Road Wheels Design Manager

Ford Motor Company

Design Manager leading the design process for Ford's road wheels. Collaborating with cross-functional teams to bring new wheel designs from concept to production.

Posted 4/15/2026full-timeDearborn • Missouri • 🇺🇸 United StatesMid-LevelSenior💰 $115,500 - $218,100 per yearWebsite

About the role

Key responsibilities & impact

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

What you’ll need

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

Comp & perks

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.

ATS Keywords

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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