Product Designer

Ford is building breakthrough vehicle experiences for today and the future, and the Product Designer role helps bring that strategy to life through UI/UX solutions that connect hardware, software, and customer needs. This hybrid position is based in Palo Alto, CA, with a salary range of USD 99,600 - 232,700 per year.

What you’ll do

In this role, you’ll turn early concepts into design solutions that are testable, well considered, and grounded in real customer experience. You will define how customers interact across both physical and digital experiences, as well as the processes that connect new features into cohesive end-to-end solutions.

• Translate early concepts into thorough, thoughtful, testable designs and prototypes.
• Define customer experiences and interactions across physical and digital touchpoints, including the processes connecting new features into unified solutions.
• Partner with engineers, technologists, and studio design to explore solutions, assess feasibility, rapidly iterate, and refine concepts through testing.
• Collaborate across design, engineering, and product teams to keep experiences aligned with customer needs, technical realities, and business objectives.
• Distill complex information into clear strategies, frameworks, and narratives that drive alignment and ongoing execution to delivery.
• Proactively identify opportunities to integrate new technologies into meaningful, customer-driven experiences.
• Craft, coordinate, and present design work to leadership and executives through ongoing review cycles with product, engineering, and research partners.

What you’ll bring

• Bachelor’s Degree or an equivalent combination of relevant education and experience in Digital Product Design or a related field.
• Demonstrated experience designing products where the digital experience is integrated with a physical product/device (such as automotive, wearables, consumer electronics, smart home, or robotics), not purely app- or web-only work.
• 3+ years designing customer-facing digital products in an in-house product organization with direct ownership of shipped features used by real customers at scale.
• 3+ years of experience in relevant product design commercial organizations.
• 2+ years working across a triad of designers, engineers, and product managers.
• Strong systems thinking and the ability to map end-to-end customer journeys.
• Strong communication and storytelling skills to make complex ideas clear and compelling.
• High proficiency in Figma and prototyping tools to create compelling customer flows and presentations.
• Proven ability to deliver impactful design solutions integrating UX, visual design, content, research, and technical constraints into user-focused experiences.
• Ability to work within current frameworks, design systems, and product requirements.
• Experience working independently while building strong collaborative relationships across partnering functions.
• Passion for Ford’s products and customers.
• A strong portfolio showcasing thoughtfully crafted design projects and a deep understanding of user experience principles and design processes.

Benefits at Ford

• Immediate medical, dental, vision, and prescription drug coverage
• Flexible family care days, paid parental leave, new parent ramp-up programs, subsidized back-up child care, and more
• Family building benefits including adoption and surrogacy expense reimbursement and fertility treatments
• 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

Even better, you may have

• Exceptional visual design skills and proficiency in human-centered design approaches
• Proven experience in UX, interaction, and experience design within complex ecosystems
• Comfort working in ambiguous spaces where outcomes aren’t defined yet
• Comfort working with evolving demands and the ability to pivot toward new directions and goals
• Experience leveraging Design Systems and existing patterns while also thinking blue-sky
• Self-starter who is organized and can prioritize and manage tasks
• Skilled at collaborating across multiple teams and building bridges between design, engineering, and strategy
• Ability to travel to various office locations to experience prototypes and hardware in person