D-FORD DESIGN STRATEGY DIRECTOR, AUTOMOTIVE AND MOBILITY

Company: Ford Motor Company
Location: Dearborn
Posted on: January 8, 2021

Job Description:

DearbornFord Motor CompanyDesignJob Description & QualificationsDESIGN STRATEGYThe purpose of the Design Strategy Director is to deeply understand and design for current and future customers of the Enterprise Product Line Management (EPLM) strategic initiative, including Battery Electric Vehicle, Commercial vehicles, Trucks, Compact trucks, Icons, Passenger vehicle/utilities, Luxury, and Emerging Markets.As a Design Strategy Director, you will . . .

• Partner with the Customer Pathfinder (Marketing) and Chief Strategist team members, to define and prioritize the strategic portfolio for the EPLM category.
• Define strategic briefs and guide global and local multidisciplinary teams through project execution: define the problem and opportunity, define research strategy to better understand target customer segments, lead synthesis and insights sessions with key stakeholders, translate insights into prototypes with extended team members (e.g. engineers, marketing, strategy, planning, finance), and define assumptions and plans to test new concepts and prototypes for implementation.
• Be comfortable with complexity-finding opportunities and clear paths in ambiguous environments. You're comfortable facilitating senior stakeholder discussions.
• Have a passion for the business side of creative solutions and can meet the organization where it's at in managing change in a high-growth environment.
• Embody our culture and steward others in the direction of our shared values and ways of working inside the lab 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 Lab Director (Palo Alto, London, Shanghai) or Senior Design Strategy Director (Detroit) but we're a pretty flat organization inside the lab, so would hope you'd leave your title at the door.Basic Qualifications:
  • Bachelor's degree in an arts subject, Fine Arts, Engineering, Science, Psychology, Sociology, Anthropology, Philosophy or equivalent.
  • 8+ years work experience.
  • 2+ years experience applying human-centered design approaches, methods and tools to solve complex problems.
  • 2+ years leadership experience.Preferred Qualifications:
    • Master's degree in Engineering or design-related equivalent experience.
    • 2+ years' experience leading multidisciplinary teams.
    • Passionate about automotive and mobility industry.
    • 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.JOINING D-FORDA bit about usWe're in the midst of the biggest change the automotive industry has ever seen.Just as cars changed the world over the last century - creating the driver, highways, gas stations, and malls - self-driving cars, electric powertrains, and connected vehicles will radically reshape how we live, work, and play, our cities and society themselves, in the next hundred years.At D-Ford, you'll be at the heart of creating that future. You'll be at the cutting edge of Ford's most strategically critical work, designing people and society's needs into the heart of our next generation of products, services and experiences.You'll also be designing at scale. Every day, Ford's vehicles and services support millions of people around the world. So, at D-Ford, we're not just inventing the future, we're operationalizing it, to help all those people move through their lives, better.OUR PURPOSEWe drive human progress through empathy, creativity and design.OUR VALUESOur values are our guiding light, and the conscience for our work, and our people. We're looking for people who share this way of being - you don't need to be convinced of it, you just get it:
      • ZOOM OUTWe are curious about the world, designing systems and connections that enable people to move more freely.
      • AMPLIFY OTHERS' VOICESWe are inspired by the people around us, bringing their unique stories to the forefront of our designs.
      • PUSH THE EDGEWe provoke new ways of thinking about tomorrow's toughest design challenges, while grounded in what's possible.
      • GET SCRAPPYWe build in the open, rigorously testing, iterating and evolving our ideas with others.
      • BRIDGE THE GAPWe radically collaborate across teams, geographies, and philosophies, uncovering new insights to tomorrow's problems.
      • WILD CARDOur strength comes from bringing our whole selves to the community-from introspective to playful or quirky. What will you bring?BRING YOUR TWe don't hire "Design Thinkers." We hire T-people. You:
        • Have deep expertise in a craft
        • Are comfortable working in relatively flat and dynamic teams
        • Are passionate to work on ambiguous and complex future challenges
        • Have a collaborative and empathetic mindset to solve problems with teams across FordAlongside everyone's role as a designer of world class design content, you will also be expected to contribute to a range of communities to maintain our creative culture. We call these Community Hats.They can range from stewarding the lab, leading a workshop, mentoring others, contributing to publications, hosting a tour with executives, bringing your maker skills to build prototypes, or leading your craft in a global community of like-minded designers.These global communities will ensure that we stay connected across the organization, and constantly push the impact of what we do. They can act as additional areas of responsibility, helping to push careers in different directions.We have four global labs: Palo Alto, Detroit, London and soon, Shanghai.You'll be part of a growing organization in the heart of Ford's Product Development Center to drive innovation from the inside out.WORKING AT FORDThe distance between imagination and --- creation. It can be measured in years of innovation, or in moments of brilliance. When you join the Ford team discover all the benefits, rewards and development opportunities you'd expect from a diverse global leader. You'll become part of a team that is already leading the way, with ingenious solutions and attainable products - and it is always ready to go further.Candidates for positions with Ford Motor Company must be legally authorized to work in the United States on a permanent basis. Verification of employment eligibility will be required at the time of hire. Visa sponsorship is not available for this position, TN visa holders may be considered.Ford Motor Company is an equal opportunity employer committed to a culturally diverse workforce. 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.Auto req ID35735BRSkill TeamEnterprise Product Line Management (EPLM)Sub-Componentn/a

Keywords: Ford Motor Company, Dearborn , D-FORD DESIGN STRATEGY DIRECTOR, AUTOMOTIVE AND MOBILITY, Executive , Dearborn, Michigan