Senior Designer - Branded UI Visual

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Senior Designer - Branded UI Visual

Company: General Motors

Location: Warren, Michigan, United States

Job Type: Full time

Category: UI/UX Design & Visual Operations

Date Posted: 2026-07-24

Experience Level: 5-10 Years

Remote Status: Hybrid (3 days in office)

🚀 Role Summary

• This role focuses on the strategic UI visual design operations for in-vehicle digital experiences, encompassing instrument clusters, touchscreens, and head-up displays (HUDs).

• It involves translating complex user needs, brand identity, and technical requirements into intuitive, visually compelling, and customer-centered interfaces for millions of users.

• The position requires leading design reviews, setting visual quality standards, and mentoring junior designers to ensure cohesive and premium user experiences across digital surfaces.

• A significant aspect of this role is the meticulous creation and delivery of production-ready design assets and specifications to facilitate efficient collaboration and development handoff.

📝 Enhancement Note: While the job title is "Senior Designer - Branded UI Visual," the description emphasizes the operational aspects of delivering digital experiences within a complex product development lifecycle. This suggests a need for strong process management, cross-functional coordination, and a focus on scalable design solutions, aligning it with a nuanced view of "visual operations" within the GTM context.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Design and deliver user interface (UI) visual concepts, mood boards, UI assets, and prototypes for complex in-vehicle digital experiences across assigned product areas.

• Translate user needs, brand direction, business goals, and technical constraints into elegant, intuitive, and visually refined design solutions for digital instrument clusters, touchscreens, and head-up displays (HUDs).

• Lead design reviews, establish and maintain visual quality standards, and clearly communicate design rationale to cross-functional stakeholders and partners.

• Drive alignment across design, engineering, and related teams to ensure cohesive, visually consistent, and premium-quality user experiences across multiple surfaces and screen sizes.

• Utilize research, usability findings, data, and customer feedback to enhance visual clarity, UI usability, and overall customer outcomes for digital interfaces.

• Serve as a visual craft leader, providing expertise, constructive feedback, and mentorship to more junior team members to elevate the design bar.

• Deliver precise, well-documented, and development-ready design files, specifications, and documentation to support efficient collaboration and seamless development handoff.

• Contribute to the evolution of visual language, brand systems, and interface design systems within the automotive digital experience domain.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities highlight a blend of creative design leadership and operational execution, particularly in ensuring consistency and quality across multiple digital touchpoints. The emphasis on "delivering production-ready design files, specifications, and documentation" points to a need for robust process management and clear communication protocols, which are core to operations roles.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education:

• Bachelor’s degree in Visual Design, Graphic Design, Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), Interaction Design, or a closely related discipline. Experience:

• 5+ years of experience designing digital user interfaces (UI) for automotive, embedded systems, mobile, or other complex product experiences.

• Proven experience leading design work from concept through production for complex digital products or systems.

• Experience contributing to brand-forward digital experiences, including visual language, brand systems, or interface design systems is highly preferred. Required Skills:

• Strong portfolio showcasing high-quality visual craft, clear design judgment, polished end-to-end execution, and thoughtful UX problem-solving.

• Exceptional UI visualization, visual communication, digital design, and UX design skills, with a demonstrated ability to create intuitive and customer-centered interfaces.

• Proficiency in creating sketches, mockups, prototypes, presentations, and other essential design communication materials.

• Mastery of industry-standard design tools such as Sketch, Adobe Photoshop, and Adobe Illustrator.

• Ability to work independently, exercise strong judgment, and effectively solve ambiguous or non-standard design challenges.

• Excellent collaboration and communication skills for effective teamwork with cross-functional departments.

• Proven experience presenting design rationale and influencing decisions with stakeholders and project partners.

• Familiarity with the product development lifecycle for digital products, embedded systems, or automotive experiences. Preferred Skills:

• 7+ years of experience designing automotive or other complex digital interfaces across multiple surfaces and screen sizes.

• Experience with prototyping, motion design, animation, or interaction storytelling to enhance user engagement.

