We made history and now we work to transform the future – for our customers, our communities and our families. You'll see your work on the road every day, helping people move freely and pursue their dreams. At Ford, you can build more than vehicles. Come build what matters.
Product Development uses design thinking & user experience methods to deliver breakthrough products and services that delight our customers. We bring innovative, exciting, and sustainable ideas to life. We have opportunities around the world for you to contribute to advancements in autonomy, electrification, smart mobility technologies, and more!
You will guide the interior D&R team from initial styling theme selection through mass production, assuming process ownership for program delivery, priority alignment, and performance management. This role requires managing part-level cost and weight targets, overseeing Digital Pre-Assembly (DPA) health, and ensuring robust Bill of Materials (BOM) management. You will champion the Failure Mode Avoidance (FMA) process and manage total Design Verification (DVP&R) planning to support program milestones. Additionally, you will lead the engineering change control process and provide critical on-site assembly support during production plant build events to consistently meet Quality, Cost, Weight, and Functional (QCWF) targets.
In this position...
- Leverage Dearborn location to engage in frequent, face-to-face collaboration with the Interior Studio Liaison and the Design Studio team, supporting physical property reviews (clay models, foam bucks, 3D prints) directly on the Studio floor.
- Serve as the primary liaison between functional engineering teams, attribute teams, and Program Management, establishing and chairing VHE integration meetings to manage open issues and program updates.
- Coach and guide D&R engineers on systems, tools, forms, and processes necessary to support the program, assisting them in overcoming roadblocks.
- Ensure functional engineering alignment with program assumptions, managing updates to the Product Direction Letter (program content document).
- Manage the development of part-level cost and weight targets alongside commodity planning teams, maintaining a roadmap and driving gap-closure actions.
- Review and validate 1st and 2nd Engineering Concepts and technical Statements of Work (ESOW) generated by D&Rs to ensure cross-functional compatibility.
What you'll do...
- Manage functional CAD-to-BOM alignment, overseeing the Digital Pre-Assembly (DPA) and packaging workstreams to resolve digital buck clashes and misalignment reports.
- Develop and manage Failure Mode Avoidance (FMA) planning, reviewing D&R-generated DFMEAs and Special Characteristic agreements to ensure cross-functional alignment.
- Manage total Design Verification (DVP&R) planning to support program milestones, confirming compliance to design rules and coordinating sign-off for engineering deviations.
- Lead the engineering change control process to maintain a robust BOM, establishing and enforcing glidepaths for initial production part releases.
- Lead cross-functional issue resolution using 8D methodology, ensuring the corporate issue-tracking system is updated for on-time disposition or escalation.
- Lead on-site assembly support for the functional area during production plant build events, managing daily whiteboard calls, quality audits, and prototype part pedigree status.
- Support the Plant Vehicle Team (PVT) during hand-off, coordinating immediate reactions with engineering and supplier teams to address any stop-ship or critical build issues.
You'll have...
- Minimum Bachelor of Science (BS) degree in Engineering (Mechanical, Mechatronics, Electrical, or Industrial Engineering preferred).
- Minimum of 3 years of experience in automotive engineering, specifically in interior systems, systems integration, or design & release.
- Minimum of 1 year of experience utilizing Global 8D or similar root-cause analysis and cross-functional problem-solving methodologies.
- Valid Driver’s License required (to support vehicle testing and manufacturing plant travel).
- Primarily sedentary office work but requires periods of light physical work including standing and walking (up to 4-6 hours/day) during prototype builds, physical buck reviews, and plant launch events.
- Ability to travel to manufacturing plants and supplier sites (up to 20% travel required).
Even better, you may have...
- Demonstrated working knowledge of corporate product development systems (e.g., Bill of Materials (BOM) management, Change Control/Release systems, Issue Tracking systems, and Digital Pre-Assembly/Packaging tools).
You may not check every box, or your experience may look a little different from what we've outlined, but if you think you can bring value to Ford Motor Company, we encourage you to apply!
As an established global company, we offer the benefit of choice. You can choose what your Ford future will look like: will your story span the globe, or keep you close to home? Will your career be a deep dive into what you love, or a series of new teams and new skills? Will you be a leader, a changemaker, a technical expert, a culture builder…or all of the above? No matter what you choose, we offer a work life that works for you, including: • Immediate medical, dental, vision and prescription drug coverage • Flexible family care days, paid parental leave, new parent ramp-up programs, subsidized back-up child care and more • Family building benefits including adoption and surrogacy expense reimbursement, fertility treatments, and more • Vehicle discount program for employees and family members and management leases • Tuition assistance • Established and active employee resource groups • Paid time off for individual and team community service • A generous schedule of paid holidays, including the week between Christmas and New Year’s Day • Paid time off and the option to purchase additional vacation time.
Final determination of salary grade will be based on candidate's skills and experience, and base salary will be set within the applicable range according to job scope, responsibility and competitive market value.
For more information on salary and benefits, click here: https://fordcareers.co/GSR
Visa sponsorship is not available for this position.
Candidates for positions with Ford Motor Company must be legally authorized to work in the United States. Verification of employment eligibility will be required at the time of hire.
We are an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, color, age, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability status or protected veteran status. In the United States, if you need a reasonable accommodation for the online application process due to a disability, please call 1-888-336-0660.
This position is hybrid. Candidates who are in commuting distance to a Ford hub location may be required to be onsite four or more days per week. #LI-Hybrid
#VehicleHardwareEngineering #LI-CW1