Vehicle Integration Engineer

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

Lead end-to-end engineering execution for high-performance vehicle programs within Ford Racing, managing cross-functional teams to ensure test vehicles are 'Fit for Test', managing durability events, and translating customer insights into technical requirements to deliver emotionally delightful products.

What you'd actually do

  1. Lead Design Confirmation Vehicle (DCV) development and launch activities for Ford Racing programs, ensuring all engineering gateways and milestones are met with high quality and efficiency.
  2. Translate customer insights into balanced vehicle-level requirements. Cascade these into objective system-level targets, managing technical tradeoffs across cross-functional teams (Marketing, Studio, Hardware/Software) to preserve "emotional delight" features.
  3. Oversee the lifecycle of test vehicles, including hardware/software maturity tracking and "Fit for Test" certification. Streamline testing processes by optimizing FEDE accuracy and condensing test plans to improve Design Validation (DV) efficiency.
  4. Direct all aspects of Track and Off-Road Durability testing, including resource planning, logistics, and safety. Ensure events are financially responsible and provide a positive, productive environment for all participants.
  5. Lead the final validation of vehicle emotive experiences. Manage the assessment and preparation of Media vehicles to ensure flawless execution and high-quality external representation.

Skills

Required

  • Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or an equivalent engineering degree.
  • 3 - 5+ years of experience in Vehicle Engineering, Product Development, or a related automotive engineering role.
  • Ability to perform place-dependent work primarily at the Roush 57 facility nearly every weekday.
  • Proven ability to lead and facilitate cross-functional teams in solving complex technical issues with efficiency while building strong professional relationships.
  • Experience in vehicle testing and validation, including the ability to assess "Fit for Test" status for hardware and software.
  • Experience managing engineering milestones, gateways, and program documentation within a formal product development system (e.g., GPDS).
  • Strong verbal and written communication skills to translate complex technical tradeoffs into customer-focused insights for executive and multi-departmental audiences.

Nice to have

  • 5+ years of Vehicle-Level Automotive Product Development experience across a wide range of attributes.
  • Proven track record of delivering complete automotive product development cycles from initial concept through to launch.
  • Experience with modern software development processes, Over-The-Air (OTA) updates, and feature delivery alongside traditional mechanical systems.
  • A clear, practical understanding of Performance Vehicle customers, their passions, pain points, needs, and priorities, backed by an understanding of customer insight tools.
  • Personal affirmation as an "early tech adopter" with outstanding self-motivation and initiative.