UX Quality Specialist

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: UX Quality Specialist

Company: Ford

Location: Dearborn, Michigan, United States

Job Type: FULL_TIME

Category: User Experience (UX) / Product Design Operations

Date Posted: 2026-05-06T20:30:11

Experience Level: 2-5 years

Remote Status: Hybrid

🚀 Role Summary

• This role focuses on ensuring the quality and user experience of digital interfaces within Ford and Lincoln vehicles, specifically for Driver Information Displays and Touchscreens.

• It involves leveraging AI and LLMs to analyze vast amounts of customer feedback, identifying key areas for UX design improvement and defect resolution.

• The specialist will act as a crucial link between customer insights, product design, and engineering to ensure that implemented designs align with user expectations and design intent.

• Key to this position is the ability to track UX issues from identification through to closure, maintaining program status and escalating where necessary to ensure timely resolution.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role is positioned within the "Digital Product Design (DPD)" team, specifically supporting the "Customer Confidence & Centerstack team leadership" and the "Digital Experience Quality center of excellence." This indicates a focus on operationalizing UX quality within a large automotive product development lifecycle, bridging design intent with real-world user experience and product implementation. The emphasis on AI/LLMs for feedback analysis suggests a forward-thinking approach to data-driven design improvement, a critical aspect of modern operations.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Review and analyze customer feedback from various sources to identify and prioritize necessary UX design updates for in-vehicle Driver Information Displays and Centerstack Touchscreens.

• Provide constructive input on product designs, ensuring seamless integration into the overall in-vehicle user experience and alignment with customer needs.

• Develop and refine AI prompts (LLMs) to effectively categorize and extract actionable insights from large, diverse databases of customer feedback, supplementing with manual verification for accuracy.

• Conduct thorough validation of Driver Information UX and visual appearance quality to guarantee an optimal user experience and adherence to design specifications.

• Meticulously track all identified UX issues, including design flaws or defects, from initial reporting through to final resolution, documenting program status on health charts.

• Proactively escalate unresolved issues that are not being addressed in a timely manner to relevant stakeholders and leadership.

• Collaborate with Product Management, Engineering, and Product Designers to create and maintain a single, prioritized list of UX and appearance quality updates for Driver Information Displays and Centerstack Touchscreens.

• Support the development and implementation of new tools and processes aimed at early identification and mitigation of UX issues within the product development cycle.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities clearly indicate a need for strong analytical skills, process management, and cross-functional collaboration. The role requires not just identifying issues but actively managing their resolution through a structured process, which is a hallmark of effective operations. The mention of "health charts" and "escalating issues" points to a requirement for familiarity with project management and reporting frameworks commonly used in operations.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Ergonomics, Interactive Design, or an equivalent combination of relevant education and professional experience.

Experience:

• 3+ years of experience in user interface (UI) or user interaction (UX) design.

Required Skills:

• Proficiency in analyzing customer feedback to identify actionable UX insights.

• Experience in UI/UX design principles and best practices for digital interfaces.

• Familiarity with the automotive product development lifecycle and in-vehicle digital systems.

• Excellent teamwork, leadership, interpersonal, and communication skills, with a high attention to detail.

• Ability to work collaboratively in a fast-paced, cross-functional team environment.

Preferred Skills:

• 4+ years of user interface or user interactive design experience.

• 2+ years of usability testing experience.

• 2+ years of concept validation experience.

• 2+ years of LLM prompt engineering experience.

• 2+ years of UX prototyping experience.

• Proficient with design and project management tools including Figma, JIRA, and Microsoft Office Suite.

• A strong passion for User Experience and Customer-Centered Design.

• Comfort working with evolving demands and changing deadlines.

📝 Enhancement Note: The distinction between required and preferred skills highlights a clear path for growth within the role and the organization. The emphasis on specific tools like Figma and JIRA, alongside LLM prompt engineering, points to a need for candidates who are not only design-minded but also technically adept and process-oriented, aligning with operational efficiency.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Showcase examples of UI/UX design work, particularly for digital displays or interactive systems, demonstrating a clear understanding of user flow and interaction design.

• Include case studies that highlight your process for identifying and solving user pain points, with a focus on how your solutions improved user experience or met specific design goals.

