Senior Specialist Product Designer

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? 

 

Enterprise Technology plays a critical part in shaping the future of mobility. If you’re looking for the chance to leverage advanced technology to redefine the transportation landscape, enhance the customer experience and improve people’s lives, this is the opportunity for you. Join us and challenge your IT expertise and analytical skills to help create vehicles that are as smart as you are.

 

In this position... 

You'll be working closely as the IT project counterpart to our HR Analyst on a significant initiative. Your main goal will be to ensure the technical success and smooth launch of a new workforce management system for all our hourly employees across the US and Canada. This is a multi-year program focused on replacing our existing legacy timekeeping systems (TWOS and Workforce One) with a single, modern WorkForce Software solution. WorkForce Software is a leader in SaaS for WFM, so this is a chance to work with a top-tier platform! You'll be partnering tightly with IT project managers, the HR team (including their project manager and the HR Analyst), Operations subject matter experts (SMEs), and external solution consultants. Collaboration is key here, as you'll need to bridge the gap between technical capabilities and business needs, while ensuring the design is holistic, sustainable and aligned with Ford IT strategic goals.

 

As an  Senior Specialist Product Designer on this project, you'll focus on a specific technical or functional areas of the WorkForce Software application. You'll be responsible for understanding the system's configuration, how it supports our business requirements and company policies (especially those complex ones driven by union agreements), and ensuring the technology performs as needed.

 

 

What you'll do...

• Dive deep into a specific technical or functional module of the WorkForce Management system, becoming a functional/technical expert. This could be focused on the time calculation engine, scheduling logic, absence accruals, or integration points with other systems.
• Be hands-on in all phases of the system implementation lifecycle – from understanding the technical design possibilities and configuration options, through rigorous testing, supporting the technical aspects of deployment, and providing post-go-live technical support.
• Work hand-in-hand with HR and business stakeholders (in HR, Operations, Finance, etc.) to understand their needs. You'll translate those business requirements into functional and technical specifications that the system configuration and technical team can work with. This includes understanding the unique requirements coming from our Canadian locations.
• Ensure the system configuration and technical setup are compliant with US federal/state laws and, critically, our Collective Bargaining Agreements (CBAs). You'll work with the HR team to validate that the system correctly applies complex union rules for time, attendance, and pay.
• Participate in technical and functional design workshops. You'll analyze how the new system's capabilities align with and support the desired future state business processes, identifying gaps and potential technical solutions.
• Define and document the functional system flows, configuration details, and technical requirements for your assigned area. You'll help ensure clear documentation exists for how the system is built and configured.
• Play a key role in system validation. You'll review system configuration, validate technical setups, and heavily support testing efforts. This means designing and executing functional and potentially technical test cases, and providing technical assistance during User Acceptance Testing (UAT) with the business users.
• Maintain essential project documentation related to the system's configuration, technical design decisions, testing results, and track progress using application metrics or technical reports/dashboards for your specific module.
• Support the communication and training teams by providing system-specific knowledge. You might help develop technical FAQs, system user guides, or provide technical insights to trainers.
• Assist with technical deployment tasks and provide functional/technical support to local teams as they transition to the new system. You'll help troubleshoot system issues and explain system behavior before and after go-live.
• Help users adapt to the new technology by providing reliable system support and helping to troubleshoot issues, contributing to the development of system advocates within the