• Experience applying usability findings, heuristic evaluations, or customer insights to refine and improve designs.

• Experience mentoring or guiding more junior designers and contributing to raising the design bar across a team.

• Strong systems thinking capabilities applied to visual and interaction design.

📝 Enhancement Note: The qualifications emphasize both creative proficiency and operational rigor. The requirement for a strong portfolio, proficiency in specific design tools, and experience with the full product development lifecycle are critical for assessing a candidate's ability to execute and manage design operations effectively within a large organization.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• A robust portfolio is mandatory, showcasing high-quality visual craft, astute design judgment, and polished end-to-end execution of digital interfaces, particularly within complex product environments.

• Demonstrate clear UX problem-solving abilities through case studies that highlight the candidate's thought process from problem identification to solution implementation.

• Include examples of how design decisions were translated into production-ready assets and specifications, emphasizing precision and detail for development handoff.

• Showcase experience in developing and applying visual language, brand systems, or interface design systems, indicating an understanding of scalable design operations.

• Present work that reflects an ability to balance visual design excellence with solid UX thinking to create clear, intuitive customer experiences. Process Documentation:

• Provide examples of how design rationale was clearly communicated and how decisions were influenced for cross-functional stakeholders and partners, demonstrating effective process articulation.

• Include documentation of how user needs, brand direction, business goals, and technical constraints were translated into elegant design solutions, showcasing a structured design process.

• Showcase how research, usability findings, data, and feedback were utilized to strengthen visual clarity and UI usability, indicating a data-informed design process.

• Demonstrate experience with delivering precise, well-documented, and development-ready design files, specifications, and documentation for efficient collaboration and development handoff.

📝 Enhancement Note: This section is crucial for operations-focused roles. The emphasis on a portfolio that demonstrates process, documentation, and the ability to translate strategic intent into actionable design assets highlights the operational backbone required for successful design delivery at scale.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range:

• Based on industry benchmarks for Senior UI/Visual Designers in the automotive sector in the Michigan area, with 5-10 years of experience, a competitive salary range is estimated between $120,000 - $170,000 annually. This range is subject to variations based on the candidate's specific experience, skills, and the final negotiation. Benefits:

• Comprehensive health, dental, and vision insurance plans.

• Retirement savings plan with company matching (e.g., 401(k)).

• Paid time off, including vacation, sick leave, and holidays.

• Potential for relocation benefits to assist with moving expenses.

• Employee assistance programs and wellness initiatives.

• Opportunities for professional development and continuous learning.

• Access to employee discounts on GM vehicles and services. Working Hours:

• Standard full-time position, typically around 40 hours per week.

• Hybrid work arrangement requires reporting to the Warren, Michigan office at least 3 days per week, allowing for flexibility on remote workdays.

📝 Enhancement Note: Salary estimation is based on aggregated data from industry job boards and salary survey sites for Senior UI/Visual Designers in the Detroit metropolitan area, considering the 5-10 year experience bracket. The inclusion of "relocation benefits" is directly from the provided job data.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Automotive Manufacturing & Technology. General Motors is a global leader in the automotive industry, focusing on developing innovative solutions for a future of zero crashes, zero emissions, and zero congestion. This industry context implies a fast-paced, technologically driven environment with a strong emphasis on product quality and user experience.

Company Size: Large Enterprise (10,000+ employees). Working within a large organization like GM means opportunities for significant impact, cross-functional collaboration with diverse teams, and access to extensive resources, but also requires navigating established processes and structures.

Founded: 1908. With a long history, GM has a deep understanding of manufacturing, engineering, and market dynamics, which informs its current approach to innovation and design.

Team Structure:

• Operations Focus: The Human Interface Design – Vehicle Studio likely comprises specialized teams focusing on different aspects of the in-vehicle digital experience (e.g., instrument clusters, infotainment, HUDs, driver assistance interfaces).

• Reporting Structure: Senior Designers typically report to Design Managers or Directors, with a dotted line to project leads or product managers for specific vehicle programs.

