Chief Designer

Responsibilities Be responsible for creating and developing future vehicle design proposals. Partner with the Marketing and Strategy team members, to define and prioritize the strategic portfolio. Translate customer insights into vehicle design. Global Trends awareness is necessary and expected. Take responsibility for the creative vision and the standard of output across team members who work under them. Influence decisions about Vehicle Architecture, Value to the Customer, Customer Research, User Experience, Cycle Plan development. Pitch ideas confidently and present the creative vision clearly to partners, as well as communicate in the same manner to members of the creative team. Guide multimedia vehicle storytelling from strategy to execution. Be required to facilitate and conduct project reviews and presentations for the leadership team. Ensure that sketch interpretation, design quality, and project progress are in keeping with established schedules and program deliverables. Plan and organize the workload and job assignments of subordinate personnel. Recommend and implement training and development plans for subordinates. Assist the Design Chief Officer and Design Director in the proper and effective implementation of personnel programs, including performance reviews, salary planning and employee counseling. Be comfortable with complexity—finding opportunities and clear paths in ambiguous environments. You’re comfortable facilitating senior stakeholder discussions. Have strong people management and leadership skills to hire, develop, and inspire the creative team. Lead multiple Ford design projects from conception to completion in accordance with deadlines. Collaborate with other Ford team members and stakeholders. Work with other disciplines in the development of scale and full-size clay models ultimately interfacing with program engineering teams in the development of feasible high quality products based on designs. Ensure that all the organization’s creative output/visuals are consistent with the overall Ford brand. Lead market research model builds through the shops. Ensure exterior/interior appearances are in harmony with all Ford Global Design, aligning with the One Ford product direction while working within cost and program constraints. Communicate and conduct program reviews and presentations for design leadership. Daily interfaces and areas of influence include Corporate Senior Management, Product Planning, Strategy, Marketing, Engineering, Digital Media team, and Program teams. Cultivate employee engagement and improve morale. Embody our culture and steward others in the direction of our shared values and ways of working inside the studio and with Ford. You have patience to mentor and coach others through difficult challenges and can serve as a trusted advisor to senior stakeholders. You will report to the Design Director. Requirements Bachelor’s degree in Industrial Design, Vehicle Design or Transportation Design, or equivalent 10+ years in Automotive Strategic Design / Production Design experience Experience managing multimedia projects, internal and external Skills in digital visualization & development is a requirement for this digitally lead studio environment. Experience in Design DNA development, Design vision and Design strategies. Expert storytelling Global trend awareness is necessary and expected from the candidates. High design creativity is a priority. Outstanding teamwork, leadership, visual, written, and verbal communication skills required. Extensive knowledge of the automotive market and the global trends is a requirement. Awareness of global automotive and consumer electronics to ensure Ford competes with the ability to lead. Familiarizes self and maintains interest with design trends within and across design professions and global cultures (automotive, fashion, architectural, etc.) Deep knowledge and understanding of all processes involved in the design ideation and delivery process. Ability to work independently and provide strong technical aesthetic judgment to lead team members. Demonstrated creative exterior/interior design perceptions and capability. A design portfolio (pdf) must be provided upon application. Outstanding teamwork, leadership, visual, written, and verbal communication skills ATS Optimization Keywords Below are skills and terms extracted directly from this job posting to improve Applicant Tracking System (ATS) visibility. This unique feature helps candidates tailor their applications more effectively — a feature exclusive to JobTailor job listings. Hard Skills Industrial Design Vehicle Design Transportation Design Digital Visualization Design DNA Development Design Vision Design Strategies Creative Exterior Design Creative Interior Design Automotive Strategic Design Soft Skills Leadership Teamwork Communication Mentoring Coaching Creative Vision Project Management Problem Solving Influencing Employee Engagement Certifications & Qualifications Bachelor's Degree in Industrial Design Bachelor's Degree in Vehicle Design Bachelor's Degree in Transportation Design #J-18808-Ljbffr Jobtailor