The Design Director, Design DNA, is a unique and vital role in helping our Digital Product Design team reimage how people interface with Ford vehicles — through both the in-vehicle experience as well as connected devices and mobile applications. Specifically, this role acts a bridge between our Ford Brand, Design DNA and the digital product experience we deliver to our customers. This role will help us to define, design, develop, document and communicate the core visual digital design elements that raise the quality bar and fundamentally differentiate Ford vehicles across the competitive landscape.
Core Responsibilities //
As a part of Design DNA, help to strengthen and grow the Visual Design center of excellence within Digital Product Design
Work with leadership across Digital Product Design (DPD) to develop, extend and document the visual design language of the Ford and Lincoln brands
Help to guide DPD to deliver world-class design at scale, including the development of the visual design guidelines and standards as well as producing inspiring demonstrations of exemplar work
Work with design and research teams across DPD to identify a thoughtful and impactful visual approach throughout the customer's user experience
Work across teams to deliver and steward visual design excellence, ensuring the highest level of craft across all DPD
Participate in design reviews, providing guidance, and constructive feedback in service of delivering world-class products and experiences
Maintain constant awareness of emerging talent needs in the craft of visual design to ensure we are fulfilling those needs
Manage communication with internal colleagues and stakeholders
Invest in the growth of our teams' visual design capabilities by providing mentorship and guidance as well as supporting learning and development of team members
Preferred Experience //
Extensive experience designing digital design experiences for key touch points across the customer's product experience
Experience developing design guidelines for user interfaces; including color, typography, iconography, illustration, photography all UI elements/components
Experience leading logo/identity and/or iconography design projects
Experience art directing brand videos, illustration and photo shoots
Strong typographic design skills with experience defining standards
Experience mentoring and/or managing in the visual design field
Experience of designing and/or facilitating concept generation work sessions
In-depth knowledge of the latest trends in brand and UI design fields
Minimum Requirements //
Advanced degree in Graphic Design, Brand Design, Product Design, and/or related field, or equivalent experience
10+ years' experience developing visual design systems for consumer-facing brands/products and services
8+ years' experience leading highly collaborative creative/design teams
Strong portfolio showcasing a range of design projects, demonstrating a deep understanding of brand and digital product design
Experience of working closely with multi-disciplinary product teams comprised of researchers, designers, product managers and engineers
Experience of utilizing design thinking and/or human-centered design
Excellent communication, presentation, and interpersonal skills, with the ability to influence and inspire team members and stakeholders
Passionate about brand, digital product design and the automotive industry
Highly proficient with Figma and Adobe Design software products
Highly proficient with presentation software products
Familiarity with high-fidelity prototyping and/or animation software/tools
You may not check every box, or your experience may look a little different from what we've outlined, but if you think you can bring value to Ford Motor Company, we encourage you to apply!
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, vision and prescription drug coverage
• Flexible family care days, paid parental leave, new parent ramp-up programs, subsidized back-up child care and more
• Family building benefits including adoption and surrogacy expense reimbursement, fertility treatments, 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://fordcareers.co/LL5NonHTHD
This position is a leadership level 5.
This position is a range of salary gradesLL5.
Visa sponsorship is not 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.
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