• Demonstrate experience with data analysis for design improvement, including how you've used customer feedback or testing results to inform design decisions.

• Provide examples of work that required close collaboration with engineering or product teams, illustrating your ability to translate design concepts into implementable solutions.

Process Documentation:

• Evidence of experience in documenting UX issues, including creating bug reports or tracking tickets that clearly articulate the problem, its impact, and proposed solutions.

• Examples of how you have contributed to or developed workflows for issue tracking and resolution within a product development or quality assurance context.

• Documentation of your process for reviewing and validating designs against specifications or user requirements, ensuring quality and adherence to standards.

• Experience in creating status reports or contributing to health charts that communicate program progress, risks, and issues to stakeholders.

📝 Enhancement Note: For a UX Quality Specialist role focused on operations, a portfolio is crucial. It should not only display design output but also the candidate's systematic approach to quality assurance, issue management, and data-driven refinement. Demonstrating experience with process documentation and issue tracking tools is as important as showcasing design skills, as it highlights operational proficiency.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: $115,000 - $192,900 USD per year. This is a salary grade 8 position. Final determination of salary grade and base salary will be based on the candidate's skills, experience, job scope, responsibility, and competitive market value.

Benefits:

• Immediate medical, dental, vision, and prescription drug coverage.

• Flexible family care days, paid parental leave, and new parent ramp-up programs.

• Subsidized back-up child care and family building benefits including adoption and surrogacy expense reimbursement, and fertility treatments.

• Vehicle discount program for employees and family members, along with management leases.

• Tuition assistance programs.

• Established and active employee resource groups.

• Paid time off for individual and team community service.

• A generous schedule of paid holidays, including the week between Christmas and New Year’s Day.

• Paid time off and the option to purchase additional vacation time.

Working Hours: Standard full-time hours (approximately 40 hours per week), with a hybrid work arrangement.

📝 Enhancement Note: The provided salary range of $115,000-$192,900 USD for a UX Quality Specialist at Ford in Dearborn, MI, aligns with industry benchmarks for experienced professionals in the automotive and tech sectors. This range reflects the blend of design expertise, operational process management, and technical skills required for the role. The comprehensive benefits package is typical for a large, established automotive manufacturer like Ford, emphasizing employee well-being and work-life integration.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Automotive Manufacturing and Technology. Ford is a global leader in designing, manufacturing, marketing, and servicing a full line of cars, trucks, SUVs, and electrified vehicles. The company is actively transforming through digital product design and advanced technologies.

Company Size: Large enterprise (Ford is a Fortune 500 company with a global workforce exceeding 100,000 employees). This size offers stability, extensive resources, and opportunities for diverse career paths, but also implies structured processes and potentially longer decision-making cycles.

Founded: 1903. With over a century of history, Ford has a deep-rooted legacy of innovation and a strong brand presence, now focusing on the future of mobility and digital experiences.

Team Structure:

• The role sits within the Digital Product Design (DPD) organization, specifically supporting the Customer Confidence & Centerstack team.

• This team is part of a broader "Digital Experience Quality center of excellence" within DPD.

Methodology:

• Data-Driven Design: Emphasis on using customer feedback, AI/LLM analysis, and validation results to drive design decisions and improvements.

• Process Optimization: Focus on developing and implementing new tools and processes for early issue identification and efficient issue tracking/resolution.

• Agile Collaboration: Working in a fast-paced, cross-functional environment suggests an agile or iterative approach to product development and design refinement.

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

📝 Enhancement Note: Ford's established position in the automotive industry, coupled with its significant investment in digital transformation, presents a unique context for a UX Quality Specialist. The company culture likely balances a strong engineering and manufacturing heritage with a growing emphasis on user-centric digital experiences. The "center of excellence" designation for digital experience quality suggests a strategic focus on improving operational efficiency and customer satisfaction through systematic quality control.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This role is classified as a mid-level position (experience level 2-5 years, salary grade 8). It requires a solid foundation in UX design principles and practical experience in product development, with an added operational focus on quality assurance and process management. The role is designed for an individual contributor who can execute tasks independently but also collaborate effectively within a team.

Reporting Structure: The UX Quality Specialist will report to experienced leadership within the Customer Confidence & Centerstack team. They will work closely with Product Managers, Engineers, and other Product Designers, requiring strong collaboration and communication skills to influence design and development decisions.

