Finance Manager - Digital & Design

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.

Finance strategically partners with operations to drive outstanding business results and enhance Ford’s industry leadership. When you join us, you’ll be able to contribute financial expertise that impacts all areas of our company, including planning, manufacturing, marketing and global distribution.

In this position…

Ford is building its next generation of electric vehicles and software-defined products, and the engineering teams doing that work need a finance partner who owns the numbers and the story behind them. In this role you will lead financial planning, budgeting, forecasting, analysis and reporting for the Advanced Electric Vehicle Development, Digital Design and Corporate Design engineering functions within Product Creation & Industrialization. Scope may expand over time based on your experience and capability.

You will work side by side with engineering leaders, going to see the work firsthand, asking why, and using data and facts to cut through complexity and focus the organization on what matters most. The work blends hardware and software: you will weigh build-versus-buy decisions, capital and expense choices, headcount and supplier spend, and the return on technology investments, often where there is no playbook yet. You will move quickly, take smart risks, and see problems through from diagnosis to resolution.

The ideal candidate has a strong understanding of product development and technology financial management, excellent analytical skills, and the ability to communicate financial information to both technical and non-technical audiences. This position is based in Dearborn, Michigan, in an onsite hybrid model (4 days per week in the office).

You'll have…

• Bachelor's degree in finance, accounting, or a related field (MBA or CPA preferred).
• 8+ years' experience within finance and accounting with increasing responsibilities, including budgeting, forecasting and variance analysis for an engineering, R&D, software or technology organization.
• Experience directing the work of others, whether as a manager, team lead or through influence without authority.
• Ability to quantify return on investment for software, technology or capital programs.
• Working knowledge of internal controls and SOX.

Even better, you may have...

• Experience in a high-growth technology environment (for example cloud, software, devices or hardware-plus-software), owning a cost base of significant size.
• Knowledge of software development cost treatment, including capitalization versus expense.
• A track record of owning problems end to end: defining the problem, closing the gap, and monitoring results to raise the bar.
• Strong data skills: advanced financial modeling and experience with SQL or a BI tool.
• Curiosity about AI and automation, with practical experience using them to improve analysis and reporting, and the judgment to validate the results.
• Comfort with ambiguity and a bias for action, with strong analytical and problem-solving skills in new or undefined situations.
• Strong communication and presentation skills, including with senior executives and technical audiences.
• Ability to manage multiple workstreams at the same time, including quick turnaround times, and a proven record of delivering tangible results.
• Natural curiosity for technology and data. Automotive, EV or electronics experience is a plus, but not required.

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.

This position is leadership level 6 and ranges from $115,500-$218,100.  

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/LL6

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 with a requirement to be onsite four or more days per week. 

#LI-Hybrid     #LI-AF1 

What you'll do...

Financial Planning & Analysis

• Lead the annual budgeting process for the Engineering organizations, working closely with the operational leadership team to develop realistic and achievable financial plans.
• Own monthly and quarterly forecasts and variance analysis, going beyond the dollar change to find the root cause drivers (timing, scope change, efficiency or true savings) and the actions that follow.
• Develop and maintain detailed financial models to support strategic decision-making on technology investments, including build-versus-buy, capital versus expense, and return on investment for software development.
• Prepare and present financial results, insights and recommendations to senior leaders and to the Advanced EV, Digital Design and Corporate Design leadership teams.

Budget Management & Control

• Monitor and control engineering spend against budget and statement of work, ensuring adherence to company policies and procedures, and flag risks and opportunities early with a recommended action.
• Review and approve capital project requests, purchase requisitions and other spending requests, ensuring accuracy and compliance.
• Identify and implement cost-saving and efficiency opportunities, and eliminate wasted effort, without putting engineering delivery at risk.
• Partner with key stakeholders to provide financial input into the product development cycle plan.

Business Partnering & Collaboration

• Serve as a trusted financial advisor to the Engineering leadership team, seeking to understand their work firsthand and providing clear guidance on cost, trade-offs and investment choices.
• Collaborate with Engineering business offices to develop business cases and optimize how work is done.
• Debate openly, then commit: bring a clear point of view, listen to other views, and act in the interest of the whole organization.
• Support supply chain and transformation teams on vendor contracts and cost negotiations.

Process Improvement & Compliance

• Identify and implement process improvements, including automation and better use of data, to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of engineering financial management.
• Ensure compliance with Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX) requirements and other relevant regulations.
• Develop and maintain documentation of key financial processes.
• Team Leadership & Development
• Lead and develop finance professionals and influence finance and business partners across the organization.
• Hold yourself and others to a high standard, and foster a collaborative and results-oriented work environment.