Colour Material Finish Design Manager

Role Overview

Colour Material Finish Design Manager at Etihad Airways. The role defines the material aesthetic and tactile direction for Etihad guest experience across ground facilities and aircraft cabins, working from the company hub in Abu Dhabi.

Company Overview

Etihad Airways is the UAE's national airline, connecting people across continents and cultures. The organization is executing its "Journey 2030" ambition to double its fleet, expand its network, and grow its people for a new era of excellence.

Role Purpose

The CMF Design Manager articulates and captures the Etihad brand look and feel through colour, material, pattern and texture across every touchpoint of the guest journey. The role translates Brand Strategy into tangible colour and material design opportunities by collaborating closely with external consultants and internal stakeholders across Brand, Cabin Interiors, Product & Hospitality, and Cabin Crew & Service.

Key Responsibilities

Strategy & Direction

• Define material aesthetic and tactile direction for the entire Etihad guest experience with big picture strategy and holistic vision across multiple touchpoints.
• Lead conceptual direction of material-led soft products and hard products.
• Lead material innovation initiatives through identification of opportunities and strategic development.
• Create CMF guidelines for ground, aircraft, product and service.

Product & Material Development

• Lead CMF design of onboard soft products and amenities.
• Provide CMF design support for new aircraft seat and cabin projects.
• Provide CMF design support for architectural environments.
• Lead material and product development with internal partners and external suppliers for production, including new soft products or upgrades and replacements of existing materials within aircraft cabins or ground spaces.

Stakeholder Collaboration

• Partner with project leads across multiple development teams.
• Align with multiple stakeholders to drive concepts forward with a highly collaborative and proactive mentality.

Material Asset Library & Supplier Management

• Create and manage onsite material library that houses all Etihad in-production CMF samples and specifications.
• Create digital and physical databases of industry-relevant materials.
• Establish and maintain supplier relationships and manage their representation in the physical material library.
• Organize supplier visits for new product demonstrations.

Visualization & Communication

• Visualize CMF concepts of products and environments in quick 2D sketch and fully developed 3D renderings.
• Deliver impeccable presentation skills to craft compelling narrative and visual storytelling.

Qualifications & Experience

• Bachelor's degree in Design (Industrial, Interior, Transportation, Textile, or Graphic) with specialized experience in Colour, Material, Finish design.
• 7 years of experience in CMF design in a consultancy or in-house capacity, ideally in aviation, automotive, hospitality or guest-experience-driven industries.
• Aviation material development knowledge.

Skills & Competencies

• Expert in storytelling and articulation of concepts.
• Strong visual, written and verbal presentation skills.
• Strong design visualization skills.
• Understanding of material properties and requirements of soft goods, seats, aircraft cabin and architectural environments.
• Affinity to design trends in product and hospitality design and keen sense of brand language.
• Ability to see the big picture and form a holistic design approach across multiple touchpoints.
• Grounding in manufacturing realities to lead to implementable solutions both short and long term.
• Ability to lead and command respect as the subject matter expert.
• Strong interest in Design and Cultural trends.