Associate Director, Furniture Design Engineer

We inspire purpose-filled living that brings joy to the modern home. With a team of more than 8,000 associates spanning 130 store and distribution locations across the U.

S. and Canada, we achieve together, drive results and innovate to inspire. Drawn together by a shared passion for our customers and a spirit of fun, we deliver high-quality home furnishings that are expertly designed, responsibly sourced and bring beauty and function to people’s homes.

From the day we opened our first store in Chicago in 1962 to the digital innovations that engage millions of customers today, our iconic brand is over 60 years in the making and our story is still unfolding.

We’re here for it. We think you should be too. We’re looking for a driven professional with an inclusive mindset to join our team as an Associate Director, Furniture Design Engineer .

The Associate Director, Furniture Design Engineer provides overall leadership and product knowledge within the category of case good, upholstery and outdoor furniture.

They will lead and mentor the furniture design team throughout the engineering and product development phase teaching innovative ways to successfully build their designs.

This Engineer will also guide in the creation of the perfect orthographic spec package which includes all manufacturing details pertinent to the factories’ success of executing the designs as intended.

This position is a 4 day hybrid position based out of our Headquarters located in Northbrook, Illinois

A day in the life as an Associate Director, Furniture Design Engineer

• In partnership with the Senior Director of Design, the engineer will lead the design team in effective engineering and product development strategies for all furniture categories - case goods, upholstery and outdoor
• Leverage expertise in furniture manufacturing to meet target retails set by merchant teams and use value engineering strategies to come up with innovative design solutions while maintaining an elevated look
• Lead full cycle of product development from initial concept to completion, ensuring product development plan needs are met, RMU targets are achieved and deadlines are met
• Manage team’s drafting / spec out process to ensure we deliver clear and concise orthographic drawings including any design details pertinent to the design and factory in order for them to execute designs as intended
• AutoCAD alongside the design team during heavy design periods to meet important spec out submittal deadlines

If you want to know about the requirements for this role, read on for all the relevant information.

Provide creative insight for product design in relation to materiality and manufacturing to the design team

• Work in close partnership and alignment with the sourcing leadership teams to execute designs keeping target retails and design intent in mind
• Attend weekly meetings with sourcing teams to resolve current product development issues and set quality standards
• Evaluate and resolve technical feasibility, design optimization and production issues
• Ensure product developments and department milestones are met
• Provide technical engineering expertise to realize creative designs

What you’ll bring to the table

• Experience in furniture manufacturing, working with factories directly to create products as well as keeping up with current manufacturing technology
• Extensive knowledge with materiality and finishes
• Extensive knowledge with construction and testing / compliance
• Extensive experience with International Sourcing
• Ability to execute quality control inspections with a critical eye setting a standard for our cross functional teams and factories
• Proven track record in problem solving and coming up with design innovations when it comes to engineering case good, upholstery and outdoor furniture
• Understanding small to large scale production ranging from low-end, mid to high-end luxury furniture

We’d love to hear from you if you have

• Must provide Portfolio link (including password) on resume or PDF samples
• Bachelor's degree in Furniture Design, Industrial Design or related field
• 5+ years of relevant experience in Product Design, Development and / or Furniture Engineering
• Expert in AutoCAD drafting and rendering programs; Solid Works, AutoCAD, Keyshot, Adobe Creative Suite
• Experienced rendering orthographic specs
• Ability to manage a design team and meet deadlines
• Ability to work collaboratively with cross-department teams as well as independently to drive business outcomes
• Excellent attention to detail and problem solving skills
• Strong written and verbal communication skills

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