• Cross-functional Collaboration: This role necessitates close collaboration with UX Researchers, Software Engineers, Product Managers, Brand Strategists, and other Automotive Designers to ensure a cohesive and functional product.

Methodology:

• Data-Driven Design: Emphasis on using research, usability findings, and customer data to inform and validate design decisions.

• Agile/Iterative Development: Likely employing iterative design processes, especially in collaboration with software engineering teams, to quickly adapt to feedback and technical constraints.

• Human-Centered Design: A core principle is creating intuitive and customer-centric experiences, aligning with GM's vision for accessibility and user satisfaction.

Company Website: https://www.gm.com/

📝 Enhancement Note: The company culture at GM is described as focused on driving meaningful change, fostering inclusion, and belonging. For an operations role, this suggests an environment where process improvements and collaborative problem-solving are valued, contributing to the broader company mission.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: Senior Designer. This level indicates a role with significant autonomy and responsibility for design execution and quality. It involves not just individual contribution but also influencing design direction and mentoring others, aligning with operational leadership in design.

Reporting Structure: The Senior Designer will report to a Design Manager or Director within the Human Interface Design – Vehicle Studio. They will also work closely with Product Managers and Engineering leads on specific vehicle programs, requiring strong stakeholder management skills.

Operations Impact: This role directly impacts the customer's perception of GM vehicles through the digital interface. Successful visual design operations contribute to enhanced user satisfaction, brand loyalty, and the overall premium feel of GM products, ultimately influencing purchase decisions and market competitiveness.

Growth Opportunities:

• Leadership Advancement: Potential to grow into a Lead Designer or Design Manager role, overseeing larger projects or teams and taking on more strategic operational responsibilities.

• Specialization: Opportunities to deepen expertise in specific areas like advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS) interfaces, infotainment UX, or emerging HMI technologies.

• Cross-Functional Mobility: Potential to move into related roles within product management, UX strategy, or design operations management.

• Skill Development: Continuous learning opportunities through internal training, external conferences, and hands-on experience with cutting-edge automotive technology and design tools.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "Senior" designation implies a need for strategic thinking and operational oversight rather than just task execution. Growth opportunities highlight a path toward more strategic design operations leadership.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: Hybrid. The role is based at the GM Global Technical Center - Design Center in Warren, Michigan, requiring 3 days per week in the office. This setup balances the benefits of in-person collaboration and oversight with the flexibility of remote work.

Office Location(s): GM Global Technical Center - Design Center, Warren, Michigan, United States. This is a major hub for GM's design and engineering efforts, suggesting a dynamic and resource-rich environment.

Workspace Context:

• Collaborative Environment: The Design Center is designed to foster collaboration. Expect to work in open studio spaces, meeting rooms, and potentially specialized labs for user testing and prototyping.

• Operations Tools & Technology: Access to state-of-the-art design software, hardware, and potentially advanced visualization or simulation tools relevant to automotive HMI development.

• Team Interaction: Frequent opportunities for informal and formal interactions with fellow designers, researchers, engineers, and product managers, crucial for aligning design operations.

Work Schedule: Standard business hours, typically 40 hours per week, with the hybrid model allowing for some flexibility in structuring the work week around the 3-day in-office requirement. This schedule supports the iterative and collaborative nature of design operations.

📝 Enhancement Note: The hybrid nature and location at a major technical center indicate an environment geared towards both focused individual work and robust team collaboration, essential for the operational delivery of complex design projects.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: HR or recruiter call to assess basic qualifications, interest, and cultural fit.

• Portfolio Review (Round 1): Presentation of a curated portfolio to design leadership. Focus on visual craft, UX problem-solving, and end-to-end execution within complex digital products. Be prepared to discuss design rationale and process.

• Technical/Design Interview (Round 2): Deeper dive into design skills, tool proficiency, and understanding of UI/UX principles. May involve a design exercise or whiteboard session.

