Digital Design Director

Ford Motor • Palo Alto, CA

7d • Hybrid

About The Position

Digital Product Design (DPD) at Ford is committed to envisioning and creating simple, thoughtful, enjoyable, and compelling product experiences that our customers need and love. We work in close partnership with product and engineering to deliver best-in-class interactions experiences that meet the needs of people today, and in the future. Our team is comprised of a dynamic group of product designers, researchers, visual designers, industrial designers, modelers, and project managers. The Experience Strategy & Design team is defining the next generation of in-vehicle experiences and the operational approach needed to get there. Rather than focusing on one-off feature-driven solutions, this team moves up stream to get ahead of delivery cycles, building bridges through curiosity and a clear mission to deliver on our brand equities and core customer needs. We find the big picture by connecting concepts and feature ideas and unifying them into cohesive and purposeful experiences across the entire vehicle ecosystem. This team drives the definition, early design, and delivery plan for differentiated experiences that are critical to the brand loyalty for each of the unique customer groups across Ford. We do this through bringing the right cross-functional teams and right skillsets together early, identifying key hardware and software technology and connections needed to unblock and deliver incredible experiences to each of our unique customer groups. This role is Hybrid work model (in office 4 days/week) in Palo Alto, CA.

Requirements

• Bachelor's Degree or equivalent combination of relevant education and experience in Digital Product Design or related fields.
• 12+ years of experience in relevant product design commercial organizations.
• 4+ years managing and/or leading cross-functional teams from concept to shipping complex customer-facing design experiences.
• Proven experience in product, interaction, and experience design within complex ecosystems.
• Strong communication and storytelling abilities, with a knack for making complex ideas clear and compelling.
• High performing proficiency in Figma with the ability to communicate design concepts and create compelling presentations.
• Proven ability to lead and deliver impactful product design strategies by integrating UX, visual design, content, research, and technical constraints into cohesive, user-focused experiences that support business goals.
• Ability to work within current frameworks, evolve core processes, and invent new ways of working to drive impactful change and efficiency.
• Demonstrated ability to work independently while also building strong collaborative relationships across disciplines, seamlessly connecting design, engineering, strategy, and technology.
• Passionate for Ford's products and its customers.

Nice To Haves

• Strength in systems thinking and mapping end-to-end customer journeys.
• Comfortable working in ambiguous spaces where outcomes are completely undefined.
• Comfortable working on changing demands with the ability to pivot efforts while motivating others through change.
• Able to take a flexible approach to working with others across an enterprise, with a demonstrated ability through ambiguity.
• Self-starter that is organized and can prioritize and manage multiple tasks with minimal direction.
• Passionate customer focus, including use of collaborative design processes to yield best-in-class customer outcomes.

Responsibilities

• Establish and lead the overall design vision, driving multiple large-scale strategic projects and advancing future interaction models that integrate physical and digital experiences.
• Unite and empower cross-functional teams—including design, engineering, product management, customer insights, and technology—by promoting collaboration, delegation, and mentoring to foster creativity and continuous improvement.
• Communicate and present complex concepts and strategies to partners, executives, and stakeholders, using strong storytelling skills and seeking feedback to contribute to Ford’s broader design culture.
• Transform innovative ideas into compelling prototypes and high-quality design deliverables, validating technical feasibility and ensuring creative concepts become reality.
• Set and uphold the standard for design quality by staying engaged with design iterations, maintaining a cohesive design language, and driving visual excellence across all touchpoints for transformative yet scalable vehicle experiences.
• Collaborate closely with a triad, including Product Management, Engineering, and other partners to define customer-centric strategies and ensure seamless execution from concept through delivery.

Benefits

• Immediate medical, dental, vision and prescription drug coverage
• Flexible family care days, paid parental leave, new parent ramp-up programs, subsidized back-up childcare 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.

What This Job Offers

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