Colour & Materials Designer

Ford Motor Company

Colour and Materials Designer at Ford Motor Company, driving innovative CMF solutions for vehicle projects. Collaborating on advanced design and production to enhance brand experience.

Posted 5/4/2026full-timeMelbourne • 🇦🇺 AustraliaMid-LevelSeniorWebsite

About the role

Key responsibilities & impact

Lead Visionary CMF Design: Create and drive compelling, innovative Colour, Material, and Finish (CMF) design experiences and visions across various advanced and production projects. This includes developing sensory-rich palettes and material strategies that define the character and premium feel of our vehicles.
Champion Human-Centered CMF: Explore and apply Human-Centered Design principles to CMF, with a strong emphasis on the holistic vehicle experience. Ensure that material choices, colors, and finishes enhance user comfort, interaction, emotional connection, and overall perception of quality, both inside and out.
Coordinate Holistic Design Integration: Coordinate and collaborate with other design disciplines (e.g., exterior, interior, UX/UI) to ensure that CMF strategies are seamlessly integrated, contributing to a cohesive and holistic design vision for the entire vehicle.
Develop Future Brand CMF Identity: Generate forward-thinking, brand-focused CMF design visions that anticipate future trends and translate our brand identity into tangible material and color expressions for upcoming product generations.
Strategic CMF Problem Solving: Lead problem-solving initiatives related to CMF in areas such as connectivity (e.g., integrating new material technologies for sensors or displays), future mobility solutions (e.g., sustainable or lightweight materials), and diverse consumer segments (e.g., tailored CMF options for specific demographics or regional preferences).

Requirements

What you’ll need

Education and Experience: Bachelor’s degree in a relevant design field or equivalent experience, coupled with a minimum of 3 - 5 years of global Automotive or Transportation Colour & Materials Design experience, including expertise in final design product execution.
Design Acumen: Exceptional design intuition, strong problem-solving skills, and a superior ability to visually communicate through compelling imagery and renderings.
CMF Expertise: A strong perception of color and a good understanding of color processes, enabling the interpretation of customer needs and global trends into compelling CMF designs.
Independence and Judgment: Proven ability to work independently while providing strong technical aesthetic judgment.
Technical Skills: Experience in developing artistic presentations and proficiency in 2D/3D digital design media (e.g., Photoshop, VRED, PowerPoint).
Collaboration & Communication: Outstanding teamwork, leadership, visual, written, and verbal communication skills.
Preferred Qualifications:
Manufacturing and Mastering: A good understanding of exterior/interior manufacturing processes, materials, and the mastering process.
Industry Passion and Trends: Passion for the automotive and mobility industry, global trends, innovation, and customer needs, alongside a keen interest in design trends across various professions and global cultures.
Corporate and Collaborative Experience: Experience working within creative cultures and large corporate environments, managing multiple stakeholders across complex projects, and presenting to executive audiences.
Cross-functional Partnership: A demonstrated ability to collaborate effectively with Engineering and other partners to progress design development.

Benefits

Comp & perks

Discounted lease car options.
Multiple Employee Resource Groups – Ford Pride, Women of Ford and Ford Empowering Diverse Abilities.
Flexible Work Arrangements.
Growth and development opportunities via internal and external training.
Paid parental leave from day 1.
Comprehensive Employee Assist Program.
Wellness Programs including Free Flu Vaccinations and Health Checks.
Paid volunteer days.

ATS Keywords

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Applicant Tracking System Keywords

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Hard Skills & Tools

Colour Material Finish (CMF) designHuman-Centered Design2D digital design3D digital designPhotoshopVREDartistic presentationsfinal design product executioncolor processesproblem-solving

Soft Skills

design intuitionvisual communicationindependencejudgmentteamworkleadershipwritten communicationverbal communicationcollaborationstakeholder management