Staff Designer

Work Arrangement

This role is categorized as hybrid to Warren, MI or Sunnyvale, CA or Mountain View, CA. Remote candidates might be considered for some roles as well.

• If you live within 50 miles of a GM hub location (San Francisco Bay Area, CA or Warren, MI), you are expected to report to the office three times per week, or other frequency dictated by the business.
• If you live outside a 50-mile radius of these locations, please still apply.

The Role

As a Staff Designer within GM's Human Interface Design organization, you will shape the future of mobility experiences across vehicles, digital platforms, or design systems. This is a senior individual contributor role with broad scope and impact—you will lead complex design initiatives, influence product strategy, and elevate craft quality across multiple domains. You will also lead by example to provide thought leadership and mentorship to other Designers on the team.

We are hiring across four focus areas, each contributing to GM's vision of Zero Crashes, Zero Emissions, and Zero Congestion:

Vehicle Experiences - Designs the future of in-vehicle digital ecosystems, from operating systems and cabin interfaces to sound and motion design within GM vehicles. This team partners closely with engineering and product to deliver intuitive, accessible, and delightful experiences that enhance driving and connect millions of users worldwide. Designers here work on forward-looking design strategies that shape how users interact with various systems as designs evolve.

Design Systems & Craft - Shapes GM's visual identity and advances the GM Design System across vehicles, web, and mobile platforms. This team bridges brand and UI design, ensuring every interface reflects GM's voice, values, and design language. Designers here apply timeless principles, typography, and grid-based methodology to deliver clarity, unity, and purpose across all digital and physical touchpoints.

Advanced UX - Explores next-generation vehicle experiences through conceptual visualization, rapid prototyping, and 3D modeling. This team pushes boundaries with bold ideation, digital rendering, and human-centered design to shape seamless interactions across hardware and software.

Services & Web Platform - Shapes the future of web and app experiences across General Motors and its marquee brands. This team ensures GM's digital ecosystem feels effortless, engaging, and safe, connecting drivers and passengers to their vehicles and services through thoughtful, human-centered design.

What You'll Do

• Lead end-to-end design initiatives that span multiple product surfaces and platforms.
• Collaborate with industrial designers, engineers, researchers, product managers, and other design teams to shape the execution of digital and physical experiences.
• Contribute to and evolve GM's design systems, ensuring consistency and scalability across products. Define and communicate design vision that aligns with GM's brand story: For every drive.
• Deliver high-fidelity interaction, visual, sound or motion designs that raise the bar for usability and delight.
• Partner with Product Management, Engineering, and Research teams to shape product direction and execution.
• Mentor designers across levels and contribute to a culture of inclusion, craft excellence, and fearless collaboration.
• Champion accessibility, inclusivity, and user-centered design practices.
• Present design strategy to cross-functional leadership, executive stakeholders, and align stakeholder groups across multiple internal communities.

Your Skills & Abilities

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Visual Communications, Design, Human Computer Interaction or related field. Alternatively, work experience commensurate with formal education.
• 9+ years of professional design experience in industrial design, user experience, sound design, motion design, or visual design.
• Strong portfolio (available online or privately upon request) that demonstrates strategic thinking for your specific design discipline, showing clear commitment to excellence.
• Expertise in modern design or software tools appropriate for your discipline (e.g., Figma, prototyping tools, Adobe Creative Suite, 3D software, etc.).
• Proven ability to influence product strategy and drive alignment across stakeholders.
• Excellent communication and storytelling skills and previous experience presenting to upper-level audiences.

Preferred Qualifications

• Demonstrated experience as a design thought leader, fostering collaboration, driving creative excellence, mentoring peers, and partnering effectively across cross-functional teams.
• 5+ years of experience in the automotive industry, design agencies, or technology companies, contributing to hardware and software experiences that shape how people interact with products.
• Hands-on experience working in lean, agile environments, including sprint planning and iterative design processes.
• Strong understanding of accessibility and inclusive design standards, with a track record of creating experiences that meet or exceed best practices.
• Experience contributing to or advancing the consistency of design systems across products and platforms.
• Proficiency in prototyping tools (e.g., Figma, Adobe XD, or equivalent), with additional experience in software and/or hardware development considered a plus.
• Proven ability to present and communicate design vision effectively to executive stakeholders, influencing decision-making and aligning design strategy with business objectives.

GM Values & Behaviors

This role models GM's values—Customers, Excellence, Relationships, Truth—and demonstrates GM Behaviors:

• Win with integrity
• Innovate & embrace change
• Move with urgency
• Lead as one team
• Commit to customers
• Speak fearlessly
• Be inclusive
• Own the outcome

Compensation and Benefits

• Salary Range: $134,700 - $207,600 (varies based on factors relevant to the position)
• Bonus Potential: An incentive pay program offers payouts based on company performance, job level, and individual performance.
• Benefits: GM offers a variety of health and wellbeing benefit programs including medical, dental, vision, Health Savings Account, Flexible Spending Accounts, retirement savings plan, sickness and accident benefits, life insurance, paid vacation & holidays, tuition assistance programs, employee assistance program, and GM vehicle discounts.

Immigration Sponsorship

GM does not provide immigration-related sponsorship for this role. Do not apply for this role if you will need GM immigration sponsorship now or in the future.

Cover letters are welcome and will be reviewed.