• Cross-functional/Stakeholder Interview (Round 3): Discussion with potential collaborators (e.g., engineering, product management) to assess communication, collaboration, and ability to influence.

• Final Interview: Meeting with senior leadership to discuss strategic vision, leadership potential, and overall fit with the team and GM's design philosophy.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Curate Strategically: Select 3-5 of your strongest projects that best demonstrate your skills in UI visual design, UX problem-solving, and experience with complex digital interfaces, ideally with automotive or embedded systems examples.

• Tell a Story: For each project, clearly articulate the problem, your role, the design process, key decisions, challenges faced, and the final outcome, emphasizing metrics or impact where possible.

• Highlight Visual Craft: Showcase your attention to detail, mastery of visual design principles (typography, color, layout), and ability to create polished, high-fidelity assets.

• Demonstrate Process: Explain how you translated user needs, brand guidelines, and technical constraints into your designs. Show sketches, wireframes, prototypes, and final production-ready assets.

• Be Prepared for Questions: Anticipate questions about your design choices, how you handle feedback, and your experience working in collaborative or challenging environments.

Challenge Preparation:

• Design Exercise: Be prepared for a potential design challenge that might involve creating a UI concept for a specific in-vehicle feature or refining an existing interface. Focus on demonstrating your thought process, visual execution, and ability to work within constraints.

• Problem-Solving Scenarios: Practice articulating how you would approach ambiguous design problems, gather requirements, and collaborate with engineers and product managers.

• Process Articulation: Be ready to discuss how you ensure design quality, manage handoffs to development, and contribute to design systems or brand guidelines.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on a portfolio review and potential design challenges highlights the operational aspect of design – the ability to deliver tangible, high-quality output within a structured process.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Sketch: For UI design, wireframing, and prototyping of digital interfaces.

• Adobe Photoshop: For image editing, asset creation, and complex visual manipulations.

• Adobe Illustrator: For vector graphics, icon design, and scalable asset creation.

• Prototyping Tools: (e.g., Figma, InVision, Axure) for creating interactive mockups and demonstrating user flows.

Analytics & Reporting:

• Familiarity with how design impacts user behavior metrics (e.g., task completion rates, time on task, error rates) is beneficial, though direct analytics tool usage may be handled by other teams. CRM & Automation:

• Not directly applicable to this design role, but understanding how design integrates with the broader product development and customer experience lifecycle is key. Other Potential Tools:

• Figma: Increasingly common for collaborative design and prototyping.

• After Effects/Motion Design Tools: For creating animations and motion graphics to enhance UI interactions.

• Zeplin/Abstract: For design handoff and version control.

• JIRA/Confluence: For project management and documentation, common in cross-functional tech environments.

📝 Enhancement Note: Proficiency in industry-standard design tools is critical. The mention of "production-ready graphics" and "development-ready design files" implies a need for meticulous use of these tools to ensure seamless integration into the product development pipeline.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Craftsmanship & Quality: A strong emphasis on delivering visually polished, high-quality designs that reflect GM's premium brand.

• Customer-Centricity: Designing with the end-user experience at the forefront, ensuring intuitive and satisfying interactions.

• Collaboration & Communication: Valuing teamwork across design, engineering, and product teams to achieve cohesive product solutions.

• Innovation & Forward-Thinking: Driving the future of automotive interfaces and contributing to GM's vision of "Zero Crashes, Zero Emissions, Zero Congestion."

• Attention to Detail: Meticulous approach to design execution, asset creation, and documentation to ensure successful implementation.

Collaboration Style:

• Cross-functional Integration: Active participation in team meetings, design reviews, and workshops with engineers, researchers, and product managers.

• Feedback Exchange: Openness to constructive criticism and the ability to provide clear, actionable feedback to peers and junior designers.

• Knowledge Sharing: Willingness to share expertise, best practices, and insights on visual design trends and methodologies within the team.

• Process Improvement: Contributing to the refinement of design workflows and handoff processes to enhance efficiency and quality.

