The Lead CMF Developer is a hands‑on technical role within the CMF function. The role is accountable for realising colour, material and finish (CMF) development for assigned product categories or programmes, delivering industry‑leading creative, functional and cost‑effective solutions. It provides technical authority, project ownership, and cross‑functional influence—ensuring CMF intent is realised at scale with world‑class quality, manufacturability and cost control.
Key ResponsibilitiesCMF Development & Mastering- Own and lead the colour, material and finish mastering deliverables for assigned projects, ensuring alignment to design intent, quality standards, manufacturing feasibility and cost targets.
- Develop, revise and oversee CMF Technical Packages, ensuring all aesthetic, proportion, manufacturing and commercial requirements are clearly defined and achievable.
- Analyse, validate and approve colour, material, finish and grain across all development stages to ensure visual accuracy and production readiness.
- Review and approve sample execution through all development gateways.
- Act as a technical CMF authority, interpreting design intent and proactively proposing alternative or supplementary solutions where risks or constraints exist.
- Identify, communicate and resolve CMF‑related manufacturing, quality and costing issues, escalating risks appropriately and early.
- Educate and influence CMF Design, Engineering and wider teams through deep material and process knowledge.
- Track and facilitate prototyping across multiple, parallel programmes, managing high workloads and tight timelines in a fast‑paced environment.
- Communicate clear status updates on material masters, samples and risks to Design Quality, CMF Design, Procurement and Engineering teams.
- Develop and maintain supply base readiness, tracking timelines to ensure materials are production‑ready for mass manufacture.
- Build and maintain strong working relationships with suppliers, sourcing teams and manufacturing partners, including regular on‑site engagement.
- Track supplier performance metrics and support corrective actions to maintain timing, quality and cost targets.
- Identify and introduce new materials, finishes and processes to elevate product innovation and execution.
- Support and implement CMF protocols, tools and systems to streamline the material mastering process and improve efficiency and transparency.
- Distil complex Excel data into clear, visually compelling, single‑slide updates that communicate project status, risks and decisions quickly.
- Contribute to global annual and long‑term CMF creative direction, influencing future innovation through development insight and material capability.
- Present CMF solutions clearly and confidently to senior stakeholders.
- Bachelor’s degree in Design, Textiles, CMF, Industrial Design, Product Development or a related discipline, or equivalent practical experience.
- Fluent in English and Chinese (spoken and written).
- Proven experience operating at equivalent Lead developer level within CMF or material development.
- Exceptional colour acuity with the ability to articulate precise colour and appearance differences
- Strong experience in colour quality evaluation using visual assessment, digital data and colour measurement tools.
- Deep technical knowledge of materials, finishes and manufacturing processes relevant to consumer products.
- Pragmatic, delivery‑focused approach to creative development—strong in coordination, process and execution rather than direct design authorship.
- Highly organised with obsessive attention to detail and the ability to manage multiple complex projects simultaneously.
- Confident communicator who can influence without authority and build trust across global teams.
- Self‑motivated, adaptable and resilient under pressure.
- Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Office (Excel, PowerPoint, Word).
- Exceptional visual communication skills, able to convert raw data into clear, actionable insights that fit onto a single slide.
Dyson is an equal opportunity employer. We know that great minds don’t think alike, and it takes all kinds of minds to make our technology so unique. We welcome applications from all backgrounds and employment decisions are made without regard to race, colour, religion, national or ethnic origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, disability, protected veteran status or other any other dimension of diversity.
Skills Required
- Bachelor's degree in Design, Textiles, CMF, Industrial Design, Product Development or related discipline
- Proven experience operating at equivalent Lead developer level within CMF or material development
- Fluent in English and Chinese (spoken and written)
Dyson Compensation & Benefits Highlights
The following summarizes recurring compensation and benefits themes identified from responses generated by popular LLMs to common candidate questions about Dyson and has not been reviewed or approved by Dyson.
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Healthcare Strength — Medical, dental, and vision offerings are broad, paired with company‑paid life and disability coverage, plus EAP, backup care, and wellness incentives. Employer‑funded healthcare dollars and premium‑discount or Lifestyle Spending Account options further enhance coverage value.
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Retirement Support — A 401(k) with a company match is consistently advertised on U.S. postings. This provides predictable retirement support across roles.
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Wellbeing & Lifestyle Benefits — Wellbeing programs, commuter benefits, and notable product discounts supplement core coverage. Wellness incentives and a Lifestyle Spending Account expand lifestyle support beyond medical plans.
Dyson Insights
What We Do
At Dyson we are focused on solving the problems that others have ignored; solving them first using our technology and ingenuity. In order to achieve this we need to pioneer technologies that are different and authentic. This is the core of what we do and who we are. We must strive to create the future, every single day by developing new things, different things, things that go against the grain with a diverse and global team of ingenious minds. Dyson employs over 14,000 people and is present in more than 80 countries. And while we are growing fast we want Dyson to remain a start-up in spirit with the freedom of experimentation and learning, constantly reinventing our products as well as reinventing how we work, how we sell and how we support our owners. At the same time we are working through the James Dyson Foundation, James Dyson Award and Dyson Institute to inspire future engineers and pioneering a new approach to engineering education. Underlining everything we do in this diverse environment is the need to always show respect, supporting each other as one team to overcome whatever challenges we encounter. We drive empowerment, development and equality in an inclusive environment for our people around the world. The future doesn’t just happen, we look to make it happen, to achieve leaps through pioneering new ideas
