HMI Specialist

Role Summary:

The overall responsible for infotainment HMI products in the North American market. The responsibilities consist of being the primary contact and project manager for the HMI experience, and the design, development, and implementation of new concepts. The HMI lead is also responsible for maintaining the VW brand experience, together with relevant technical and brand product owners throughout the organization.

As an HMI Specialist you combine UI/UX Design and Research expertise into an integrated creative discipline, focused on designing digital user experiences for future Volkswagen vehicles. Through your craft, you tell visual & interactive stories and design unique solutions that have purpose and address real needs of our North American Customers.

You work as a core member of multi-disciplinary teams (internal, external, and international) to design, prototype, test, and iterate innovative UI/UX solutions that blend design, technology, strategy, and customer value, to open up the boundaries and inspire development teams and leaders to invest in new ideas. In doing so, you partner with strategists, researchers, designers, developers and outside partners to guide the execution from and interaction design perspective and ensure our interactive work is beautifully made.

HMI Project Coordination (45%)

• Coordinator for infotainment HMI products in North America

• Responsible for the definition and project integration of VW brand HMI usability concepts

• Responsible to lead and align North American HMI concept definition and technical feasibility

• Responsible to ensure timely and comprehensive product requirement delivery into the development process (concept documentation, product requirements, use case documentation, language definitions, etc)

• Responsible to manage product priorities and mitigate risks and roadblocks throughout the development process

• Participation in and setup of all necessary meetings and committees to fulfill the requirements above

• Regular status report preparation

HMI Design (45%)

• Responsible to support VW brand expression in infotainment products, in alignment with brand design and brand product owners

• Responsible to align HMI user experience and design with stakeholders in North America, such as design, customer quality, and sales

NAR Region Critical Infotainment Topic Support (10%)

• Evaluates product concerns from field products with detailed analysis and resolution recommendation with the supplier and other component owners throughout the world to ensure no side effects to other markets occur

• Works closely with Quality to review field concerns and identify root cause; defines countermeasures with the supplier and component owners when product changes are necessary

• 5 years of related engineering and project management experience

• Bachelor’s Degree in Engineering, Computer Science, Interaction Design, Human Computer Interaction, Human Robot Interaction, Human Factors Engineering, Psychology, Sociology, Anthropology, Fine Arts, Digital Arts, Graphic Design, Digital Design, 3D Design, Motion Design, or related field - required
• Master’s Degree in Engineering, Computer Science, Interaction Design, Human Computer Interaction, Human Robot Interaction, Human Factors Engineering, Psychology, Sociology, Anthropology, Fine Arts, Digital Arts, Graphic Design, Digital Design, 3D Design, Motion Design, or related field - desired

• Skill with Figma and related design tools

• User research

• Conceptual thinking skills

• Problem solving skills

• Ability to coordinate with stakeholders and make trade-offs

• Effectively work with others across a broad range of technologies, processes, and systems.

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills are required given our distributed and diverse team.

• Communication skills – interpersonal, presentation and written

• Computer savvy – skilled in the use of software

• Influencing and negotiation skills

• German skills written and verbal are advantageous

Specialized Skills - Required:

• Project management, including coordination of project stakeholders which are not direct reports

• Ability and drive to remain up to date on latest industry trends

• Strong presentation and summation skills

• Product usability design expertise

• Solid understanding of human-computer interaction and UI/UX best practices.

• High level of engagement and self-initiative

• Human-centered Design Methods; systematically and collaboratively ensure that interactions, experiences & principles are grounded in research and refined based on the real needs of diverse users.

• Strong communication skills, problem solving abilities, and influencing and negotiation skills

Specialized Skills - Desired:

• Experience with Volkswagen infotainment control modules

• Understanding of vehicle communication networks

• Volkswagen HMI concept or development experience

• Experience with automotive infotainment control module SW Development and Feature Design

• Experience in automotive product management

Work Flexibility:

• Travel to the suppliers and VW facilities

Volkswagen Group of America is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We welcome and encourage applicants from all backgrounds, and do not discriminate based on race, sex, age, disability, sexual orientation, national origin, religion, color, gender identity/expression, marital status, veteran status, or any other characteristics protected by applicable laws.

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