Director in National Transport Design Centre

Director in National Transport Design Centre
Research Institute for Clean Growth and Future Mobility (CGFM)
As one of Coventry's biggest employers, we offer some pretty impressive benefits including an excellent pension scheme and generous holiday allowances.

Coventry University is a dynamic, creative and innovative organisation demonstrated by its continued rise up the university ranking tables. The University has an enviable record of business engagement and support to a wide range of sectors – regionally, nationally, and internationally. 

The National Transport Design Centre (ntdc) was launched in 2017 and is all about changing the way the world moves! We employ state-of-the-art visualisation and simulation techniques and design tools, psychologists, modelling and shaping technologies to address design challenges from bicycles, through autonomous cars to e-VTOL aircraft. One of our main strengths is user-centred design, understanding that the user experience is what drives the trust and engagement of all users of innovative transport. The ntdc also hosts a number of innovative companies, presenting excellent opportunities for collaboration and the development of impactful research.

The ntdc is a multi-disciplinary centre that exists at the interface between the creative aspects of design and engineering. We currently have a vacancy for a Director of the National Transport Design Centre, who will provide strategic direction, academic leadership and management of creative practice-based

research, in any of the fields of transport design within the ntdc. The post-holder will develop the academic and commercial potential within the ntdc to ensure this continues to reflect the leadership of interdisciplinary creative practice research, whilst delivering excellence with impact in line with our Corporate Strategy.

The research activities form an integral part of a much broader engineering research portfolio within our Research Institute for Clean Growth and Future Mobility, encompassing Design, Materials, Powertrain and Advanced Systems (with a strong focus on Connected and Autonomous Mobility), as well as Manufacturing. Each of these groups has its own industry-facing institute, which provides excellent routes for partnership development and impactful research; together they provide an impressive platform for cross-discipline working and exciting research.

The post of Director provides leadership and coordination of the work of the Centre, taking responsibility and accountability for resources and performance. The main purpose of the role is to lead the Centre to become and internationally recognised and respected centre of excellence for transport and vehicle design.

The post holder is responsible for forging, growing and embedding the identity of ntdc and its vision into the minds of major companies in the Transport and Vehicle design community. The role involves using an extensive professional network of contacts to establish a sustainable customer base for the Centre supporting the main research themes of “Influencing Factors” and “Design Process and Technology”.

In particular, the post holder will manage and direct the delivery of the Centre’s business plan, ensuring that income, output, quality and research/education targets are met. In doing so, the post holder will effectively plan and manage both financial and human resources, including developing a strong portfolio of programmes, staff and external partners engaged in research and education. In addition, the post holder will be expected to develop and maintain partnerships with relevant stakeholders and ensure that the Centre achieves national and international recognition for its work ensuring the Centre is the “go to” organisation for authoritative comment on the future of transport and vehicle design.

The successful candidate will have an international reputation for Transport Design Practice and/or Design Research in their field, having been a leader in or with blue-chip industries, world-class academics, and design practitioners to collaborate in the field. They will be an established practitioner or academic with proven experience of strategic leadership of an interdisciplinary professional design/ research team or similarly oriented body and a track record of delivering outstanding design success, securing and managing significant income or funding.

 Furthermore they will use their knowledge in the areas outlined above to contribute to the University’s teaching programme at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels. They will share our passion for delivering a positive student experience that puts excellence in teaching and learning at the heart of everything we do, being able to demonstrate significant knowledge in their areas of specialisation.

If you would like to be a part of the growth of this important and unique contribution to the UK’s innovation in this developing area,

Please click here to view the job description and person specification.