Digital Product Design Lead

We're in the midst of the biggest change the automotive industry has ever seen.
Just as cars changed the world over the last century, new technologies such as self-driving cars, electric powertrains, and connected vehicles will radically reshape how we live, work, and play in the next hundred years.
As a leader on the Digital Product Design Team, you'll be at the heart of creating that future.
Every day, Ford's vehicles, and services support millions of people around the world.
You'll lead our teams in deeply understanding our users’ needs throughout all steps of the design process, from initial human-centered insight, through concept generation and evaluation, identifying ways we can continuously iterate and improve our designs through customer feedback and analytics.
As a Digital Product Design Lead, you are a hands-on practitioner who is passionate about your craft, compelled to build leading edge future concepts for Ford vehicles.
You will manage and guide a small team of product designers to see around the corner, drive innovation and create delightful, transformative, connected vehicle experiences.
This is a California based role that will require work on-site at Ford’s Design Studios in Irvine, CA and Palo Alto, CA.
What will it be like to work on the Model e team? We are passionate about solving hard problems.
We are swift and decisive, trusting the experts, believing the data, seeking out and listening to bold intuition – regardless of the source.
We are insurgents.
Never satisfied, averse to complexity, suspicious of habits and open to risk.
We focus on the mission and deliver with urgency and speed.
We are an agile team leveraging rapidly evolving technology to innovate, fail fast and pivot.
Most importantly we raise the talent bar with every hire.
What you’ll be able to do: Lead teams through the human-centered design process by inspiring and directing all aspects of project work and deliverables Plan and scope projects and teams according to business needs and design opportunities, setting teams up for success with an opinionated view on best practices Balance team autonomy and guidance through harmonious collaboration and team engagement Rapidly iterate and prototype design concepts, lead and guide best practices for designers Work as a collaborative team member with design and engineering colleagues, product managers, and developer.
Structure and facilitate ideation sessions with various technical and non-technical stakeholders Help product managers assess and prioritize opportunities and constraints, with clear, candid communication Provide guidance and career development coaching to design staff The minimum requirements we seek: Bachelor’s degree in visual design, visual communications, or relevant design-driven discipline 8+ years digital UX/UI design experience 4+ years of experience with modern design tools (Figma, Miro) Qualifications for Internal Candidates Our preferred Requirements : Experience working independently with internal stakeholders and / or clients.
Strong communication and collaboration skills.
Passion for growing your skills, tackling interesting work and challenging problems; be committed to lifelong design learning.
Technical and problem-solving mindset.
Previous experience leading people and teams.
Passionate about automotive and/or experience designing for integrated hardware/software systems.
Portfolio of design work that demonstrates depth of craft experience and strategic, human-centered approach to design (portfolio link or PDF).
As an established global company, we offer the benefit of choice.
You can choose what your Ford future will look like: will your story span the globe, or keep you close to home? Will your career be a deep dive into what you love, or a series of new teams and new skills? Will you be a leader, a changemaker, a technical expert, a culture builder…or all of the above? No matter what you choose, we offer a work life that works for you, including: • Immediate medical, dental, and prescription drug coverage • Flexible family care, parental leave, new parent ramp-up programs, subsidized back-up child care and more • Vehicle discount program for employees and family members, and management leases • Tuition assistance • Established and active employee resource groups • Paid time off for individual and team community service • A generous schedule of paid holidays, including the week between Christmas and New Year’s Day • Paid time off and the option to purchase additional vacation time.
For a detailed look at our benefits, click here: https://clicktime.
symantec.
com/15tStcUV1Zs1HAqPq7HFN?h=wMVH1z_jMDReQQjaq3RCsCuX75T6hmudKXmYbJ4WuFM=&u=https://fordcareers.
co/GSR-HTHD Visa sponsorship is available for this position.
Candidates for positions with Ford Motor Company must be legally authorized to work in the United States.
Verification of employment eligibility will be required at the time of hire.
We are an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to a culturally diverse workforce.
All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, color, age, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability status or protected veteran status.
In the United States, if you need a reasonable accommodation for the online application process due to a disability, please call 1-888-336-0660.
#LI-Onsite