Director, Interior & Surface Textile Design

Teague • Everett, WA

3d • Onsite

About The Position

The Director, Interior & Surface Textile Design leads the creative, technical, and business direction of Teague’s multidisciplinary practice across interior, spatial, surface, textile, color, and material design. The role spans Boeing aircraft programs, direct-to-airline work, and a broad commercial portfolio, translating client ambitions, human needs, brand objectives, and production realities into visionary, viable, and implementable experiences.

The director sets the practice’s vision and standards, provides creative direction across aviation and commercial work, develops design leaders and teams, and partners with design and business leadership, Business Development, and clients to shape engagements, strengthen relationships, identify growth opportunities, and evolve the practice’s capabilities. This engaged leadership role combines creative vision, business acumen, technical understanding, and client judgment. Regular travel between Teague studios and U.S. client sites is expected, with occasional international travel for client reviews and industry events. Weekly commuting to the Everett and/or Renton offices is required. Candidates must be a U.S. Person under applicable export control regulations; sponsorship or transfer of sponsorship is unavailable.

Teague is an independent, employee-owned design consultancy working across automotive, commercial aviation, smart cities and infrastructure, advanced mobility, technology, space, and defense. The company describes a collaborative, inclusive, growth-oriented culture and offers an employee stock ownership plan and a comprehensive compensation and benefits package. Employees must reside in Washington State unless otherwise noted for a specific role.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent work experience in interior design, textile design, or a related creative field.
• At least 10 years of experience in interior design, surface textile design, or design consulting, with a robust, diverse portfolio spanning both disciplines.
• At least 3 years in a creative or design leadership role, such as Director or Design Director, within a consulting, agency, or aerospace environment.
• Ability to commute weekly to the Everett and/or Renton offices.
• Proven success leading cross-functional teams across interior and surface textile design through collaboration, influence, and direct leadership.
• Experience balancing long-term strategic planning with day-to-day operational oversight of a multidisciplinary practice.
• Exceptional project framing skills, including defining approaches, deliverables, stages, and processes for internal teams, Boeing, and airline clients.
• Deep understanding of aircraft interior and surface/textile design and production, including manufacturability, materials, and production tooling documentation.
• Strong relationship-building skills with people across organizational levels and diverse cultural, generational, ethnic, racial, educational, and socioeconomic backgrounds.
• Fluency across business, creative, and technical disciplines, including experience leading strategic initiatives that bridge design, production, and organizational growth.
• Track record of successful Boeing or aviation programs and long-term client relationships.
• Strong grasp of brand and marketing strategies and how interior and surface textile design express brand identity.
• Experience in business development and client engagement, building trust and uncovering opportunities.
• Must qualify as a U.S. Person under applicable U.S. export control regulations; the employer cannot provide or transfer sponsorship.

Nice To Haves

• A strong professional network in airline or transportation sectors.
• Recognition as a visionary leader who inspires teams and shapes industry conversations.
• A respected voice in the design community, with thought leadership, passion for craft, and meaningful contributions to industry conversations.

Responsibilities

• Lead the Interior Design & Surface Textile Design practice across Boeing aircraft programs and commercial engagements.
• Oversee a large, complex multidisciplinary team across interior and surface textile design, maintaining alignment, momentum, and quality.
• Own practice health and performance, balancing creative and technical quality, client satisfaction, team development, staffing, financial performance, and sustainable growth.
• Lead, develop, and provide feedback and performance management for design leaders; establish accountability and build leadership capacity.
• Build trusted relationships with Boeing and commercial clients, and partner with senior leadership on executive relationships and account strategy.
• Provide creative leadership that connects strategic direction with practical execution and empowers project and discipline leaders.
• Own practice-level workforce and succession strategy, including structure, hiring, retention, performance management, leadership development, and future capabilities.
• Champion continuous learning, professional growth, innovation, and high creative and technical standards.
• Evolve the practice’s offerings, methods, deliverables, staffing models, tools, and value proposition in response to client needs, markets, competition, technology, and lessons learned.
• Lead clients and teams through discovery, workshops, and engagements to frame challenges, set strategic direction, align stakeholders, and develop impactful design outcomes.
• Guide compelling design rationale and storytelling for Boeing, airline, and commercial clients.
• Contribute to thought leadership through speaking events, panels, and articles.
• Identify opportunities to deepen Teague’s work with Boeing, grow commercial relationships, and expand into new clients, industries, and project types.
• Connect interior and surface textile design with experience strategy, brand, communications, industrial design, architecture, technology, and engineering.
• Contribute to company-wide and design leadership strategy, aligning the practice with market trends, competitive shifts, growth priorities, and Boeing program needs.
• Translate client and engineering requirements into actionable design and production solutions that support brand and business goals.
• Lead design and technical reviews, critiques, and creative direction.
• Provide senior creative, client, and business leadership across concurrent programs, calibrating involvement to strategic importance, complexity, team capability, and risk.
• Partner with Business Development, Program Management, and design leadership to identify, qualify, shape, scope, and pursue opportunities.
• Collaborate with project and program leaders to guide work from opportunity development through implementation and assemble appropriate talent.
• Lead or provide senior creative direction for proposals, pitches, discovery, workshops, and early client engagements.
• Guide case studies, sales materials, and thought leadership that communicate the practice’s capabilities, value, approach, and relevance.
• Maintain regular contact with priority stakeholders to strengthen trust, identify needs, and connect active work with future opportunities.
• Review the portfolio with design, program, and project management leaders, monitoring quality, staffing, client health, financial performance, delivery risk, and pipeline.
• Shape a high-performing creative and technical environment, with culture, tools, processes, and team dynamics aligned to Teague’s brand and priorities.
• Ensure storytelling is embedded in the work and presentations support client alignment and decisions.
• Engage directly in creative and technical work when senior judgment can strengthen outcomes, resolve complexity, or align stakeholders.
• Partner with project and program management, engineering, and manufacturing to address delivery, feasibility, schedule, and budget risks.
• Consistently deliver annual goals and performance objectives aligned with fiscal-year priorities.

Benefits

• Employee ownership through an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP).
• Employer-provided short- and long-term disability insurance.
• Employer-provided Life/AD&D insurance.
• Medical and dental plans, with a Health Savings Account option.
• Flexible Spending Accounts.
• 401(k).
• Parental leave.
• Voluntary vision insurance.
• Voluntary additional life and AD&D insurance.
• Voluntary accident and injury insurance.
• Voluntary critical illness insurance.
• Identity theft protection.
• Long-term care insurance.
• Employee discounts on pet insurance.
• Access to HealthCare Bluebook.
• Full-time employees accrue four weeks of paid time off annually, prorated for part-time hires.
• Ten paid holidays throughout the fiscal year.
• Professional development and skill-building support.
• Employee-owned company with shared participation in long-term business success.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Director