Industrial Design - Year Placement

Sterling Kohler; Cheltenham; On-site; GBP 24,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading design firm in Cheltenham is seeking an Industrial Design intern for a 12-month paid placement commencing September 2026. The successful candidate will support the Industrial Design Team, working closely with experienced designers. This role is ideal for current 2nd year students pursuing a degree in Industrial Design or related fields. Competitive salary of £23,500 with a flexible working environment is offered.

Benefits

£23,500 gross salary

25 days paid leave

Mentorship from award-winning designers

Flexible working environment

Qualifications

• Currently studying in 2nd year at a UK university.
• Proven capability in 3D modeling and visualisation software.
• Eager to learn with a proactive attitude.

Responsibilities

• Support the ID studio and project workload throughout the year.
• Rotate across product categories based on studio needs.
• Communicate ideas through sketching or models.

Skills

Creative thinking

Interpersonal skills

Organization

Time management

Multi-tasking

Education

BSc/BA in Industrial Design, Product Design or equivalent

Tools

Photoshop

Illustrator

InDesign

Solidworks

Job description

Industrial Design - Year Placement

Work Mode: Onsite

Location: Onsite, Cheltenham

Are you looking for an exciting and challenging placement opportunity where you can experience the design process on all levels?

The Kohler Mira Design Team based in Cheltenham (UK) is looking for its next Industrial Design (ID) intern! The successful candidate will be part of the Industrial Design team for a 12‑month paid internship (commencing September 2026).

This year, the job is open to all current 2nd year students enrolled with a UK‑based university (BSc/BA Industrial Design, Product Design or equivalent). The successful candidate will be selected via an online competition in collaboration with Design Truth. Please check Design Truth’s social media for more insight about the competition.

If you are enthusiastic, ambitious, and driven about design then this is your opportunity!

Who are you?

The successful candidate will be an exceptionally creative thinker with a personal commitment to quality and attention to detail. Currently studying in their 2nd year at a UK university, the successful candidate will complete a 12‑month placement starting in September 2026 and ending in September 2027. Applicants will be studying a related degree such as BSc/BA Industrial Design, Product Design, or similar.

The successful candidate will report directly to a member of the team and will be closely coached and mentored for the duration of the internship.

As a member of a highly creative team, it is important that the successful candidate is continually pushing the boundaries of Industrial Design to ensure that the company stays at the forefront of product development. The ID team has been around for over 55 years and has been awarded 40+ international design awards and is part of a global design team that counts more than 100 designers.

The successful candidate will:

• Currently be studying at a UK University with a 12‑month placement requirement, starting in September 2026 and ending in September 2027
• Currently be studying a degree in BSc/BA Industrial Design, Product Design (or equivalent)
• Demonstrate a willingness and eagerness to learn with a proactive ‘can do’ attitude
• Demonstrate good interpersonal skills and be a team player
• Have good organisation and time management skills
• Show strong multi‑tasking skills and ability to work to tight deadlines

Skills and responsibilities

The successful candidate will support the ID studio and project workload throughout the year. Mentored directly by a lead designer from the Mira Shower ID Team, the student will rotate across product categories as the Design Studio’s workload requires. Regular 1:1 support will be provided and the level of responsibility and independence is expected to increase throughout the placement. The successful candidate will:

• Quickly communicate thoughts and ideas, whether it be through sketching, physical model making or other mediums.
• Be a proficient user of 2D design visualisation tools (e.g. Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign)
• Have a good capability of 3D modelling and visualisation software (e.g. Solidworks, NX, Rhino, Keyshot, Vizcom, or other AI software)
• Demonstrate evidence of prototyping abilities
• Show excellent creative problem‑solving skills
• Possess an ability to compile research and create impactful trends/mood boards and presentations (Miro)
• Maintain design intention from concept generation to final implementation
• Demonstrate a thorough understanding of design principles
• Ensure innovation by actively researching, sharing and implementing new trends and materials
• Possess excellent time management, organisation and prioritisation skills required to handle multiple projects simultaneously within tight timelines and meet deadlines
• Have effective, articulate design communication and decision‑making skills

What we have to offer

Kohler Mira Ltd is part of Kohler Co. A global company working in 52 countries and with 40 000 employees. Kohler Mira Ltd has been redefining showering in the UK for over 100 years.

As a member of a highly creative team, it is important that the successful candidate is continually pushing the boundaries of ID to ensure that the company stays at the forefront of product development. The ID team has been around for over 55 years and has been awarded 40+ international design awards and is part of a global design team that counts more than 100 designers.

