Senior Exterior Designer

Ford Ford · Auto · Dearborn, MI +1 · PD Operations and Quality

This role is for a Senior Exterior Designer at Ford, focusing on creating innovative exterior design visions for vehicles, coordinating design personnel, and collaborating with engineering and suppliers. It requires a strong portfolio in automotive exterior design, a Bachelor's degree, and experience in translating customer needs and global trends into compelling designs. The role involves both digital and physical thinking, problem-solving around connectivity and mobility, and strong visual communication skills.

What you'd actually do

  1. Having the ability to think creatively, strategically, and analytically.
  2. Create compelling and innovative exterior design experiences and visions for Design Projects.
  3. Coordinate the work of other design personnel to achieve holistic design visions.
  4. Create future brand focused design visions.
  5. Span digital and physical (software and hardware) thinking.

Skills

Required

  • Portfolio in Automotive Exterior Design
  • Bachelor’s degree in Industrial Design, Transportation Design, or equivalent
  • Automotive or Transportation Design experience
  • Ability to interpret customer needs and global trends
  • Ability to work independently and provide strong technical aesthetic judgment
  • Awareness of global automotive and consumer electronics
  • Demonstrated creative exterior design perceptions and capability
  • Collaborate with Engineering, Suppliers and other partners
  • Exceptional design intuition
  • Strong problem-solving skills
  • Superior ability to visually communicate through sketches, and renderings
  • Ability to translate 2D to 3D and think three-dimensionally
  • Strong emphasis on proportions and a refined sense of form
  • Familiarizes self and maintains interest with design trends within and across design professions and global cultures
  • Outstanding teamwork, leadership, visual, written, and verbal communication skills

Nice to have

  • Global design experience
  • Good understanding of exterior manufacturing process and materials
  • Passion for automotive and mobility industry, global trends, innovation and customer needs
  • Experience of working in or with creative cultures
  • Experience of working in large, corporate environments
  • Experience of managing multiple stakeholders across complex projects
  • Experience of presenting to executive audiences

What the JD emphasized

  • A portfolio to share that focuses on Automotive Exterior Design.
  • Must have exceptional design intuition, strong problem-solving skills and a superior ability to visually communicate through sketches, and renderings.
  • Ability to translate 2D to 3D and think three-dimensionally with a strong emphasis on proportions and a refined sense of form also required.