Senior Manager, UX Design & Research Strategy

Senior Manager, UX Design & Research Strategy 

 

We are the movers of the world and the makers of the future. We get up every day, roll up our sleeves and build a better world -- together. At Ford, we’re all a part of something bigger than ourselves. Are you ready to change the way the world moves? 

In this position... 

Ford is transforming the way customers experience vehicle ownership. The Customer Success Product Portfolio Strategy team is customer-obsessed, entrepreneurial, data-driven and dedicated to delivering industry-leading customer experiences for our owners. You’ll join an agile team of doers pioneering our future by working collaboratively, staying focused on only what matters, and delivering excellence day in and day out. 

 

What you'll do...

We’re looking for a design leader to join the Customer Success Product Portfolio Strategy team which has rich expertise in product design and research. You will lead a group of talented design and research strategists that span across key pillars of the Ford Customer Service organization. Experience in creating design strategy, working closely with user researchers and a deep understanding of product development is essential. 

• Work alongside FCSD leadership and your team to define the user experience strategy that will allow our business domains to win against the competition in market now and in the future. 
• Lead and mentor designers and researchers, upleveling craft and fostering a culture of growth. 
• Structure and scale the team against priorities and future expansion needs. 
• Build strong relationships across a variety of cross functional teams to create a collaborative environment and encourage deep partnerships. 
• Understand the big picture and communicate with clarity of vision and a focus on execution that enables our teams to rapidly align, build, operationalize, and go to market. 
• Lead efforts to rapidly conceive, prototype, and test new products, services, and experiences to evaluate desirability, feasibility, and viability across our customer experience strategy 
• Champion quick, scrappy, and iterative approaches to researching & testing hypotheses 
• Oversee the development and maintenance of detailed end-to-end design documents, customer journey maps, and service blueprints. 
• Translate business strategy and user needs into differentiated experiences that deliver value for our customers, our dealers, and profitability for Ford. 
• Maintain a user-centered focus from the early stages of research and design to making continuous improvements based on customer feedback. 
• Define dealer capabilities required to deliver prioritized experience, focusing on technology and change management. This includes identifying training and optimal approach to scale with our dealer partners. 

You'll have...

• Bachelor's Degree or equivalent combination of relevant education and experience.
• 7+ years of experience holding user experience design roles, especially working closely with business, product, and engineering stakeholders. 
• 4+ years of experience in a senior management and leadership role. 
• 5+ years of experience with Agile, SAFe, and Lean portfolio management practice 

Even better, you may have...

• Master’s degree or MBA 
• Experience in automotive, mobility, or customer experience domains 
• Portfolio of design work – driven by yourself or a team you led - that demonstrates your skills in design strategy and research, UI development, and prototype creation. 
• Highly proficient in prototyping tools (Sketch, Figma, etc.) 
• Ability to create design artifacts including mood boards, storyboards, creative briefs, 3D models, product renderings, cardboard/foam-core models, or prototypes of varying levels of fidelity. 
• Experience with lean UX, agile methodologies and helping teams effectively apply this thinking. 
• Strong strategic thinking and problem solving skills; able to use research and data to translate ambiguous problems into elegant solutions 
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills; able to engage effectively at all levels from executive leadership to customers, across geographies and cultures 
• Comfort navigating ambiguity, establishing goals and crafting a plan in a fast-paced, rapidly changing environment 
• Monitor portfolio health, risks, dependencies, and KPIs. Provide regular updates to senior leadership with actionable insights. 
• Act as a strategic liaison between business units, technology teams, data and analytics teams, and executive leadership to ensure transparency and alignment. 
• Strategic mindset with operational rigor 
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