Do you want to change the world? The Ford Motor Company had endured and thrived for 121 years – through every imaginable challenge – because we have the vision to imagine the future and the courage to change.  Ford is redefining how it will build a better world for the future by creating a culture and opportunities where employees will capitalize on Ford’s excellence in designing and building the most iconic products while also helping develop the future of world-class connected BEVs.  Ford is transforming our global automotive business to scale Hybrid and EVs, strengthen operations, and unlock value. We will deliver the speed of a startup, with the deep expertise of high-volume production.  This is the opportunity of a lifetime.

Ford Product Development is utilizing Design Thinking & User Experience methods to deliver breakthrough products and services that will delight our customers. Our employees are laser-focused on bringing innovative, exciting, and sustainable ideas to life.  From autonomy and electrification to smart mobility technologies, our Product Development teams around the world are working together with excitement to make smart vehicles for a smart world.

This role will be based in Dearborn, MI. This position may require occasional travel domestically and globally and will require flexibility to accommodate working with global teams. 

 

What will it be like to lead a Systems Engineering Team?

We are passionate about solving hard problems. We create with passion delivering extraordinary solutions to change the world. We challenge…​competitors, bureaucracy, obstacles and even our own assumptions. We have zero tolerance for bias or personal agendas.  We are swift and decisive… ​trusting the experts, believing the data, seeking out and listening to bold intuition – regardless of the source. We are insurgents…​never satisfied, averse to complexity, suspicious of habits and open to risk. We constantly learn.  We focus on the mission and deliver with urgency and speed. We are an agile team… ​leveraging rapidly evolving technology to innovate, fail fast and pivot. We trust each other, surface issues openly and solve problems collaboratively. Most importantly we raise the talent bar with every hire.  

The Team

The Systems Engineering Teams are focused on cross functional collaboration to rethink the base design, interaction, and manufacturing of our newest vehicle lines. This role will be at the helm of leading product development engineering of a new vehicle line. There are several engineering supervisors reporting directly to this position with primary focus to enable full systems integration, resulting in minimized part counts, complexity, labor hours, and service time. In this role, we will look for you to focus teams on Engineering First Principles to re-think Product Development, breaking from the traditional designs of the past. You will be tasked with delivering break through efficiencies and full life cycle cost improvements. You will work with teams across Ford and serve as the Engineering leader to deliver this new vehicle program.
 

What you'll receive in return

As part of the Ford family, you’ll enjoy excellent compensation, and a comprehensive benefits package that includes generous PTO, retirement, savings and stock investment plans, incentive compensation, and much more.  You will experience a “Work from Anywhere” structure and the support needed to be successful in a remote environment.  You’ll also experience exciting opportunities for professional and personal growth and recognition. 

 

Candidates for positions with Ford Motor Company must be legally authorized to work in the United States on a permanent basis.   Verification of employment eligibility will be required at time of hire. Visa sponsorship is not available for this position.

 

Ford Motor Company is an equal opportunity employer committed to a culturally diverse workforce. 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.
 

The minimum requirements we seek

 

·10+ Years in Functional Engineering or Vehicle Engineering·Bachelors' degree in Engineering·Experience with CAD and CAE tools, ability to interface and manage virtual design data.·Experience in Systems Engineering, Design Thinking and user experience.·Demonstrated courage, humility, decisiveness, flexibility, knowledge, and vision.·Proven technical depth and ability to make decisions and balanced trade-offs.·Ability to build strong effective relationships with cross-functional teams (Program, Studio, Purchasing, Finance, Engineering, Manufacturing and Suppliers).·Demonstrated ability to simultaneously manage multiple issues effectively and efficiently.·Demonstrated ability to prioritize workload managing immediate and future needs.·Outstanding communication skills (open, clear and inclusive) up to senior management.·Outstanding leadership skills with demonstrated ability to deliver results.·High integrity with effective coaching and mentoring skills.·Availability to travel globally as requires, including extensive on-site launch support. 

 

Our preferred requirements

·Masters of Science in Engineering or MBA·Strong business acumen with extensive experience in hardware design, development, and manufacturing for the transportation industry

As the SET Manager, you’ll be able to:

 

·Manage Systems Engineering Team (SET) Leaders, through Systems Design methodology, to identify and deliver cost / weight efficiencies, component part reductions, quality improvement, labor savings, and service efficiency.·Own system level decision making for Vehicle Hardware Engineering (VHE) functions and represent VHE with Program, Attribute, Manufacturing, Purchasing, and other interfaces.·Collaborate with CNE, Marketing, VEM, Supply Chain, and VOME to align vehicle content to ensure competitive, compatible, and efficient lifecycle cost.·Develop and maintain relationships with Tier 1 suppliers and understand their technical capabilities.·Lead SET target setting, through extensive benchmarking and leverage Core team opportunities / technology, using Forward Model Cost Process.·Leverage 3DX PLM platform to manage engineering data centrally, enabling SET to focus on engineering vs data management and reporting.·Advocate for VHE to ensure Factory recognition of implications from assumptions change.·Lead Systems Technical Design and Compatibility Reviews to optimize designs, resolve issues, and deliver all Program Milestones on-time / on-target. Often leading review with Senior Leadership.·Interface with VHE functional leadership to escalate critical technical issues as needed·Champion trade-off decisions to balance SET target delivery and co-lead content and attribute proposals with Program Chief Engineer and Vehicle Engineering Manager.·Co-Lead with Design Technical Operations to manage Studio feasibility and theme progression through iterative process, while supporting Upperbody progression to Final Data Judgement·Collaborate with SET members and external partners for System Level Engineering Sign-Off·Lead VHE teams through prototype build phases, and Design Verification testing thru Sign-Off·Support Launch Activities as the SPOC for VHE interface and on-site functional leadership