Design Director Jobs in Michigan (NOW HIRING)

ABOUT SLATE

At Slate, we're building safe, reliable vehicles that people can afford, personalize and love-and doing it here in the USA as part of our commitment to reindustrialization. The spirit of DIY and customization runs throughout every element of a Slate, because people should have control over how their trucks look, feel, and represent them.

ABOUT SLATE

Slate Auto is a new American electric vehicle company building something the industry hasn't seen: a purpose-built, affordable EV truck designed for real people. We're in pre-production and moving fast - which means every hire shapes the culture and product we're building. We believe great design isn't a department; it's a competitive advantage.

Our digital experiences - from the moment someone discovers a Slate truck online to the day they configure, purchase, and drive one off the lot - are as important to us as the vehicle itself. We're building the online marketplace, the ownership app, the purchasing flow, and the in-vehicle digital experience from the ground up, and we need a design leader who can help us do it right.

| WHO WE ARE LOOKING FOR

We're looking for a Director of Digital Experience Design to own the design vision and execution across Slate's digital customer and partner facing products: our website and online marketplace, the vehicle configurator and purchasing experience, the Slate ownership/service mobile app, and the in-vehicle digital experience including the instrument cluster.

This is a senior leadership role that sits alongside Product and Software leadership as one of three legs of a stool - responsible together for defining what we build, how we build it, and how it looks, feels, and works for our customers. You'll set design direction, build and scale the team, establish the systems and processes that make great design for our digital experiences repeatable, and bring creative energy that makes Slate owners genuinely love interacting with their truck

| WHAT YOU GET TO DO

Design Leadership & Vision

• Define and drive the design vision for all customer-facing digital touchpoints: web, mobile, in-vehicle HMI, and future experiences
• Translate Slate's brand and product strategy into cohesive, human-centered design that feels intentional at every interaction
• Ensure design holds a strategic voice at the table - advocating for the customer in roadmap conversations, sprint reviews, and executive discussions
• Set and enforce quality standards across your team's output, from early concepts through production delivery

Team Building & Management

• Lead, coach, and grow a team of UI designers, UX designers, and copywriters focused on digital product experiences
• Hire thoughtfully to fill gaps in the team's capabilities as Slate scales from pre-launch to post-launch and beyond
• Build a team culture of craft, curiosity, and direct feedback - one that takes design seriously without taking itself too seriously
• Develop career paths and growth frameworks for designers at different levels

Design Systems & Process

• Own and evolve Slate's digital design system so that UI components are consistent, accessible, and reusable across web and native app surfaces
• Scale version-controlled design artifacts, component libraries, and documentation that allow designers and engineers to work from a single source of truth
• Define and continuously improve the design team's workflow within our agile delivery process: how design fits into sprint cycles, when to prototype vs. ship, and how to validate decisions quickly
• Drive the adoption of shared tooling (Figma, design tokens, handoff processes) and ensure consistency in how design artifacts are created, reviewed, and delivered to engineering
• Scale a lightweight but durable UX research practice - user testing, usability reviews, data-informed iteration - that keeps the team grounded in real customer behavior

Cross-Functional Partnership

• Operate as a true partner with Product and Software leaders - contributing to roadmap prioritization, shaping requirements, and resolving design-engineering tradeoffs together
• Collaborate with brand, marketing, and vehicle design teams to ensure digital experiences feel like a natural extension of the Slate brand - distinct in execution, cohesive in identity
• Partner with the in-vehicle software team on instrument cluster and HMI experiences, applying interaction design rigor to the cockpit alongside safety and regulatory constraints
• Represent design in executive and board-level conversations - articulating design rationale and strategic intent to senior stakeholders clearly and confidently

| WHAT YOU BRING TO THE TEAM

Required

• 12+ years of experience in product design, UX, or UI design for high volume consumer/customer experiences - with at least 5 years in a people leadership role
• A strong portfolio demonstrating end-to-end ownership of complex digital products: strategy, research, interaction design, visual design, and delivery
• Deep experience building and maintaining design systems using atomic design principles - tokens, components, documentation, and governance
• Proven ability to work as a true partner with product and engineering - comfortable in sprint planning, backlog grooming, and technical tradeoff conversations
• Experience designing for multiple surfaces: web (responsive/adaptive), native mobile (iOS/Android), or embedded or in-vehicle UI
• Mastery of Figma and modern prototyping workflows; experience establishing team-wide design tooling standards
• Experience leading design optimization efforts through a variety of iterative approaches (A/B and multivariate testing) to improve customer experience
• Strong UX research instincts - you know when to run a usability test, when to look at the data, and when to trust your gut
• Excellent communication skills: able to present design decisions to executives, collaborate in whiteboard sessions, and write clearly about design rationale
• Bachelor's degree in Interaction Design, Human-Computer Interaction, Product Design, Graphic Design, Computer Science, or a related field - or equivalent professional experience

Preferred

• Experience leading design of new or scaling e-commerce or digital marketplaces
• Working knowledge of HTML, CSS, and component-based front-end frameworks (MUI, Tailwind, etc) - enough to speak credibly with engineers about implementation
• Master's degree in HCI, Interaction Design, or a related field
• Experience scaling a design team from early-stage through a major product launch

Work Authorization Requirement:

Applicants must be authorized to work in the United States on a permanent basis. We are unable to offer visa sponsorship at this time.

Remote US- Base Salary Range - $ 156,559.73 - $208,746.30

The stated pay scale reflects the range that Slate reasonably expects to pay for this position. The actual pay rate and pay grade for this position will be dependent on a variety of factors, including an applicant's years of experience, unique skills and abilities, education, alignment with similar internal candidates, marketplace factors, other requirements for the position, and employer business practices. In addition to base pay, Slate also offers short-term and long-term incentive programs - 401k match, annual bonus and company equity, based on eligibility, along with a robust offering of benefit and wellness plans, HSA / FSA.

WHY JOIN TEAM SLATE?

At Slate, we're fueled by grit, determination, and attention to detail. The start-up spirit of ingenuity and resourcefulness move our business forward. Team Slate fosters a culture of excellence, innovation, and mutual respect, and is motivated by shared principles.

• Safety First

• Delight Customers

• One Team

• Relentless Improvement

• Fast, Frugal, and Scrappy

• Respectful Collaboration

• Positive Legacy

WE WANT TO WORK WITH PEOPLE THAT REFLECT THE COMMUNITIES IN WHICH WE OPERATE.

Slate is proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity and Affirmative Action employer. We do not discriminate based upon race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, veteran status, marital status, parental status, cultural background, organizational level, work styles, tenure and life experiences. Or for any other reason.

Slate is committed to providing reasonable accommodation for qualified individuals with disabilities in our job application procedures. If you need assistance or an accommodation due to a disability, you may contact us at

slate-talent_acquisition@slate.auto.