Director of Design

Director of Design - Indoor and Outdoor Furniture Collections

Salary: Competitive and based on experience

Location: Ho Chi Minh

Keywords: design leadership, furniture collections, creative development, product development, team mentorship, client collaboration, technical expertise, global trends, quality standards, manufacturing coordination

A prestigious international furniture brand is seeking a Director of Design to lead the creative and technical development of its indoor and outdoor collections in Ho Chi Minh City. Reporting directly to the Chief of Design, this senior role offers you the opportunity to shape high-end furniture ranges for a global clientele, including premium retail partners and interior design-driven clients. You will be at the forefront of design innovation, managing the full pipeline from concept through production, ensuring that every piece reflects uncompromising quality, material integrity, and considered aesthetics. The organisation offers a supportive international team environment with generous annual leave, performance reviews, private healthcare, and work permit assistance.

• Take ownership of the end-to-end design process for both signature collections and bespoke projects developed for leading retail brands and discerning clients worldwide.
• Enjoy a collaborative international team environment with structured support for your professional development, including annual performance reviews and private health care benefits.
• Work in a role where your creative vision and technical expertise are valued, allowing you to mentor designers, influence collection strategy, and ensure design excellence across all product lines.

What you'll do:

As Director of Design - Indoor and Outdoor Furniture Collections based in Ho Chi Minh City, you will play a pivotal role in shaping the creative direction of luxury furniture products. Your day-to-day responsibilities will involve leading concept ideation for new collections, developing bespoke designs tailored to premium retail partners' needs, producing detailed technical documentation for manufacturing teams, and presenting design solutions to senior leadership. You will collaborate closely with supply chain and production teams to optimise designs for quality and cost targets, while overseeing sample reviews to ensure finished products align with client expectations. You will also lead, brief, and mentor the design team, upholding design quality standards across all collections.

• Lead concept development and oversee full design completion for indoor and outdoor furniture collections, guiding projects from initial brief through final approval.
• Develop bespoke collection designs for premium retail partners by translating brand briefs into fully realised furniture ranges.
• Define and maintain the brand's design language and aesthetic standards across all collections.
• Produce high-quality freehand sketches, CAD drawings, 3D models, and photorealistic renders to communicate design intent to internal teams and clients.
• Present materials, finishes, mechanical solutions, and design concepts to the Chief of Design, while monitoring global furniture trends and material innovation.
• Be involved in the product development process from concept through to production-ready documentation, in close collaboration with supply chain and production teams.
• Develop detailed technical drawings, construction details, BOMs, joinery specifications, hardware selections, and finish panels to optimise manufacturability and cost.
• Conduct engineering reviews and provide practical solutions to design-to-production challenges.
• Oversee the sample review process, evaluating pre-production and production samples against design specifications and client requirements.
• Manage material and finish panel development in coordination with procurement.
• Lead, brief, and mentor junior and intermediate designers, coordinating with QC, PD and production teams to protect design integrity through manufacturing.

What you bring:

To excel as Director of Design - Indoor and Outdoor Furniture Collections, you will bring extensive experience in high-end furniture design coupled with strong technical skills in CAD modelling and rendering software. Your track record includes managing complex, multi-product development pipelines while maintaining disciplined quality standards. You possess deep knowledge of construction methods relevant to both indoor and outdoor categories, along with fluent English that enables effective communication across international teams. A background in architecture or interior design would complement your furniture expertise, and familiarity with Adobe Creative Suite would support strong client-facing presentations. Prior experience in a Vietnam-based or Southeast Asian manufacturing environment is a plus.

• Minimum 8 years of experience in furniture design and product development, ideally within a high-end or design-driven brand.
• A strong portfolio demonstrating your ability to take furniture designs from concept through detailed technical documentation, across both indoor and outdoor categories.
• Expert proficiency in AutoCAD and 3D modelling software (3ds Max, SketchUp or equivalent), with professional rendering skills (V-Ray or equivalent).
• Deep knowledge of furniture construction, materials selection, joinery techniques, hardware integration, and surface finishing.
• Proven ability to manage multi-product development pipelines with structured PDM discipline.
• Fluent English, written and spoken, is essential.
• Experience developing collections for premium retail brands with high design and quality standards is preferred.
• A background in architecture or interior design alongside furniture-specific experience would be advantageous.
• Proficiency in Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign) is desirable but not required.
• Experience within a Vietnam-based or Southeast Asia manufacturing environment would be beneficial.

What sets this company apart:

This organisation is an internationally recognised name in high-end furniture design, serving a global customer base that includes leading retail brands and interior design-driven clients. Its commitment to quality craftsmanship, material integrity, and considered aesthetics ensures every collection meets exacting standards from concept through production. Employees benefit from a supportive international team environment, structured professional development through annual performance reviews, generous annual leave, work permit and TRC assistance, private health care and personal accident insurance, and a 13th month bonus.

What's next:

If you are ready to make a lasting impact on luxury furniture collections by bringing your creative vision, technical expertise, and collaborative spirit - reach out directly:

Huy Le | Robert Walters Vietnam Email: [email protected] Mobile: 0796 943 924

Due to the high volume of applications we are experiencing, our team will only be in touch with you if your application is shortlisted.