Director, Product Design (Automotive)

Location: Hybrid (Mountain View, CA)

Company

A California-based division of Honda Motor Co., Ltd. focused on building innovative application experiences for mobile devices in the Hybrid and Electric Vehicle market.

What you will do

• Lead Product Design across the Automotive Division, driving experience quality, strategic alignment, and customer impact.
• Partner with Product and Engineering leadership to shape product vision, roadmap priorities, and portfolio strategy.
• Serve as a senior Design representative to Honda, building alignment and driving shared ownership across organizations.
• Lead and develop the Product Design team, providing coaching, mentorship, and opportunities for growth.
• Apply systems thinking to connect customer needs, business goals, and technical constraints across products and platforms.
• Champion organizational effectiveness and help teams navigate ambiguity and complexity.

Requirements

• Experience leading Design teams within complex product, platform, or service environments.
• Strong product and business acumen with a track record of influencing strategy and organizational outcomes.
• Experience partnering closely with senior Product and Engineering leaders.
• Exceptional communication and stakeholder management skills, including experience with executive audiences.
• Ability to build alignment across organizations, disciplines, and cultures.
• Flexibility for domestic and international travel to support cross-organizational collaboration.

Nice to have

• Experience in hardware + software ecosystems, such as automotive, mobility, or consumer technology.
• Experience working with large enterprise partners or global organizations.
• Familiarity with Japanese business culture and cross-cultural collaboration.
• Japanese language proficiency.