Come create impact with us.

IDEO Shanghai is looking for a Chinese/English bilingual Director who will contribute to leading world-class design through craft leadership, developing talent through strong people leadership, building a robust pipeline of talent, working closely with our clients to explore new ways of collaborating, and support his or her’s leadership team by providing support in delivering on IDEO Shanghai’s business strategy.

Why is this role important for IDEO’s work?

You will be part of  IDEO Shanghai’s leadership team in a variety of capacities including business development, mentoring, brand building, and craft excellence. You will make the biggest impact by developing, managing and executing a business development strategy that capitalizes on the range of product opportunities in the market, as well as ensuring that IDEO’s design capabilities are properly represented to meet and exceed the client’s needs and expectations. Your skill set is critical to our work because you have the ability to cultivate client relationships and support the development of world-class designers.

Once here you will:

• Influence and evolve a culture of “Creative Excellence” and how it is the foundation for the future growth of our culture, talent, and client relationships.
• Guide design teams through project cycles ensuring high-quality outcomes.
• Collaborate with members of our community and talent team to map our current expertise and identify gaps within our community to help inform succession planning, and to prioritize hiring needs to be managed against our hiring plan.
• Lead efforts around attracting new members, developing, and leveraging our talented design community in a manner that supports our portfolio of work while also maintaining our strong studio culture.
• Lead the practice of design reviews, and help with integrating critique into our projects and culture.
• Support the systems and processes that allow our teams to do great design work.
• Create and lead new collaborations with our client partners on a long-term basis.
• Designing new ways in which IDEO can deliver value and inspire the Chinese market.

What does IDEO offer you?

IDEO is a place unlike any other. It’s a place where you can solve diverse challenges for our clients and the organization, alongside thoughtful individuals who lead with curiosity, empathy, and optimism. Sure we work hard, but we also craft moments that allow our community to pause, create, and connect. We encourage our community to bring their whole selves to work, respect the need for work-life balance, and allow for autonomy in the design process and your career.

Relevant experience and mindset:

• Strong Chinese (native) and English verbal and written skills.
• Experience working in a creative consulting or agency environment.
• Demonstrated leadership skills and expertise guiding teams and supporting the learning and development of individuals.
• Excellent written and verbal communication in internal and externally-facing capacity.
• A proactive, creative problem solver that thrives in a highly collaborative, fast-paced environment.
• Experience in collaborating with multiple internal and external organizations.

Application instructions：

We recognize that candidates will have various degrees of expertise for this role and as such we would like to hear from senior candidates with a proven track record of leadership in creative organizations, in and out of the design industry.  

If you are interested in applying, please provide your resume and a cover letter that touches on why you’re excited to be a creative leader at IDEO Shanghai.