📝 Enhancement Note: The team culture emphasizes both creative excellence and operational efficiency. Collaboration and communication are highlighted as key to success, reflecting the operational demands of working in a large, complex organization.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Balancing Innovation with Constraints: Navigating the technical limitations and strict timelines inherent in automotive product development while pushing creative boundaries.

• Maintaining Brand Consistency: Ensuring a unified visual identity and user experience across a wide range of vehicle models, trim levels, and digital surfaces.

• Cross-Functional Alignment: Effectively communicating design intent and gaining buy-in from diverse stakeholders with varying priorities and technical backgrounds.

• Evolving Technology: Keeping pace with rapid advancements in automotive technology, display capabilities, and user interaction paradigms.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Specialized Training: Access to GM's internal training programs, workshops, and potentially external courses focused on advanced UI/UX design, automotive HMI, and emerging technologies.

• Industry Exposure: Opportunities to attend industry conferences and events related to automotive design, technology, and user experience.

• Mentorship: Guidance from experienced design leaders within GM, fostering career growth and skill development.

• Exposure to New Projects: Working on diverse vehicle programs and digital features provides continuous learning and exposure to new challenges and technologies.

📝 Enhancement Note: Understanding these challenges and growth opportunities is key for candidates to assess their fit and potential within the role and the company's operational framework.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe a complex digital interface you designed for a product with multiple surfaces and constraints. What was your process, and what was the outcome?" (Focus on end-to-end execution, problem-solving, and impact.)

• "How do you ensure visual consistency and brand alignment across different digital touchpoints within a product ecosystem?" (Prepare to discuss design systems, style guides, and collaboration.)

• "Walk us through a time you had to influence stakeholders or engineering teams to adopt your design vision. What strategies did you use?" (Highlight communication, persuasion, and data-driven rationale.) Company & Culture Questions:

• "What excites you about designing for the automotive industry and General Motors' vision for the future?" (Research GM's mission, recent innovations, and future plans.)

• "How do you approach mentoring junior designers and contributing to a team's overall design quality?" (Showcase leadership potential and collaborative spirit.)

• "How do you incorporate user feedback and data into your design process to improve UI usability and customer outcomes?" (Demonstrate a user-centered and data-informed approach.) Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Structure: Organize your portfolio by project, clearly outlining the problem, your role, the design process, challenges, solutions, and outcomes. Use visuals effectively.

• Narrative: Tell a compelling story for each project, highlighting your strategic thinking and design rationale.

• Visual Craft: Ensure high-fidelity mockups and prototypes are polished and professional.

• Process Details: Be ready to discuss specific tools, techniques, and how you managed design handoffs to development teams.

• Conciseness: Be mindful of time and focus on the most impactful aspects of your work.

📝 Enhancement Note: Interview preparation should focus on demonstrating not only design talent but also operational capability – the ability to manage processes, collaborate effectively, and deliver high-quality results within a structured environment.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this operations-focused design position:

• Submit your application through the provided Workday link.

• Portfolio Customization: Tailor your portfolio to highlight projects demonstrating strong UI visual design, UX problem-solving, and experience with complex digital interfaces, ideally in automotive or embedded systems. Ensure it showcases end-to-end execution and production-ready asset delivery.

• Resume Optimization: Update your resume to clearly articulate your experience with UI/UX design, visual design craft, tool proficiency (Sketch, Adobe Suite), and cross-functional collaboration. Quantify achievements where possible and use keywords from the job description.

• Interview Preparation: Practice presenting your portfolio, focusing on explaining your design process, rationale, and the operational aspects of your work (e.g., handoffs, documentation). Prepare responses to common interview questions related to design strategy, problem-solving, and teamwork.

• Company Research: Thoroughly research General Motors' current product lineup, design language, and future vision (e.g., Ultium platform, autonomous driving initiatives). Understand their commitment to "Zero Crashes, Zero Emissions, Zero Congestion."

⚠️ Important Notice: This enhanced job description includes AI-generated insights and operations industry-standard assumptions. All details should be verified directly with the hiring organization before making application decisions.