Creative Design Group - Design Quality

Job Description

The CMF Appearance Quality Development Lead drives the development and delivery of assigned material commodities from early design intent through production launch. This role ensures that color, grain, gloss, and haptic characteristics meet the highest standards for appearance quality and program requirements while bringing the CMF vision to life across GM vehicle programs and brands.

Working at the intersection of design, engineering, purchasing, suppliers, and global teams, the Development Lead translates design targets into production-ready materials. This includes guiding supplier development, validating materials, establishing production approval masters, approving second-source solutions, supporting launch activities, and advancing material strategies, technologies, and continuous-improvement initiatives.

What You'll Do

• Lead end-to-end material development for assigned commodities across all GM brands and vehicle programs.

• Deliver material developments that meet design intent, appearance quality standards, and production program requirements.

• Partner directly with material suppliers to review and refine material submissions for construction, color, and other appearance attributes.

• Collaborate with CMF Designers to establish and achieve appearance targets for new colors and materials

• Maintain CMF brand and material strategies, ensuring alignment across the global portfolio.

• Collaborate with Materials Engineering on new material development, technical readiness, and issue resolution.

• Create and maintain trim transmittals in the GRANTA system.

• Track development status for assigned programs and deliver milestones on time.

• Support program development status reviews and production approval master readiness activities.

• Proactively identify, escalate, and resolve issues related to assigned commodities.

• Partner with Thierry to review and approve master samples.

• Support the Appearance Quality Appearance Definition team and the CTDAR process.

• Support the Appearance Quality Launch team throughout the Appearance Approval Review process.

• Coordinate with regional counterparts to align and execute global material developments.

• Build and maintain strong strategic relationships with internal partners and external suppliers.

• Research and evaluate new materials and technologies to enhance future product offerings.

• Participate in cross-functional projects and continuous process-improvement initiatives.

Your Skills and Abilities (Required Qualifications)

• Bachelor's degree in Design, Engineering, or a related discipline.

• Exceptional visual color acuity.

• 5+ years of experience in automotive appearance or materials development

• Experience evaluating and developing color, grain, gloss, and haptic characteristics.

• Demonstrated ability to visually assess materials for appearance attributes and quality concerns.

• Automotive product experience in color and trim, materials development, or a related field.

• Broad understanding of material types and their performance characteristics.

• Working knowledge of material manufacturing processes.

• Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to influence and collaborate at all levels of an organization.

• Ability to interact positively and professionally with internal and external partners.

• Demonstrated ability to build and maintain effective cross-functional relationships.

• Strong project and program management skills, including disciplined follow-through.

• Highly detail-oriented, organized, and effective at prioritizing work.

• Ability to manage multiple projects and priorities in a fast-paced environment.

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.

• Ability to create and deliver clear, compelling presentations to leadership.

• Proven ability to collaborate effectively across functions and global regions.

• Creativity, curiosity, and an innovative mindset.

What Will Give You A Competitive Edge (Preferred Qualifications)

• Knowledge and experience across a variety of material commodities

• Previous experience developing color and material masters

About GM

Our vision is a world with Zero Crashes, Zero Emissions and Zero Congestion and we embrace the responsibility to lead the change that will make our world better, safer and more equitable for all.

Why Join Us 

We believe we all must make a choice every day – individually and collectively – to drive meaningful change through our words, our deeds and our culture. Every day, we want every employee to feel they belong to one General Motors team.

Benefits Overview

From day one, we're looking out for your well-being–at work and at home–so you can focus on realizing your ambitions. Learn how GM supports a rewarding career that rewards you personally by visiting Total Rewards resources.

Non-Discrimination and Equal Employment Opportunities (U.S.)

General Motors is committed to being a workplace that is not only free of unlawful discrimination, but one that genuinely fosters inclusion and belonging. We strongly believe that providing an inclusive workplace creates an environment in which our employees can thrive and develop better products for our customers.

All employment decisions are made on a non-discriminatory basis without regard to sex, race, color, national origin, citizenship status, religion, age, disability, pregnancy or maternity status, sexual orientation, gender identity, status as a veteran or protected veteran, or any other similarly protected status in accordance with federal, state and local laws. 

We encourage interested candidates to review the key responsibilities and qualifications for each role and apply for any positions that match their skills and capabilities. Applicants in the recruitment process may be required, where applicable, to successfully complete a role-related assessment(s) and/or a pre-employment screening prior to beginning employment. To learn more, visit How we Hire.

Accommodations

General Motors offers opportunities to all job seekers including individuals with disabilities. If you need a reasonable accommodation to assist with your job search or application for employment, email us or call us at 1-800-865-7580. In your email, please include a description of the specific accommodation you are requesting as well as the job title and requisition number of the position for which you are applying.