Senior Manager, CMF Design
Needham, MA, 02492, USA
- Manufacturing
- Full-time
- CMF design
- color material finish
- industrial design leadership
The Senior Manager of CMF Design at SharkNinja leads the strategic development of color, material, and finish design across the company’s product portfolio to ensure brand consistency and exceptional user experience. This role requires collaboration with leadership, engineering, suppliers, and marketing to integrate CMF strategies into product development while mentoring a team of designers. The position demands extensive expertise in CMF, design leadership, trend forecasting, and material innovation within consumer lifestyle products.
About Us
SharkNinja is a global product design and technology company, with a diversified portfolio of 5-star rated lifestyle solutions that positively impact people’s lives in homes around the world. Powered by two trusted, global brands, Shark and Ninja, the company has a proven track record of bringing disruptive innovation to market, and developing one consumer product after another has allowed SharkNinja to enter multiple product categories, driving significant growth and market share gains. Headquartered in Needham, Massachusetts with more than 3,600+ associates, the company’s products are sold at key retailers, online and offline, and through distributors around the world.
Senior Manager, Color, Material, and Finish (CMF) Design
AtSharkNinja, our purpose is to positively impact people’s lives every day in every home around the world. We work hard to provide our consumers with high quality and innovative products. We are passionate about our consumer’s experience, and we are looking for great people with great ideas who can think outside the box and love pushing the boundary of what is possible and make an impact. Join us on our exciting journey and let’s shape the future of our product experiences together.
OVERVIEW:
We are seeking an experienced and visionary Senior Manager of Color, Material, and Finish (CMF) Design to lead and grow our CMF function within the Industrial Design team. In this leadership role, you will shape and drive the strategic vision for CMF across our product portfolio, ensuring a cohesive brand identity and exceptional user experience through thoughtful application of color, material, and finish. You will partner with senior leadership, designers, engineers, and suppliers to translate brand and product goals into compelling CMF solutions that resonate with consumers and meet manufacturing realities.
The ideal candidate is an experienced design leader with deep expertise in CMF, a strong aesthetic sensibility, a future-forward mindset, and a collaborative, cross-functional approach to creative problem-solving.
The SharkNinja Design Team is a collective of Industrial Designers, UI/UX Designers, and CMF Designers working across all categories and product lines within the company.
Please provide a resume and portfolio highlighting relevant CMF leadership work and strategic contributions.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:
- Lead the strategic development of CMF across all product categories, ensuring alignment with brand identity, user needs, and business goals.
- Partner with design leadership and cross-functional stakeholders (product management, engineering, sourcing, and marketing) to integrate CMF strategy into the broader product development process.
- Guide the creation of trend forecasts, CMF narratives, color palettes, material libraries, and finish strategies that inform concept development and final execution.
- Lead and mentor a team of CMF designers, fostering a culture of creativity, collaboration, and continuous growth.
- Oversee the sourcing, evaluation, and selection of innovative materials and finishes in collaboration with supply chain and manufacturing partners.
- Review prototypes and pre-production samples to ensure accurate translation of CMF intent through to final production.
- Present and communicate CMF strategy and design intent to executive stakeholders with clarity and confidence.
- Build and maintain a global network of material vendors and finish partners, staying abreast of technological advancements and sustainability opportunities.
- Establish standards and best practices for CMF documentation, material specification, and sampling archives.
- Champion design excellence and elevate the CMF discipline within the organization.
ATTRIBUTES & SKILLS:
- Bachelor’s degree in Industrial Design, CMF Design, or a related field; advanced degree preferred.
- 10+ years of progressive experience in CMF design, with at least 3 years of team leadership in consumer product design, ideally within multiple categories of consumer electronics or lifestyle products.
- Expert-level knowledge of color theory, materials, finish processes, and design for manufacturing.
- Proficiency in Adobe Creative Suite, KeyShot, SolidWorks, and CMF-specific visualization tools.
- Strategic thinker with the ability to anticipate trends and translate them into brand-relevant design strategies.
- Polished visual presentations and articulate verbal communication skills, with the ability to inspire and align cross-functional teams.
- Deep experience working with suppliers and manufacturers to bring innovative CMF solutions to market.
- Strong leadership presence, with demonstrated experience building and guiding high-performing design teams.
- Highly organized and process-driven, with a meticulous eye for detail and a passion for craftsmanship.
- Portfolio demonstrating visionary CMF leadership, material innovation, and strategic design impact required.
#LI-DNI
Salary and Other Compensation: The annual salary range for this position is displayed below. Factors which may affect starting pay within this range may include geography/market, skills, education, experience and other qualifications of the successful candidate.
The Company offers the following benefits for this position, subject to applicable eligibility requirements: medical insurance, dental insurance, vision insurance, flexible spending accounts, health savings accounts (HSA) with company contribution, 401(k) retirement plan with matching, employee stock purchase program, life insurance, AD&D, short-term disability insurance, long-term disability insurance, generous paid time off, company holidays, parental leave, identity theft protection, pet insurance, pre-paid legal insurance, back-up child and eldercare days, product discounts, referral bonus program, and more.
Our Culture
At SharkNinja, we don’t just raise the bar—we push past it every single day. Our Outrageously Extraordinary mindset drives us to tackle the impossible, push boundaries, and deliver results that others only dream of. If you thrive on breaking out of your swim lane, you’ll be right at home.
What We Offer
We offer competitive health insurance, retirement plans, paid time off, employee stock purchase options, wellness programs, SharkNinja product discounts, and more. We empower your personal and professional growth with high impact Learning Programs featuring bold voices redefining what’s possible. When you join, you’re not just part of a company—you’re part of an outrageously extraordinary community. Together, we won’t just launch products—we’ll disrupt entire markets.
At SharkNinja, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion are vital to our global success. Valuing each unique voice and blending all of our diverse skills strengthens SharkNinja’s innovation every day. We support ALL associates in bringing their authentic selves to work, making an impact, and having the opportunity for career acceleration. With help from our leadership, associates, and our community, we aim to have equity be a key component of the SharkNinja DNA.
Learn more about us:
Life At SharkNinja
Outrageously Extraordinary
SharkNinja Candidate Privacy Notice
For candidates based in all regions, please refer to this Candidate Privacy Notice.
For candidates based in China, please refer to this Candidate Privacy Notice.
For candidates based in Vietnam, please refer to this Candidate Privacy Notice.
We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, sex, gender, gender expression, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, disability, or any other class protected by legislation, and local law. SharkNinja will consider reasonable accommodations consistent with legislation, and local law. If you require a reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, please contact SharkNinja People & Culture at accommodations@sharkninja.com
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