Exterior Design Manager

Responsibilities

• Partner with the Marketing and Strategy team members to define and prioritize the strategic portfolio.
• Translate customer insights into vehicle design, with an awareness of global trends.
• Take responsibility for the creative vision and standard of output across team members.
• Influence decisions about Vehicle Architecture, Value to the Customer, Customer Research, User Experience, and Cycle Plan development.
• Present ideas confidently and communicate the creative vision clearly to partners and the creative team.
• Navigate complexity and facilitate senior stakeholder discussions in ambiguous environments.
• Hire, develop and inspire the creative team, exercising strong people‑management and leadership skills.
• Lead multiple Ford design projects from conception to completion, meeting deadlines and program deliverables.
• Ensure sketch interpretation, design quality, and model progress meet established schedules.
• Collaborate with other Ford team members and stakeholders across disciplines.
• Work with other disciplines to develop scale and full‑size clay models, interfacing with program engineering teams for feasible high‑quality products.
• Maintain consistency of all creative output with the overall Ford brand.
• Lead market research model builds through the shops.
• Plan and organize workload and job assignments for subordinate personnel.
• Ensure exterior and interior appearances align with Ford Global Design, One Ford product direction, cost and program constraints.
• Conduct program reviews and presentations for design leadership, interfacing with Corporate Senior Management, Product Planning, Strategy, Marketing, Engineering, Digital Media and Program teams.
• Cultivate employee engagement, improve morale, embody culture and steward others toward shared values and ways of working.
• Report to the Chief Designer.

• Bachelor’s degree in Industrial Design, Transportation Design, or equivalent.
• 7+ years’ automotive or transportation design experience, including final design product execution.
• Ability to work independently and provide strong technical‐aesthetic judgment to lead team members.
• Awareness of global automotive and consumer electronics to ensure competitively leading designs.
• Demonstrated creative exterior design perception and capability; a design portfolio (PDF) must be provided upon application.
• Exceptional design intuition, strong problem‐solving skills and superior visual communication through sketches and renderings.
• Ability to think three‑dimensionally with strong emphasis on proportions and refined sense of form.
• Familiarises self with and maintains interest in design trends across automotive, fashion, architectural and other global cultures.
• Outstanding teamwork, leadership, visual, written and verbal communication skills.

Demonstrates expertise in Automotive and Transportation Design, with a strong focus on creative vision, team leadership, and the ability to translate customer insights into innovative vehicle designs. Proficient in visual communication, problem‑solving, and maintaining alignment with global design trends and brand standards.

• Automotive Design Experience
• Creative Vision Leadership
• Visual Communication Skills
• Team Management
• Global Trends Awareness

• Industrial Design
• Transportation Design
• Final Design Product Execution
• Sketch Interpretation
• 3D Thinking
• Design Portfolio Development
• Exterior Design Perception
• Model Progress Management
• Problem‑Solving Skills
• Design Trend Familiarity

• Leadership Skills
• Teamwork
• Communication Skills
• Mentoring
• Employee Engagement

• Bachelor’s Degree in Industrial Design
• Bachelor’s Degree in Transportation Design

• Automotive Industry
• Consumer Electronics
• Design Trends
• User Experience
• Vehicle Architecture