Description
Work Arrangement
This role is categorized as on-site. The successful candidate is expected to report to the Advanced Technical Center full time.
The Role -
The Interior Design Manager is a senior leadership role within GM Design China Studio, responsible for setting design direction, aligning with brand and business strategy, and leading interior programs from concept to production. This role drives complex, high-visibility projects, ensuring cross-functional integration across design, engineering, UX/HMI, program management, and global partners, while balancing customer, brand, timing, feasibility, and business objectives. The position requires strong independent judgment, stakeholder influence, and cross-regional alignment to deliver impactful design outcomes. In parallel, the role is accountable for team performance, including workforce planning, resource allocation, talent development, and delivery of key objectives.
What You'll Do
Design Leadership & Program Delivery
- Define and drive a compelling interior design vision and strategy across brands, nameplates, and key programs.
- Lead end-to-end design delivery-from concept through production-ensuring excellence across digital, physical, and UX/HMI integration.
- Orchestrate large-scale, high-impact programs requiring deep cross-functional and global alignment.
- Ensure design outcomes holistically balance customer experience, brand expression, innovation, feasibility, timing, and cost.
- Apply strong independent judgment to steer critical decisions and lead the team through complex, ambiguous challenges with clarity, creativity, and rigor.
Business Management, Planning & Resource Allocation
- Own operating plans, resource strategy, and dynamic prioritization aligned to evolving business demands.
- Drive disciplined program governance-schedules, milestones, deliverables, and capacity-to ensure on-time, high-quality execution.
- Accountable for delivery of key objectives and performance metrics with measurable business impact.
- Lead workforce planning and organizational shaping to sustain delivery and build long-term capability.
- Anticipate risks, remove constraints decisively, and focus resources on the highest-impact enterprise priorities.
Cross-Functional & Global Stakeholder Leadership
- Lead senior-level design reviews, articulating recommendations with strong customer insight and business rationale.
- Influence and align complex stakeholder groups across functions and regions, especially in high-stakes or divergent scenarios.
- Resolve conflicts and competing priorities decisively to protect design integrity and execution excellence.
- Drive active collaboration with global studios and partners to ensure aligned, high-quality delivery.
- Represent GM Design China as a credible global design leader, advocating solutions that balance regional relevance with global consistency.
Process Improvement & Strategic Contribution
- Champion continuous improvement of design processes, tools, and workflows in alignment with studio and enterprise strategy.
- Introduce forward-looking methods that elevate design quality, speed, and cross-functional collaboration.
- Translate customer, market, and trend insights into differentiated design strategies that strengthen brand and user experience.
- Lead change and organizational adaptability in response to evolving business priorities, program demands, and future mobility trends.
People Leadership & Organization Development
- Lead and develop a high-performing interior design team, including senior contributors where applicable.
- Shape a robust talent pipeline aligned with current and future business needs.
- Set clear priorities and performance expectations, ensuring alignment with studio, brand, and GM strategy.
- Drive rigorous performance management, succession planning, and continuous capability building.
- Foster an inclusive, high-accountability culture that promotes candor, innovation, and collaboration, aligned with GM Behaviors.
Your Skills & Abilities (Required Qualifications)
Education
- Bachelor's degree in industrial design, Transportation Design, Automotive Design, or related field
Professional Experience
- Typically, 10+ years of professional automotive interior design experience, with deep experience leading programs from concept through production
- Demonstrated people leadership experience with responsibility for direct reports, performance management, talent development, and resource planning
- Proven success leading complex, cross-functional design programs with global stakeholder engagement
- Experience representing design recommendations to senior leadership and influencing decisions across multiple functions
Skills and Competencies
- Strong strategic design leadership with the ability to connect brand vision, customer needs, technical constraints, and business priorities
- Advanced capability in managing multiple high-complexity programs, stakeholders, and deadlines simultaneously
- Strong judgment and problem-solving capability in ambiguous, fast-changing environments
- Excellent presentation, storytelling, and communication skills in English, both spoken and written
- Strong collaboration, negotiation, and conflict resolution capability in cross-functional and cross-cultural settings
- Ability to lead with inclusion, clarity, accountability, and urgency consistent with GM Behaviors
What Will Give You a Competitive Edge (Preferred Qualifications)
- Master's degree preferred
- Experience with UX/HMI design and integration within automotive interior environments
- Experience working in a global automotive design organization
- Experience leading collaboration across Korea, China, and global design teams
This role is categorized as onsite. This means the selected candidate is expected to report to a specific location on a full-time basis.
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