Technical Designer / Pipeline Development

Digital Product Design at Ford is committed to envisioning and creating simple, thoughtful, enjoyable, and compelling product experiences that our customers need and love. We work in close partnership with product and engineering to deliver best-in-class interactions experiences that meet the needs of people today, and in the future . Our team is comprised of a dynamic group of product designers, researchers, visual designers, industrial designers, modelers, and project managers.

In this position…

We are looking for someone who is passionate about the latest user-focused technology, possess a keen eye for elegant, modern design and obsess over the finest details in design and function, this is the opportunity for you. You will be a key member of the forward-looking team that is creating next level in-vehicle digital experiences. In collaboration with outstanding coders and designers (2D, 3D, Motion, UX/UI), We are seeking a talented and passionate Technical Designer / Pipeline Development to join 3DX and play a pivotal role in building and optimizing our 3D content creation pipeline. You will be responsible for developing, implementing, and maintaining tools and workflows that streamline our production process, ensuring high-quality assets and efficient content creation.

You'll have…

• 3+ years of experience in pipeline development, technical art, or a related field.
• Strong understanding of 3D content creation workflows and common industry tools (e.g., Maya, Unreal Engine, Substance Painter, etc.).
• Understanding of how material and shaders function in different applications, fundamental understanding of shader code principles and understanding to engine tools (e.g. Unreal material editor, Maya)
• Experience with real time and pre-rendered CGI processes. Familiarity with taking renders to production, visualization methods, image composition, texture baking optimization.
• Experience with version control systems (e.g., Git, Perforce).
• Solid understanding of data management, asset tracking, and pipeline optimization principles.
• Strong communication and collaboration skills.
• Passion for creating efficient and robust pipelines that empower creative teams.
• Experience with real-time engines like Unreal Engine, Unity, Kanzi, etc.

Even better, you may have…

• Experience with pipeline solutions and understanding of CGI pipeline.
• Experience with procedural generation or other data-driven techniques.
• Good foundation in scripting languages (e.g., C++, Python, MEL) as they pertain to CGI pipeline workflow.
• Familiarity with CI/CD (Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment) practices.

You may not check every box, or your experience may look a little different from what we've outlined, but if you think you can bring value to Ford Motor Company, we encourage you to apply!

As an established global company, we offer the benefit of choice. You can choose what your Ford future will look like: will your story span the globe, or keep you close to home? Will your career be a deep dive into what you love, or a series of new teams and new skills? Will you be a leader, a changemaker, a technical expert, a culture builder…or all of the above? No matter what you choose, we offer a work life that works for you, including:

• 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 and more
• Family building benefits including adoption and surrogacy expense reimbursement, fertility treatments, and more
• Vehicle discount program for employees and family members and management leases
• Tuition assistance
• 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.

For a detailed look at our benefits, click here

This position is a range of salary grades 7-8 .

Visa sponsorship is available for this position.

Candidates for positions with Ford Motor Company must be legally authorized to work in the United States. Verification of employment eligibility will be required at the time of hire.

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to a culturally diverse workforce. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, color, age, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability status or protected veteran status. In the United States, if you need a reasonable accommodation for the online application process due to a disability, please call 1-888-336-0660.

#LI-Hybrid

What you'll do…

• First and foremost, be an excellent problem-solver.
• Design and build custom pipelines to automate and simplify complex processes for artists and production teams.
• Collaborate closely with other designers, engineers, and developers to ensure seamless integration of work.
• Translate creative concepts and technical requirements into functional real-time assets.
• Develop and implement efficient and optimized workflows for real-time content creation.
• Contribute to the development of best practices and standards for real-time design within the team.
• Design, develop, and maintain custom tools and workflows for 3D asset creation, manipulation, and optimization.
• Assist in workflow solutions and overarching pipeline architecture from asset creation all the way through to finished delivery, collaborating with artists to create tools and workflow solutions.
• Develop and implement efficient solutions for data management, asset tracking, and version control.
• Optimize existing pipelines for performance, scalability, and ease of use.
• Create documentation and training materials for pipeline users.