Visual Design Lead
- Job ID
- 69645
- Location
- Palo Alto, California
- Category
- PD Operations and Quality
Overview
At Ford, you’ll work on ideas that matter, alongside passionate people who want to make a global impact. Together, we’re shaping the next era of transportation—grounded in purpose, driven by progress. Make your move.
- Job Type: Full time
- Work Type: Hybrid
We made history and now we work to transform the future – for our customers, our communities and our families. You'll see your work on the road every day, helping people move freely and pursue their dreams. At Ford, you can build more than vehicles. Come build what matters.
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 interaction experiences. Our team includes product designers, researchers, visual designers, industrial designers, modelers, and project managers.
In this position...
As a leader on Ford's Digital Product Design team, the Visual Design Lead sits within our Design DNA team and is responsible for the visual craft behind how people interface with Ford vehicles through the visual design of the in-vehicle experience, connected devices, and mobile applications. This role shapes the look, feel, and visual consistency of Ford and Lincoln's digital ecosystem at scale, across millions of touchpoints worldwide.
This position is hybrid with a requirement to be in office four or more days per week.
What you'll do... Visual Craft & Systems
- Establish and codify the visual “look and feel” of Ford and Lincoln digital experiences, in-vehicle and beyond
- Define and evolve visual and motion design standards — typography, color systems, iconography, imagery, layout/grid, and GUI components — into a cohesive design language for DPD
- Lead the creation of “exemplar” visual design work that sets the bar for quality and craft across the team
- Guide design teams in up-leveling presentation and prototyping through stronger visual and motion execution
- Use consumer research, competitive benchmarking, and automotive-industry knowledge to inform and evolve the visual design language
What you'll do... Collaboration & Execution
- Partner with UX designers to solve problems and deliver high-quality, on-brand experiences
- Work with engineering teams to guide visual execution to the highest standard, with consistency across implementation
- Participate in design reviews, providing clear, constructive visual design feedback
- Manage communication with internal colleagues and stakeholders
You'll have...
- Bachelor's degree in graphic design, UI/UX design, digital product design, or a related field (or equivalent combination of education and experience)
- Strong, demonstrable visual design skills, with experience building and extending complex digital design languages/systems
- A portfolio showing exceptional command of layout, hierarchy, typography, color theory, and iconography in interactive/digital contexts (portfolio required for consideration)
- 6+ years of dedicated experience in visual UI/UX design for complex digital products and consumer-facing brands
- 6+ years of experience working within highly collaborative creative teams (product-side or consultancy)
- A positive, inspiring presence on a team, paired with the ability to give clear, actionable design feedback
Even better, you may have...
- Experience working closely with multi-disciplinary teams of researchers, designers, product managers, and engineers
- Proficiency with modern visual design and prototyping tools (e.g., Figma, Protopie, Adobe Creative Suite, After Effects, Rive, or 3D animation tools)
- Deep passion for brand and digital product design
- Experience designing visual systems across key touchpoints in the customer journey
- Experience developing brand guidelines/standards for user interfaces — color, typography, iconography, imagery, and GUI elements
- Experience bringing digital products or services to market
- Experience mentoring or managing others in the visual design field
- Passion for the automotive and transportation industry
- Strong verbal, written, and visual presentation skills
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 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.
This position is a leadership level 6 and ranges from $150,200-$283,500.
Final determination of salary grade will be based on candidate's skills and experience, and base salary will be set within the applicable range according to job scope, responsibility and competitive market value.
For more information on salary and benefits, click here: https://fordcareers.co/LL6
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. 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.
This position is hybrid with a requirement to be onsite four or more days per week.
#LI-Hybrid #DesignTeam #LI-LS1
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Support designed to go the distance.
From day one, Ford invests in you with medical benefits built to help you plan for what’s next. You’ll also get support for you and your family that meets you at every step, so you can move forward with confidence.
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Health and Wellness
Comprehensive medical, dental, vision, mental health, and unique wellness perks keep you and your family supported every step of the way.
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Financial and Retirement Programs
Build a strong financial future with robust retirement contributions, savings programs, and free personalized financial planning tools.
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Flexible Vacation and Holidays
Enjoy your time away from work with generous vacation, holidays, and flexible family leave designed to help you balance life and work with ease.
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Vehicle Discount Program
The best thing about building great products is driving them! The second-best thing: sharing your discount with family and friends so they can drive them, too.
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Family Growth and Support
Grow your family confidently with fertility, surrogacy, and adoption assistance, paid parental leave, and a supportive new-parent ramp-up program.
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Additional Programs
Enjoy unexpected extras like pet insurance, legal services, identity protection, and access to convenient health and wellness services.
Testimonial
Ford gives me the space to innovate, to lead, and to serve — all while staying true to who I am as an engineer, educator, and parent. It’s not just a career; it’s a community that drives change.
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