Operations Impact: The impact of this role is directly tied to enhancing customer satisfaction and confidence in Ford and Lincoln vehicles by ensuring intuitive, high-quality digital experiences. By identifying and resolving UX issues, the specialist contributes to a smoother product development lifecycle, reduces costly post-launch fixes, and ultimately strengthens brand loyalty and perception. The use of AI/LLMs for feedback analysis represents an operational efficiency gain, allowing for faster and more comprehensive insights into user sentiment.

Growth Opportunities:

• Specialization: Deepen expertise in automotive UX quality, AI-driven feedback analysis, and prompt engineering for user experience applications.

• Leadership: Progress to senior specialist or lead roles, managing specific UX quality initiatives or mentoring junior team members.

• Cross-functional Mobility: Transition into roles within Product Management, UX Research, or broader Digital Product Design leadership within Ford.

• Process Improvement: Lead the development and implementation of new quality assurance tools and methodologies, driving operational excellence within the DPD organization.

📝 Enhancement Note: The growth trajectory for a UX Quality Specialist at an organization like Ford offers a blend of technical UX specialization and operational process leadership. Candidates can expect to develop skills in managing complex feedback systems, leveraging AI for operational insights, and contributing to the continuous improvement of product development processes within a large, matrixed organization.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: This is a hybrid role. Candidates are expected to be in commuting distance to a Ford hub location (Dearborn, MI) and will be required to be onsite four or more days per week. This indicates a commitment to in-person collaboration and team synergy while offering some flexibility.

Office Location(s): Dearborn, Michigan, United States. This is a major hub for Ford Motor Company, offering a vibrant work environment with access to extensive company resources and facilities.

Workspace Context:

• Collaborative Environment: The hybrid model and cross-functional nature of the role necessitate a workspace that supports team interaction, brainstorming, and co-creation. Expect shared office spaces, meeting rooms equipped for hybrid collaboration, and opportunities for informal discussions.

• Tools and Technology: Access to the latest design software (Figma), project management tools (JIRA), and standard office productivity suites (Microsoft Office) will be provided. The role also involves working with AI/LLM platforms for data analysis.

• Team Interaction: Regular face-to-face interactions with product managers, engineers, and other designers will be integral to the role, fostering a culture of shared problem-solving and continuous feedback.

Work Schedule: A standard full-time work schedule (approximately 40 hours per week) is expected. The hybrid arrangement allows for a balance between remote work and in-office presence, accommodating the need for focused work and collaborative sessions.

📝 Enhancement Note: The hybrid requirement of "four or more days per week" is significant. It suggests that Ford values in-person collaboration and team cohesion for this specific role, likely due to the nature of UX quality assurance and cross-functional alignment discussions. Candidates should be prepared for a structured hybrid schedule.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: A review of your application, resume, and any submitted portfolio to assess qualifications and experience alignment.

• Technical/Skills Assessment: This may involve a phone or video interview with a hiring manager or team lead to discuss your UX design background, problem-solving approach, and experience with relevant tools (Figma, JIRA, AI/LLMs).

• Portfolio Presentation: A dedicated session where you will present selected case studies from your portfolio, detailing your process, design decisions, and the impact of your work. Be prepared to discuss how you've used data and customer feedback.

• Cross-functional Team Interview: You may meet with members from Product Management, Engineering, or other design teams to assess your collaboration style, communication skills, and ability to integrate into a diverse team.

• Final Interview: A concluding discussion, potentially with senior leadership, to evaluate overall fit, strategic thinking, and alignment with Ford's culture and values.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Curate Strategically: Select 3-5 of your strongest projects that best demonstrate your UX design process, problem-solving capabilities, and experience with quality assurance or data analysis. Prioritize automotive or complex digital interface projects if available.

• Highlight Process & Impact: For each project, clearly articulate the problem statement, your role, the design process followed, the tools used (especially Figma, JIRA, LLMs), the challenges encountered, your solutions, and the quantifiable outcomes or user impact.

• Showcase Data & AI Usage: If you have experience using customer feedback, usability testing data, or AI/LLMs for analysis and improvement, make this a prominent part of your case studies. Explain your prompt engineering process if applicable.

