Job Title
Lead CMF Designer
Ref #
58805
Date posted
Monday, February 23, 2026
Country
United Kingdom
Location
Bicester
Business area
Design
Department
Design
Position level
5 - Supervisory / Professional​ - (L-17)
Working time
Full Time
Working pattern
9am - 6pm Monday to Friday
What to Expect
We’re looking for a Lead CMF Designer to join our established, forward thinking design team. Reporting to the CMF Design Manager, you will be pivotal in driving the execution of Mclaren’s creative strategy through leading multiple design programmes, building up strong creative narratives and delivering world class materiality. You will work in a diverse design team within the ‘creative strategy’ specifically, alongside CMF/Digital Realisation/Graphics and UI design, to build upon our world class design strategy.  
What You'll Do
Own the delivery of CMF content across multiple vehicle programmes, requiring all new CMF content.Develop new, innovative and forward thinking colour strategies, material executions and finishes in line with our Mclaren creative strategy, with support from the CMF Manager and the technical teams cross-functionally. Work closely with cross functional counterparts inside design as well as across engineering, purchasing, PQ and product teams for ultimate collaboration. Ensure key design documentations are accurate, up to date and referenced for streamlined process adhesion accordingly.  Communicate clearly and efficiently design decisions to Senior stakeholders through design programmes process, with ability to present concisely and with confidence autonomously.  Collaborate with the CMF Manager on executing the wider creative strategy specific to materiality and beyond, linking all design work back to our bigger Brand picture.  Implement impeccable luxury design DNA into all creative work, through extensive research of analogous industries to put you work at the forefront of modern luxury design.  Be a guiding voice for more junior members of the team, utilizing experience and nurturing through sharing.  
What You'll Bring

 

Strong experience seeing bespoke vehicle programmes from beginning of the design process through to production, with ability to use hindsight to guide foresight.  Deep and extensive understanding of luxury materiality design principles, colour work and design thinking, supported by a strong portfolio and multiple years of experience proving this at other luxury brands. Degree in Textile Design (or similar) or equivalent work experience in a CMF related role. Strong communication and collaboration skills, with proven experience working effectively within cross-functional teams and being an excelling team player.  Ability to clearly articulate design decisions and the rationale behind them to senior stakeholders.  Robust problem-solving abilities, with the capacity to iterate and refine designs based on feedback and testing outcomes.  Excellent digital design skills across the Adobe suite as well as graphically across Microsoft Office, utilizing to create world class design presentations. A calm collected individual that thrives at a fast pace whilst being efficient with their time and workload.  A keen eye for detail, both in luxury design execution and operational excellence to CMF documentation.  Strong resilience to feedback, design direction changes and team support, being agile with time, working location and work travel.  Flexibility: agile with working across multiple locations whether manufacturing sites, design offices or model workshops. Being clever with remote working parallel to reacting to the needs of the business week by week.  
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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