The posting
About Huawei Research and Development UK Limited
Founded in 1987, Huawei is a leading global provider of information and communications technology (ICT) infrastructure and smart devices. We have 207,000 employees and operate in over 170 countries and regions, serving more than three billion people around the world.
Our vision and mission is to bring digital to every person, home and organization for a fully connected, intelligent world. To this end, we will drive ubiquitous connectivity and promote equal access to networks; bring cloud and artificial intelligence to all four corners of the earth to provide superior computing power where you need it, when you need it; build digital platforms to help all industries and organizations become more agile, efficient, and dynamic; redefine user experience with AI, making it more personalized for people in all aspects of their life, whether they’re at home, in the office, or on the go.
This spirit of innovation has led Huawei to work in close partnership with leading academic institutions in the UK to develop and refine the latest technologies. With a shared commitment to innovation and progress, both parties have worked together to achieve common goals and establish a strong partnership. The partnership between UK and Huawei help to develop the technologies of the future that will transform the way we all communicate, work and live.
For the past 30 years we have maintained an unwavering focus, rejecting shortcuts and easy opportunities that don't align with our core business. With a practical approach to everything we do, we concentrate our efforts and invest patiently to drive technological breakthroughs.
This strategic focus is a reflection of our core values:
- Staying customer-centric,
- Inspiring dedication,
- Persevering,
- Growing by reflection.
Huawei Research and Development UK Limited Overview
Huawei’s vision is a fully connected, intelligent world. To achieve this, we work to inspire passion for basic research around the world. Our combined passion drives development across the global innovation value chain. Huawei has the largest Research and Development organization in the world with 96,000+ employees in research centers around the globe. In the UK, we already have design centers in Cambridge, London, Edinburgh and Ipswich. We continue to explore and define new research directions and new services. We have expanded our collaborations with academic researchers; researched new network architectures, integration of communications and key enabling technologies; and developed the fundamental theories of these technologies. We invite you to join us on this exciting journey and drive your career forward.
Job Summary
INDUSTRIAL DESIGNER — SMARTPHONES, WEARABLES & ACCESSORIES HUAWEI LONDON DESIGN STUDIO
We're a small team designing premium consumer technology. Recent work includes the Mate XT triple-foldable, the Mate 70 RS Ultimate Design and our high-end watches. We're looking for another designer to help shape what comes next.
Key Responsibilities:
THE WORK
We work across two kinds of projects, and the balance between them is part of what makes this role interesting. Roadmap projects define the shape, aesthetics and materiality of existing product categories, phones, wearables, earbuds and more. Here the technology, segment and launch date are usually already fixed. Our job is to design what the product should stand for, how it should look and why anyone would want it over the alternatives.
Innovation projects are more open, helping shape the future of new tech devices. This means undersand cultural and psychological attitudes and trends, working closely with engineers on emerging technologies, and using design intuition to fuse it all into new products and product categories for changing times.
It's a rare balance: work that goes into production and has a direct impact on people's lives, alongside the space to rethink what tech devices are and how people actually use them.
Our ambition is products made in millions that still feel like individual objects. Proportion, surface, colour and finish are central to that thinking from the beginning.
We work both as a team, running workshops, sharing references, developing ideas together, and individually, where you'll lead your own projects and need the confidence and drive to take them from research through to detailed models, with support from London colleagues and reviews with our teams in China.
Proposals move fast and develop through selection. Not every idea reaches production, but our team has a record of getting designs into people's hands.
You'll be able to travel to China to meet the team there, see how factories manufacture and validate mockups as projects develop, a chance to build a real understanding of Asian culture along the way.
THE TEAM
Around seven of us, mostly industrial designers, working alongside teams in China. We share references, discuss proposals, help each other resolve details and eat lunch together. We appreciate people who bring a point of view, listen carefully and can work through a disagreement constructively
This job description is only an outline of the tasks, responsibilities and outcomes required of the role. The jobholder will carry out any other duties as may be reasonably required by his/her line manager. The job description and personal specification may be reviewed on an ongoing basis in accordance with the changing needs of Huawei Research and Development UK Limited.
Person Specification:
YOU
Creative, with a genuine curiosity about the world and how things are made. You follow your intuition and you're passionate about design and technology. Your background might be consumer electronics, accessories, footwear, furniture or automotive. We're interested in how you see things and the quality of what you make. You should be able to develop your own designs in 3D. Excellent use of CATIA or Rhino, the Adobe Suite, and visualisation tools such as Blender or KeyShot.
PRACTICAL DETAILS
The role is an agency contract (Full Time Position), but we are recruiting with a long-term view. Studio-based in London with occasional home working. You need to already be UK-based with the right to work here and be able to commute to the studio. We work in English.
APPLYING
Please send us a portfolio of work. Show us your strongest ideas, your visual judgement and enough of the reasoning to see how you got there. Please say what was yours on collaborative projects. A short introduction is welcome. No cover letter needed. Designers in our London team review every portfolio. Applications without a PDF portfolio will not be considered, as our systems don't reliably support external portfolio websites.
