Chief Engineer, AI Product Creation

Ford Ford · Auto · Dearborn, MI +1 · PD Operations and Quality

Lead the strategic integration of AI and digital technologies into Ford's Global Product Development System (GPDS) to optimize engineering workflows, accelerate development cycles, and drive product excellence. This role involves architecting AI integration across the product creation lifecycle, recommending investments, designing systems for workflow optimization, leveraging historical data, enhancing virtual validation, and leading global cross-functional efforts to modernize systems and deploy next-generation tools. The focus is on tactical efficiency, system integration, and establishing a digital-first development cycle.

What you'd actually do

  1. Assess the value stream mapping of existing GPDS processes to pinpoint high-waste physical bottlenecks suitable for immediate AI-enabled optimization.
  2. Champion and scale the rollout of tactical AI accelerators, including LLM-based coding assistants for software integration and automated program tracking tools (a virtual program manager).
  3. Collaborate with active vehicle program teams to implement rolling pilots of generative engineering and advanced simulation tools, delivering immediate efficiency gains to in-flight programs.
  4. Drive the definition and implementation of a data system to connect cross-functional work systems to enable real-time, closed-loop analysis.
  5. Lead the ultimate transition to a highly compressed, digital-first development cycle that significantly reduces time-to-market while improving quality.

Skills

Required

  • Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Computer Science, Data Science, or a related quantitative technical field.
  • 10–15 years of experience in complex product development, systems engineering, or technical program management (ideally within automotive, aerospace, robotics, or high-tech hardware/software industries).
  • Deep understanding of product development lifecycles, milestone-driven development systems, and complex hardware-software integration.

Nice to have

  • Master’s degree in Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Engineering, or a Master's in Business Administration (MBA).
  • Hands-on experience with modern AI frameworks, physics-informed neural networks (PINNs), or industrial Digital Twin platforms (e.g., NVIDIA Omniverse, Siemens Tecnomatix, or equivalent).
  • Demonstrated experience bridging the gap between software engineers/data scientists and traditional mechanical/manufacturing engineers.
  • Familiarity with generative design software, automated path planning, or predictive supply chain risk orchestration.
  • Exceptional executive presence with strong presentation, verbal, and written communication skills to influence global, cross-functional stakeholders.
  • Agility and the proven ability to guide teams through highly ambiguous, fast-paced transformational journeys under tight deadlines.

What the JD emphasized

  • lead the strategic integration
  • oversee the architectural integration
  • lead for AI Product Creation
  • lead a global, cross-functional effort
  • lead the ultimate transition
  • Proven experience leading large-scale digital transformation initiatives, specifically deploying AI, machine learning, or high-fidelity simulation technologies within a physical engineering environment.

Other signals

  • integrating advanced digital technologies, machine learning, and smart automation into global processes
  • transition toward a highly integrated, digital-first engineering ecosystem
  • strategic integration of next-generation digital tools, advanced analytics, and intelligent systems across Ford’s Global Product Development System (GPDS)
  • optimize engineering workflows, accelerate development cycles, and drive product excellence
  • architectural integration of AI across the entire Ford product creation lifecycle
  • deploy next-generation tools
  • deploying AI, machine learning, or high-fidelity simulation technologies within a physical engineering environment