• The successful candidate will report directly to a member of the team and will be closely coached and mentored for the duration of the internship
• The successful candidate will be supported to develop hard skills (CAD software, Adobe Suite, Visualisation) and soft skills (presentation skills, problem solving, communication), and will have the opportunity to learn about different areas of the business
• The opportunity to work on real‑life projects on a range of categories across our three brands, Mira Showers, Rada and Recoup
• The opportunity to learn from and work with our team of award‑winning creatives in our open‑plan studio space
• The opportunity to understand the product design and development process, and how these are built into the wider multi‑functional product development process
• £23 500 gross salary + 25 days of paid leave (not including bank holidays)
• A flexible working environment with in‑studio as well as WFH time (upon agreement with the manager)

How do I apply

Please submit your CV, portfolio and competition design submission (see deliverables for more details). Please limit each file to 5 MB max. Students who don’t submit an entry to the brief won’t be considered for this position. In fairness to all students, the entry has to be designed exclusively for the Mira X DT Brief 2026.

The challenge

We invite Industrial/Product Design students to take part in the 2026 Kohler Mira X Design Truth live brief.

This year’s challenge focuses on rethinking one of the most timeless and familiar household tools: the watering can.

The Brief

Your task is to redesign a watering can. Consider how design can improve functionality, ergonomics, sustainability, and emotional connection in a simple everyday object.

User needs

Who is the watering can for — a home gardener, a city dweller with plants on a balcony, or a professional horticulturist?

Functionality and usability

How can design make the act of watering more efficient, precise, or enjoyable? How can you include inclusivity within the design? How can the design facilitate transportation and storage?

Sustainability

Explore eco‑friendly materials, manufacturing methods, or repairable designs.

Aesthetics and brand alignment

Reflect Kohler Mira’s commitment to craft, innovation, and thoughtful design. The final result shouldn’t be just a styling exercise, rather respond to tangible user needs and take manufacturability into account.

How do I start

What is already out there in the market? How are watering cans manufactured? What works and what doesn’t in terms of usability? What are the materials used? Is there any extra/new functionality that could be integrated? How does the user interact with the product, and what are the key needs and opportunities? Is there any problem you could solve?

What are the criteria used to judge your concept

• Creativity
• Originality
• Output quality
• Differentiation
• Problem‑solving
• Design sensibility
• Sustainability
• Manufacturability
• Brand awareness

The ID team will award extra points to the concepts that reflect Kohler Mira’s Design DNA.

What is the timeline

Launch date: Monday 17 November 2025

Submission deadline: Monday 12 January 2026

Shortlisting: January 2026

Winner announcement: March 2026

Submission deliverables for the ‘reimagine the watering can’ competition (A3 landscape format)

1. Opportunity board: describe your idea, background and insights. Give us an idea of the problem you want to solve and how you want to tackle the brief. This can be done via storyboarding, sketching, and photos. What’s the problem you want to solve? How does this answer the brief? How is this different from existing products on the market?
2. Ideation board: show us your design process and how you got to the final design. On this board, we are very interested to see your design‑thinking process and how you can come up with a concept proposal and create iterations. This can be communicated via sketches (digital or non), and sketch models. What we are interested in seeing here is how you got to the final design and why.
3. Hero board: This is the board that is selling your product idea. Show us the best views of your products, show how the user interacts with it, how the concept lives in the environment it is designed for and so on. This can be done via CAD renderings, photorealistic sketches or a mix of the two.

What are the awards

1st place: 12 months paid internship + featured on Design Truth and Mira’s LinkedIn + Design Truth event ticket

2nd place: 1 Year Visune Lite Annual Subscription (worth £270 can be used on Visune.io) + £500 + featured on Design Truth and Mira’s LinkedIn + Design Truth event ticket

3rd place: (Design Truth honourable mention): £500 + featured on Design Truth and Mira’s LinkedIn + Design Truth event ticket.

Intellectual Property (IP)

Mira Showers Ltd. won’t own any of the IPs produced by the students. The students will keep the IP of their work and will be able to post it on social media and include it in their portfolio.

Please, include the hashtag #DesignTruthXMira when sharing on social media.

It is Kohler Mira’s policy to recruit, hire, and promote qualified people in all job classifications without prejudice. If, as an individual with a disability, you require adjustments during the recruitment process, please contact [e-mail]. Kohler Mira is an equal opportunities employer.

Skills/Requirements

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Why Choose Kohler

We empower each associate to #BecomeMoreAtKohler with a competitive total rewards package to support your health and wellbeing, access to career growth and development opportunities, a diverse and inclusive workplace, and a strong culture of innovation. With more than 30,000 bold leaders across the globe, we’re driving meaningful change in our mission to help people live gracious, healthy, and sustainable lives.

About Us

It is Kohler’s policy to recruit, hire, and promote qualified applicants without regard to race, creed, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital status, national origin, disability or status as a protected veteran. If, as an individual with a disability, you need reasonable accommodation during the recruitment process, please contact [e-mail]. Kohler Co. is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer.