Principal Visual Design Lead — In-Vehicle & Motion

Lincoln Motor Company; Santa Fe (NM); Hybrid; USD 167,000 - 280,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, vision coverage

Parental leave and family care support

Vehicle discount program

Job summary

Ford Motor Company is seeking a principle-level In-Cabin + Visual Design leader to shape motion and visual design across Ford and Lincoln digital experiences. You will define principles, guide exemplar work, and mentor designers while partnering with UX, product, and engineering leaders to deliver cohesive experiences across in-vehicle and mobile touchpoints.

You will communicate a clear vision for visual design, evolve standards, and influence decision-making through strong portfolio and

Qualifications

• A bachelor’s degree in graphic design, visual communication, interaction design, digital product design, or a related field—or equivalent education and experience.
• 8+ years of experience in visual design and/or motion for digital products, including work on complex, consumer-facing experiences.
• A strong portfolio demonstrating high-level visual craft, design systems or languages, and consistent execution across interactive experiences.
• Experience defining, evolving, and scaling design principles, standards, patterns, or guidelines across products or teams.
• Proficiency with modern design and prototyping tools such as Figma, ProtoPie, Adobe Creative Cloud, After Effects, Rive, and/or 3D animation tools.
• Experience leading design work across disciplines and influencing partners without relying solely on formal authority.
• Strong communication and presentation skills, including the ability to explain design rationale and build alignment with diverse stakeholders.
• A collaborative, constructive approach to critique, feedback, and shared problem-solving.

Responsibilities

• Set and communicate a clear vision for visual design across Ford and Lincoln digital experiences, aligning design direction with brand, customer, product, and technical needs.
• Lead the evolution and governance of visual design and motion standards, patterns, and guidance for DPD.
• Shape high-impact design work from early exploration through prototyping and delivery, bringing clarity to complex or ambiguous problems.
• Create and guide exemplar work that demonstrates the quality, craft, and interaction principles expected across products.
• Partner with UX, product, research, brand, and engineering leaders to resolve design challenges and deliver cohesive experiences across in-vehicle and off-vehicle touchpoints.
• Guide teams in applying visual design and motion principles consistently, while adapting appropriately to different products, contexts, and platforms.
• Collaborate with engineering to assess feasibility, define implementation approaches, and maintain design intent through development.
• Lead design critiques and reviews; provide clear, constructive feedback that strengthens work and develops design capability across the organization.
• Mentor and influence designers, helping them grow their visual design and motion skills and deliver stronger outcomes.
• Use customer research, competitive and industry insights, and knowledge of the automotive landscape to inform design direction and identify opportunities.
• Present design strategy, concepts, and recommendations to partners and senior stakeholders, building alignment and supporting sound decisions.
• Help improve design processes, documentation, and handoffs so visual design can be applied consistently and effectively at scale.

Skills

Visual design

Design systems

Motion design

Strong communication

Education

Bachelor’s degree in graphic design or related field

Tools

Figma

ProtoPie

Adobe Creative Cloud

After Effects

Rive

Job description

Ford Motor Company is seeking a principle-level In-Cabin + Visual Design leader to shape motion and visual design across Ford and Lincoln digital experiences. You will define principles, guide exemplar work, and mentor designers while partnering with UX, product, and engineering leaders to deliver cohesive experiences across in-vehicle and mobile touchpoints.

You will communicate a clear vision for visual design, evolve standards, and influence decision-making through strong portfolio and