Senior Manager, CMF Design

Senior Manager, Color, Material, and Finish (CMF) Design 

At SharkNinja, our purpose is to positively impact people’s lives every day in every home around the world. We work hard to provide our consumers with high quality and innovative products. We are passionate about our consumer’s experience, and we are looking for great people with great ideas who can think outside the box and love pushing the boundary of what is possible and make an impact. Join us on our exciting journey and let’s shape the future of our product experiences together.   

OVERVIEW: 

We are seeking an experienced and visionary Senior Manager of Color, Material, and Finish (CMF) Design to lead and grow our CMF function within the Industrial Design team. In this leadership role, you will shape and drive the strategic vision for CMF across our product portfolio, ensuring a cohesive brand identity and exceptional user experience through thoughtful application of color, material, and finish. You will partner with senior leadership, designers, engineers, and suppliers to translate brand and product goals into compelling CMF solutions that resonate with consumers and meet manufacturing realities. 

The ideal candidate is an experienced design leader with deep expertise in CMF, a strong aesthetic sensibility, a future-forward mindset, and a collaborative, cross-functional approach to creative problem-solving. 

The SharkNinja Design Team is a collective of Industrial Designers, UI/UX Designers, and CMF Designers working across all categories and product lines within the company. 

Please provide a resume and portfolio highlighting relevant CMF leadership work and strategic contributions. 

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES: 

• Lead the strategic development of CMF across all product categories, ensuring alignment with brand identity, user needs, and business goals. 

• Partner with design leadership and cross-functional stakeholders (product management, engineering, sourcing, and marketing) to integrate CMF strategy into the broader product development process. 

• Guide the creation of trend forecasts, CMF narratives, color palettes, material libraries, and finish strategies that inform concept development and final execution. 

• Lead and mentor a team of CMF designers, fostering a culture of creativity, collaboration, and continuous growth. 

• Oversee the sourcing, evaluation, and selection of innovative materials and finishes in collaboration with supply chain and manufacturing partners. 

• Review prototypes and pre-production samples to ensure accurate translation of CMF intent through to final production. 

• Present and communicate CMF strategy and design intent to executive stakeholders with clarity and confidence. 

• Build and maintain a global network of material vendors and finish partners, staying abreast of technological advancements and sustainability opportunities. 

• Establish standards and best practices for CMF documentation, material specification, and sampling archives. 

• Champion design excellence and elevate the CMF discipline within the organization. 

ATTRIBUTES & SKILLS: 

• Bachelor’s degree in Industrial Design, CMF Design, or a related field; advanced degree preferred. 

• 10+ years of progressive experience in CMF design, with at least 3 years of team leadership in consumer product design, ideally within multiple categories of consumer electronics or lifestyle products. 

• Expert-level knowledge of color theory, materials, finish processes, and design for manufacturing. 

• Proficiency in Adobe Creative Suite, KeyShot, SolidWorks, and CMF-specific visualization tools. 

• Strategic thinker with the ability to anticipate trends and translate them into brand-relevant design strategies. 

• Polished visual presentations and articulate verbal communication skills, with the ability to inspire and align cross-functional teams. 

• Deep experience working with suppliers and manufacturers to bring innovative CMF solutions to market. 

• Strong leadership presence, with demonstrated experience building and guiding high-performing design teams. 

• Highly organized and process-driven, with a meticulous eye for detail and a passion for craftsmanship. 

• Portfolio demonstrating visionary CMF leadership, material innovation, and strategic design impact required. 

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