Product Designer, Design Systems – Governance Specialist

Ford Motor Company

. Review feature designs and proposed components or patterns for consistency, accessibility, and alignment with system standards .

Posted 10/6/2026full-timeDearborn • Michigan • United StatesMid-LevelSenior💰 $85,400 - $192,900 per yearWebsite

Core Competencies

Role fit

Core Competencies

Use this summary to align your resume positioning with the role.

Demonstrates expertise in product design with a focus on design systems, including governance practices and accessibility standards. Proficient in collaboration with cross-functional teams to drive system improvements and maintain clear documentation.

Highest-signal resume keywords

Product Design ExperienceDesign System GovernanceAtomic Design PrinciplesFigma FamiliarityAccessibility Standards (WCAG)

ATS Keywords

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Applicant Tracking System Keywords

Tip: use these terms in your resume and cover letter to boost ATS matches.

Hard Skills

Design System ArchitectureComponent Lifecycle DocumentationVersioning PracticesDesign TokensSystems-Thinking MindsetDesign Review ProcessesComponent Usage TrackingLinting ToolsGovernance ToolsAnalytics Tools

Soft Skills

Strong Communication SkillsFacilitation SkillsConsensus BuildingDocumentation Skills

Tools & Technologies

FigmaStorybook

Certifications & Qualifications

Bachelor's Degree or Equivalent

Industry Keywords

Accessibility IssuesComponent ArchitectureProduct Team FlexibilitySystem Health TrackingGovernance Practices

About the role

Key responsibilities & impact

Review feature designs and proposed components or patterns for consistency, accessibility, and alignment with system standards
Maintain governance practices, including contribution guidelines, review processes, versioning, deprecation, and component lifecycle documentation
Support intake and prioritization of system requests
Prepare review sessions and track decisions, actions, and dependencies
Audit the system for gaps, drift, redundant patterns, outdated components, and accessibility issues
Drive system improvements
Keep documentation and migration guidance clear, discoverable, and up to date
Track adoption and system health, surfacing trends and opportunities for improvement
Socialize governance practices and partner with teams to align roadmaps and resolve questions
Ensure system changes land predictably in product work
Identify governance gaps, develop proposals and workstreams, and improve operating models and production workflows
Share best practices and support teammates working within the system
Partner with designers, product teams, engineering, and accessibility across Ford’s vehicle software and mobile apps

Requirements

What you’ll need

Portfolio submission in addition to a resume is required
Bachelor's degree or equivalent
3+ years of product design experience, including meaningful experience with a design system at scale
Understanding of Atomic Design principles, component architecture, and design tokens
Familiarity with how design systems map to front-end code
Familiarity with Figma or Storybook
Experience reviewing designs or systems for consistency, accessibility (WCAG), and quality
Strong communication, documentation, and facilitation skills
Ability to build consensus without direct authority
Systems-thinking mindset
Ability to balance shared standards with product-team flexibility
Visa sponsorship is not available
Must be legally authorized to work in the United States
Bonus: experience with governance or analytics tools, token management platforms, component usage tracking, or linting tools

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
Family building benefits including adoption and surrogacy expense reimbursement and fertility treatments
Vehicle discount program for employees and family members
Management leases
Tuition assistance
Established and active employee resource groups
Paid time off for individual and team community service
Paid holidays, including the week between Christmas and New Year’s Day
Paid time off
Option to purchase additional vacation time