills and capabilities
• Project Oversight: Lead and participate in design projects, managing timelines, resources, and budgets effectively
• Stakeholder Collaboration: Collaborate closely with marketing, product, and other stakeholders to understand project requirements and contribute design expertise to cross-functional initiatives
• Innovation and Industry Awareness: Stay abreast of design trends, emerging technologies, and industry best practices to infuse creativity and innovation into design strategies

Competencies

Building Relationships

• Maintains and forms alliances with recognized experts and decision-makers
• Partners with a wide circle involve them in generating mutually beneficial opportunities and negotiating win-win outcomes
• Represents the organization on strategic issues impacting multiple organization
• Draws on the broad base of relationships inside and outside the work environment

Change Leadership

• Review, sponsor, and approve recommendations for enterprise-wide change programs that impact cross-functional vital processes
• Partners with other business leaders to identify significant technology and process enhancement opportunities
• Lobbies for change that impacts strategic business direction
• Evaluate progress against key performance drivers and assess organizational opportunities and risks
• Solicits the support of business leaders in planning and spearheading enterprise change activities

Influences Others

• Thinks through and executes various beneficial planned actions (both direct and indirect influence) as part of a sequenced, multistep, complex campaign for gaining support and ownership from others
• Deliberately uses information or concepts to implement and influence strategy for multiple audiences in high-risk situations involving differing perspectives in order to reach a common goal or have a positive impact on the organization

Strategic Thinking

• Takes a holistic system perspective
• Envisions compare and contrast multiple potential long-range enterprise futures
• Empathizes with multiple points of view
• Challenges planning assumptions
• Develops, researches, and tests hypotheses.
• Facilitates the creation and exploration of scenarios.
• Identifies trends and inconsistencies.
• Applies creativity and critical analysis in designing and creating organizational commitment to new objectives
• Approves, sponsors, and spearheads the implementation of strategic initiatives, security, the support of senior management

Financial Acumen

• Interprets and applies vital financial indicators to make better business decisions
• Fosters accountability for making sound financial decisions
• Provides guidance to help the team make astute decisions
• Summarizes financial performance data and explains implications for the organization

ABOUT CIRRUS AIRCRAFT
Cirrus Aircraft is the recognized global leader in personal aviation and the maker of the best-selling SR Series piston aircraft and the Vision Jet™, the world’s first single-engine Personal Jet and recipient of the 2017 Robert J. Collier Trophy. Founded in 1984, the company has redefined performance, comfort, and safety in aviation with innovations like the Cirrus Airframe Parachute System® (CAPS®) – the first FAA-certified whole-airframe parachute safety system included as standard equipment on an aircraft. Worldwide flight time on Cirrus aircraft has passed nine million hours, and over 170 people have returned home safely to their families due to the inclusion of CAPS® as a standard feature on all Cirrus aircraft. The company has three locations in the United States: Duluth, Minnesota; Grand Forks, North Dakota; and Knoxville, Tennessee. Find out more at www.cirrusaircraft.com.

OUR BENEFITS
Cirrus offers a competitive benefits package that includes health, dental, life, short and long-term disability insurance, a flexible spending account, a 401K retirement savings plan, voluntary vision, an Employee Referral Incentive Program, and vacation and holiday pay. Additionally, all employees enjoy discounts at the company store and exclusive discounts from our world-class partners, like Garmin, Bose, AT&T, Microsoft, Fastenal, and more.

LIFE AT CIRRUS
Cirrus is dedicated to advancing general aviation as a leading manufacturer of personal aircraft. The Cirrus Flying Club offers employees and their family members the unique opportunity to obtain their private pilot’s license in the comfort of a Cirrus or rent a Cirrus for an impromptu adventure at a significantly reduced rate.

At Cirrus, we are committed to investing in the future of our employees and company by offering professional development and career progression opportunities that include onboarding, recurrent and area-specific training, talent acceleration and leadership development, continuing education, and tuition assistance programs.

We also engage employees by offering several employee and family events throughout the year and the opportunity to participate in activity clubs and community events. From holiday and special occasion celebrations to local runs and barbecues, our team has the opportunity to connect with each other, the community, and our customers. We also give back to our communities by providing all employees with a paid Community Day each year!

Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties, or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this position. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time, with or without notice. Work beyond 40 hours per week may be required.

Cirrus is dedicated to a drug-free work environment that promotes equal employment opportunities. Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, sex, national origin, color, age, disability, religion, pregnancy, veteran status, marital and family status, sexual orientation, receipt of public assistance, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.

Behaviors

• Team Player: Works well as a member of a group
• Leader: Inspires teammates to follow them
• Innovative: Consistently introduces new ideas and demonstrates original thinking
• Detail Oriented: Capable of carrying out a given task with all details necessary to get the task done well
• Dedicated: Devoted to a task or purpose with loyalty or integrity

Motivations

• Peer Recognition: Inspired to perform well by the praise of coworkers
• Goal Completion: Inspired to perform well by the completion of tasks
• Self-Starter: Inspired to perform without outside help
• Ability to Make an Impact: Inspired to perform well by the ability to contribute to the success of a project or the organization
• Entrepreneurial Spirit: Inspired to perform well by an ability to drive new ventures within the business