Job Title
Head of Advanced Interior Design
Ref #
59082
Date posted
Wednesday, May 13, 2026
Country
United Kingdom
Location
Bicester
Business area
Design
Department
Design
Position level
3
Working time
Full Time
Contract type
Permanent
Working pattern
9am - 6pm Monday to Friday
What to Expect
The Head of Advanced Interior Design leads McLaren’s advanced interior design team, setting the creative direction, design standards, and strategic vision for future interior concepts and innovative cabin experiences. The role is responsible for developing progressive, emotionally engaging, and technically feasible interior design solutions that anticipate customer expectations and reinforce McLaren’s position at the forefront of performance luxury. This role combines creative leadership, strategic thinking, and cross-functional collaboration to ensure that advanced interior design work is distinctive, brand-led, and aligned with McLaren’s future product vision. The position plays a critical role in shaping the next generation of McLaren interior architecture, materials, user experience, and craftsmanship.
What You'll Do
Creative Leadership
• Lead the advanced interior design team in creating visionary, high-quality interior concepts for future McLaren vehicles and programmes.
• Define and maintain a clear interior design direction aligned with McLaren’s brand values, performance ethos, and premium positioning.
• Champion innovation in cabin architecture, user experience, materiality, ergonomics, and interface integration.
• Provide authoritative design leadership, critique, and decision-making across all advanced interior projects.

Concept Development
• Guide the development of interior design concepts from initial research and ideationthrough to resolved proposals.
• Ensure concepts are original, customer-focused, and relevant to future market andtechnology trends.
• Oversee the creation of sketches, digital visualizations, design models, presentation material, and design narratives.
• Drive exploration of new interior themes, seating environments, control layouts, and occupant experiences.

Strategic and Technical Integration
• Collaborate closely with engineering, ergonomics, packaging, HMI, brand, and productplanning teams to ensure future interior designs are both visionary and achievable.
• Balance creative ambition with technical feasibility, manufacturing constraints, and business requirements.
Support the integration of new technologies, sustainable materials, and advanced user
experience solutions.
• Contribute to forward-thinking interior strategies that support McLaren’s product roadmap.

Team Leadership
• Lead, coach, and develop a high-performing advanced interior design team.
• Set clear expectations, provide regular feedback, and support professional growth and capability development.
• Foster a collaborative, accountable, and innovative team culture.
• Ensure effective resource planning, workload management, and prioritization across multiple programmes.

Stakeholder Engagement
• Present design proposals and strategic recommendations to senior leadership and crossfunctional stakeholders.
• Build trusted relationships across the business to influence decisions and secure alignment on interior design direction.
• Communicate complex design ideas clearly and persuasively to both technical and nontechnical audiences.

Design Innovation
• Research and identify emerging trends, technologies, materials, and customer behaviors relevant to future interior design.
• Encourage experimentation and new thinking in spatial design, craftsmanship, digital integration, and luxury experience.
• Contribute to the development of advanced design principles and future-facing interior philosophies.

Key Accountabilities
• Delivery of innovative and compelling advanced interior design concepts.
• Leadership of the advanced interior design team to a consistently high standard.
• Clear alignment of interior design direction with McLaren’s strategic objectives and brandidentity.
• Effective collaboration with cross-functional teams to ensure design feasibility and programme success.
• Contribution to the development of McLaren’s future interior design vision.
What You'll Bring
Required Experience
• Significant experience in automotive interior design, ideally within premium, luxury, or performance brands.
• Proven track record of leading interior design teams or advanced concept projects.
• Strong portfolio demonstrating innovative interior thinking, spatial design, and attention to detail.
• Experience working across concept, feasibility, and production interface stages.
• Demonstrated ability to collaborate with engineering and product development teams.

Technical and Professional Skills
• Strong interior design leadership and conceptual development capability.

Excellent understanding of automotive cabin architecture, ergonomics, materials, and
craftsmanship.
• High level of visual communication ability, including sketching, rendering, and presentation
skills.
• Ability to translate strategic objectives into compelling design solutions.
• Strong knowledge of future mobility trends, user experience, and interior innovation.

Leadership Attributes
• Visionary and creatively ambitious.
• Collaborative and influential across functions.
• Highly organized with strong prioritization skills.
• Confident in presenting and defending design direction at senior level.
• Calm, decisive, and resilient in a dynamic environment.

Personal Qualities
• Passionate about automotive design and interior innovation.
• Strong aesthetic sensitivity and attention to detail.
• Strategic thinker with a hands-on design mindset.
• Curious, forward-looking, and open to experimentation.
• Committed to excellence, innovation, and continuous improvement.

Success Measures
• Delivery of outstanding advanced interior design concepts.
• Strength and clarity of McLaren’s future interior design direction.
• Effective leadership and development of the advanced interior design team.
• Strong collaboration with cross-functional stakeholders.
• Contribution to future product differentiation and customer desirability.
What We'll Do for You
We offer a wide – ranging benefits package, which includes:
  • Structured career development framework
  • 25 days’ holiday, plus bank holiday. Annual buy & sell up to five days
  • Enhanced company pension scheme
  • Discretionary annual bonus award
  • Private medical insurance and health cash plan
  • Life assurance benefit
  • Ability to apply for a sabbatical of up to one year after only two years’ service
  • Benefits you can adapt to your lifestyle, such as discounted shopping
  • Generous parental leave policies
  • A range of wellbeing initiatives, such as employee assistance programme and free financial & mortgage advice
Who Are We?
No restraints. No limitations. We don’t simply push boundaries. We completely rethink them. McLaren Automotive exists to create breath-taking performance road cars.

It takes a community to do what we do. A diverse group of people with many areas of expertise, united by their passion to deliver visionary products and set new benchmarks. 

McLaren Automotive commits to equal opportunity for all. Diversity, Equality and Inclusion is at the heart of our impact, it drives our innovation and enables us to truly create something special. Join us on our journey. 

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