Ford Motor Company

Road Wheels Design Manager

Ford Motor Company

full-time

Posted on:

Location Type: Hybrid

Location: Dearborn • Missouri • United States

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Salary

💰 $115,500 - $218,100 per year

About the role

  • Drive the creation of novel and unique road wheel designs and technologies that address meaningful problems for customers.
  • Identify design opportunities and actionable concepts that align with user and business needs, Ford and Lincoln design principles, and technical capabilities specific to wheel manufacturing and vehicle integration.
  • Serve as the expert on the team for all aspects of road wheel prototyping and design visualization methods.
  • Be the expert in creating road wheel design solutions that are deeply rooted in customer and user insights.
  • Demonstrate leadership throughout the entire road wheel design process, from inspiration and research to building prototypes and communicating a clear vision.
  • Apply systems thinking to road wheel design, ensuring seamless integration with vehicle architecture, performance, and overall brand aesthetic.
  • Bring clarity and focus through effective communication of road wheel functional needs, aesthetic sensibilities, and manufacturing considerations.
  • Partner to support the initial design and development of road wheel concepts, designing and iterating key program applications of wheel design strategies.

Requirements

  • Bachelor’s degree in industrial design, Transportation Design, Mechanical Engineering with a strong design focus, or a related field.
  • Senior Designer level experience in the automotive industry, a transportation sector supplier, or a design consultancy with a focus on physical products.
  • Proficiency with Adobe Creative Suite design tools.
  • Proficiency with at least one 3D modeling software application (e.g., Alias AutoStudio, Rhino, Blender, CATIA, SolidWorks).
  • Proficiency in relevant presentation applications (e.g., PowerPoint, Keynote, or similar).
  • 5+ years of Industrial Design or Transportation Design studio work experience, specifically within the automotive or wheel manufacturing industry.
  • Exceptional creativity and demonstrated inventiveness towards road wheel features and functional solutions.
  • Exceptional ability to translate customer and research inputs into relevant, highly desirable, and feasible road wheel solutions.
  • Exceptional communication skills through presentation and storytelling, particularly in conveying design intent for complex physical products.
  • Exceptional product design aesthetic sensibilities, with a keen eye for automotive wheel design trends and brand identity.
  • Exceptional sketching, visualization, modeling, and presentation skills tailored to automotive components.
  • Exceptional 2D application skills (e.g., Photoshop, Illustrator, etc.).
  • Exceptional 3D application skills (e.g., Alias AutoStudio, VRED, Rhino, Maya or Blender).
  • Demonstrated ability to lead projects and a team of people through the design process in a multidisciplinary team environment, specifically in an automotive product development context.
  • Demonstrated ability to build low-fidelity prototypes (e.g., hands-on with foam, clay, 3D printing) and a strong understanding of wheel production methods and prototyping processes (e.g., casting, forging, machining).
  • Demonstrated ability to translate design vision into animated story-form through creative use of digital presentation applications (including AI visualization tools).
  • Demonstrated ability to develop road wheel design proposals from concept to production.
  • Knowledge of materials science and structural requirements pertinent to automotive wheel design.
Benefits
  • 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, fertility treatments, and more
  • 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.
Applicant Tracking System Keywords

Tip: use these terms in your resume and cover letter to boost ATS matches.

Hard Skills & Tools
industrial designtransportation designmechanical engineeringroad wheel prototypingdesign visualization3D modelingproduct designmaterials sciencewheel production methodssketching
Soft Skills
creativitycommunicationleadershipstorytellingteam collaborationproblem-solvingcustomer insight translationdesign intent communicationaesthetic sensibilityproject management