• Prepare for Questions: Be ready to discuss your design rationale, how you handle conflicting feedback, your approach to issue tracking, and how you collaborate with technical teams.

Challenge Preparation:

• UX Problem-Solving: You might be given a hypothetical scenario or a current Ford product feature to critique and propose improvements for. Focus on user-centered design principles and data-informed solutions.

• Process Mapping: Be prepared to discuss how you would map out a process for tracking and resolving UX issues or how you would integrate AI feedback analysis into an existing workflow.

• Stakeholder Communication: Practice articulating complex technical or design concepts clearly and concisely, as you'll need to communicate with diverse stakeholders.

📝 Enhancement Note: The interview process for a role like this at Ford will likely be thorough, emphasizing both design craft and operational rigor. A strong portfolio that demonstrates a systematic approach to quality, issue management, and data utilization, particularly with AI/LLMs, will be crucial for success. Candidates should be ready to articulate their problem-solving methodologies and collaboration strategies.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Figma: Essential for UI/UX design, prototyping, and collaboration. Proficiency in creating design systems, interactive prototypes, and collaborating on shared files is expected.

• JIRA: Crucial for issue tracking, project management, and workflow management. Experience in creating tickets, managing sprints, and using JIRA for bug tracking and feature development is highly valued.

• Microsoft Office Suite: Standard productivity tools (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) for documentation, data analysis, and presentations. Excel proficiency for data manipulation and reporting is particularly important.

Analytics & Reporting:

• Customer Feedback Platforms: Familiarity with tools used to aggregate and analyze customer feedback (e.g., survey tools, social listening platforms, internal feedback systems).

• Data Analysis Tools: While not explicitly listed, basic proficiency in data analysis tools or methodologies will be beneficial for interpreting feedback trends and validation results. Experience with tools like Tableau or Power BI for dashboard creation could be a plus.

CRM & Automation:

• Internal Ford Systems: While specific CRM or automation tools used internally are not detailed, candidates should be adaptable and capable of learning new enterprise-level systems. Experience with any large-scale CRM or workflow automation platforms can be transferable.

• LLM Platforms: Experience with Large Language Models (LLMs) for tasks such as text categorization, sentiment analysis, and prompt engineering for extracting insights from unstructured data.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on Figma and JIRA, alongside LLM prompt engineering, highlights a modern operational workflow for UX quality. Candidates who can demonstrate not just proficiency but also strategic application of these tools in an automotive context will stand out. The ability to quickly learn and adapt to Ford's proprietary internal systems is also a key operational requirement.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Customer-Centricity: A deep commitment to understanding and meeting customer needs, ensuring that digital experiences are intuitive, enjoyable, and reliable. This translates to prioritizing feedback and design decisions based on user impact.

• Quality & Excellence: A drive for high standards in design execution and product implementation. This involves meticulous attention to detail, thorough validation, and a proactive approach to issue resolution.

• Collaboration & Teamwork: A belief in the power of cross-functional partnerships. Operations professionals are expected to work effectively with diverse teams (product, engineering, design) to achieve shared goals.

• Innovation & Continuous Improvement: An openness to new technologies (like AI/LLMs) and methodologies that enhance efficiency, improve processes, and elevate the user experience. This includes adapting to changing demands and deadlines.

• Data-Driven Decision Making: A reliance on data, feedback, and analytics to inform strategy, prioritize tasks, and measure success, ensuring that operations are efficient and effective.

Collaboration Style:

• Cross-functional Integration: The role thrives on close collaboration with Product Management and Engineering. This involves regular communication, shared understanding of goals, and joint problem-solving to bridge design intent with technical feasibility.

• Feedback-Rich Environment: A culture that encourages open feedback exchange, both giving and receiving, to foster continuous improvement in designs and processes.

• Knowledge Sharing: Practices that promote the sharing of insights, best practices, and learnings across the design and operations teams, potentially through team meetings, documentation, or internal knowledge bases.

• Efficiency-Focused: A collective drive to optimize workflows, reduce redundancy, and leverage technology (like AI) to achieve results more effectively.

