Principal Designer - Next Interior (m/f/d)

at the Kia Europe Design Center in Frankfurt am Main, Germany.

Your Mission:

The Principal Designer is an expert design professional recognized for exceptional creative capability, deep technical expertise, and advanced design judgement. This role is responsible for delivering innovative and high-quality design solutions across multiple projects while influencing design standards, methodologies, and future direction through expertise rather than formal people management responsibility. The Principal Designer operates with a high degree of autonomy and is trusted to solve highly complex and ambiguous design challenges. The role contributes across concept and production programs, provides specialist guidance to teams, and partners closely with cross-functional stakeholders to ensure excellent design execution and strategic alignment.

About us:

At Kia Design, we're not just a team - we're a community of visionary thinkers, creative doers, and passionate designers who thrive on pushing the boundaries of innovation.

If you revel in the art of envisioning the future and have a keen eye for aesthetics that resonate with the times to come, then you belong with us. We are dedicated to fostering an environment where you can unleash your imagination, experiment fearlessly, and craft designs that not only stand the test of time but set new standards.

Your Responsibilities:

Expert Design Leadership

• Creates innovative, high-quality design proposals across concept and production vehicle programs.
• Deliver advanced 2D sketches, 3D digital models, and presentation materials at best-in-class standard.
• Apply expert creative judgement to solve complex design challenges involving proportion, surfaces, graphics, packaging, and brand expression.
• Ensure all design outputs reflect Kia’s design philosophy and long-term brand strategy.
• Drive design excellence and innovation through personal contribution and thought leadership.
• Uphold high standards of creativity, detail, and consistency in both personal work and team deliverables.

Multi-Project Collaboration

• Contribute across multiple concurrent projects, supporting the department and programs where specialist expertise is required.
• Provide high-level input during key milestone reviews, concept selection, and design refinement phases.
• Support both future concept work and production feasibility development as needed.
• Identify opportunities to improve consistency, efficiency, and quality across projects.

Technical Expertise & Guidance

• Act as a subject matter expert in automotive design development, surfacing, feasibility, and design execution.
• Provide technical and creative guidance to designers and project teams.
• Share best practices, mentor others informally, and raise overall team capability.
• Promote a collaborative studio environment that values creativity, ownership, and professional growth.
• Foster a culture of cross-functional accountability and respect across teams and departments.

Strategic Influence

• Monitor competitor activity, design trends, and emerging mobility directions.
• Influence design standards, processes, and future project thinking through expert insight.
• Support leadership teams with recommendations on design quality and creative opportunities.

Key Qualifications:

• University Degree in Transportation Design, Industrial Design, Visual Design, or a related field
• 10-12 years of relevant experience in automotive or mobility design
• Proven track record of involvement in full vehicle programs, ideally with global exposure
• Prior experience working with interior development and cross-functional stakeholders
• High-level creative ability in both hand-drawn and digital sketching.
• Proficiency in design software including Alias, Blender, Photoshop, and VRED.
• Deep understanding of vehicle architecture, engineering feasibility, and production constraints.
• Ability to manage 2-3 concurrent design tasks or projects efficiently.
• Excellent communication and visual storytelling skills in English; Korean is a plus.
• Proactive, independent, and collaborative working style.
• Strong interpersonal skills to work in multicultural and cross-functional environments.
• Willingness to travel internationally.

If you’re interested to become part of our Kia Design Team, please apply via our online portal. We are looking forward to getting to know you!