Visual + Motion Design Lead

Ford Motor • Palo Alto, CA

3d • Hybrid

About The Position

We are the movers of the world and the makers of the future. We get up every day, roll up our sleeves and build a better world -- together. At Ford, we’re all a part of something bigger than ourselves. Are you ready to change the way the world moves? 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. In this position... As a leader on Ford’s Digital Product Design Team, you'll be at the heart of designing products that drive this revolution - inspiring your peers and pushing the industry. You'll also be creating/working at scale. Every day, Ford's vehicles and services support millions of people worldwide. We're not just inventing the future; we're operationalizing it to help everyone improve their lives. The Motion + Visual Design Lead within our Design DNA team plays a vital role in this future state by helping our Digital Product Design team reimagine how people interface with Ford vehicles — through the visual and motion expression of the in-vehicle experience, connected devices and mobile applications. Grounded in understanding user needs, we conceive, design, prototype, and launch experiences that bind physical products, digital services, and human interactions. This role is onsite 4 days per week in Palo Alto, CA.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in graphic design, UI/UX design, digital product design or related field, or a combination of education and equivalent experience
• Strong motion/visual design skills and experience building/extending complex digital design languages is a must
• Strong portfolio demonstrating exceptional design skills for digital products, including a strong understanding of visual and motion consistency and expression within interactive contexts
• Proficiency with modern UI design and prototyping tools (e.g. Figma, Protopie, Adobe CS, AE, 3D animation tools, Rive)
• 6+ years of dedicated experience in motion/visual UI/UX design for complex digital products and consumer-facing brands
• 6+ years’ experience within (product side or consultancy) highly collaborative creative teams
• A good attitude that inspires those around you while providing pertinent, actionable feedback

Nice To Haves

• Experience of working closely with multi-disciplinary product teams comprised of researchers, designers, product managers and engineers
• Passionate about brand and digital product design
• Extensive experience designing digital design experiences for key touch points across the customer journey
• Extensive experience developing documentation and guidelines for motion specifications and production asset deliverables
• Experience of developing digital services and bringing products or services to market
• Experience mentoring and/or managing others in the visual design field
• Passionate about automotive and transportation industry
• Strong verbal, written and visual presentation skills

Responsibilities

• Work cross-functionally with leadership and fellow designers within Digital Product Design to establish and codify the "Look and feel" of the Ford and Lincoln digital experiences in-vehicle and beyond
• Work to define, create, and guide standards for visual and motion design - including developing the motion design guidelines/standards for Digital Product Design
• Problem-solve alongside UX designers to deliver high-quality, on-brand experiences to the digital space
• Lead the development of "exemplar" work product in motion and visual design
• Work with design teams to up-level presentation and prototyping through visual and motion execution
• Work with engineering teams to guide them towards motion and visual design execution at the highest standard, with consistency
• Participate in design reviews, supplying guidance and constructive feedback in service of delivering world-class products and experiences
• Manage communication with internal colleagues and stakeholders
• Utilize consumer research, benchmarking and knowledge of the automotive space to drive considered responses to evolving the design language

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: Mid Level
• Number of Employees: 5,001-10,000 employees