📝 Enhancement Note: Ford's culture, as suggested by the job description, likely values a blend of traditional automotive engineering rigor with a modern, user-focused digital approach. For operations roles, this means a strong emphasis on process, data, and cross-functional efficiency, all in service of delivering a superior customer experience.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Scale and Complexity: Managing and analyzing vast quantities of customer feedback from a global user base across multiple vehicle models and digital platforms presents a significant data management challenge.

• Bridging Design and Implementation: Ensuring that complex UX designs are accurately and effectively implemented by engineering teams, especially within the constraints of automotive hardware and software development cycles.

• Integrating AI/LLMs: Effectively leveraging emerging AI technologies like LLMs to extract meaningful, actionable insights from unstructured feedback, while also managing their limitations and ensuring human oversight.

• Balancing Demands: Navigating changing deadlines, evolving product requirements, and diverse stakeholder needs in a fast-paced automotive development environment.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• AI & ML Specialization: Opportunities to deepen expertise in applying AI and Machine Learning tools (specifically LLMs) to UX research and quality assurance, becoming a subject matter expert in this emerging field.

• Automotive UX Mastery: Gaining in-depth knowledge of the unique challenges and opportunities within automotive UX design and quality assurance, contributing to the future of mobility.

• Process Improvement Leadership: Developing skills in designing, implementing, and optimizing operational processes for UX quality, potentially leading initiatives for new tool adoption or workflow enhancements.

• Cross-functional Acumen: Enhancing collaboration and communication skills by working closely with diverse teams across product, engineering, and design, broadening understanding of the product lifecycle.

📝 Enhancement Note: The challenges presented are typical of large-scale operations roles in tech-forward industries. The growth opportunities are substantial, allowing a UX Quality Specialist to become a highly valuable asset by combining specialized design skills with operational process expertise and cutting-edge AI application.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe a time you used customer feedback to drive a significant UX design change. What was your process for analysis and implementation?" (Focus on your data analysis, prioritization, and collaboration skills.)

• "How would you leverage AI and LLMs to categorize and identify key UX issues from thousands of customer comments about a vehicle's infotainment system?" (Demonstrate your understanding of prompt engineering and AI application for operational insights.)

Company & Culture Questions:

• "What excites you about Ford's vision for the future of mobility and digital experiences?" (Research Ford's recent announcements, product launches, and digital strategy.)

• "How do you approach collaboration with engineering teams to ensure design intent is met during implementation?" (Emphasize your communication, problem-solving, and cross-functional partnership skills.)

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Structure Your Narrative: For each case study, clearly state the problem, your role, your process, the specific challenges, your solutions, and the measurable outcomes. Use a "Problem -> Solution -> Impact" framework.

• Quantify Your Impact: Whenever possible, use data and metrics to demonstrate the success of your designs or process improvements. For example, "reduced issue resolution time by X%" or "improved user satisfaction scores by Y%."

• Showcase Your Tools: Explicitly mention and, if possible, demonstrate how you used Figma, JIRA, or LLMs in your projects. Explain your prompt engineering approach if applicable.

• Be Ready for Deep Dives: Expect questions about specific design choices, your decision-making process, and how you handled trade-offs or conflicting feedback.

📝 Enhancement Note: Preparing for this role requires a dual focus: showcasing strong UX design skills and demonstrating robust operational capabilities in quality assurance, process management, and data analysis, particularly with AI. Candidates should be ready to articulate their strategic thinking and problem-solving methodologies with concrete examples.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this UX Quality Specialist position at Ford:

• Submit your application through the official Ford Careers portal using the provided link.

• Tailor your resume: Highlight your experience in UI/UX design, automotive product development, customer feedback analysis, and any experience with AI/LLMs and prompt engineering. Use keywords from the job description to ensure ATS compatibility.

• Prepare your portfolio: Curate 3-5 impactful projects that demonstrate your design process, problem-solving skills, and experience with quality assurance and data analysis. Focus on clarity, impact, and your systematic approach.

• Research Ford's digital initiatives: Familiarize yourself with Ford's current digital product offerings, design language, and their stated commitment to user experience and innovation. Understand their approach to in-vehicle technology.

• Practice your interview responses: Prepare to discuss your experience with Figma, JIRA, and AI/LLMs, and be ready to articulate your process for issue tracking, quality validation, and leveraging customer feedback. Practice presenting your portfolio.

⚠️ 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.