Feature Commissioning Chief Engineer

Ford is seeking a Feature Commissioning Chief Engineer to lead a global team responsible for delivering high-quality electrical systems integration across vehicle programs and platforms. This role will drive feature commissioning strategies, vehicle-specific electrical architecture development, ECU and wiring functional delivery, system validation, and robust end-of-line execution at assembly plants. The leader will partner closely with product, program, software, hardware, architecture, feature assurance, and manufacturing teams to resolve complex system-level issues, mitigate technical risk, and ensure successful delivery from concept through production.

The ideal candidate will bring strong automotive systems expertise, proven leadership experience, excellent cross-functional communication skills, and a continuous improvement mindset. Experience with electrical systems, vehicle launches, Ford engineering tools, and global team leadership is preferred.

In this position...

Reporting to the Director of FAST (Feature Assurance and Systems Troubleshooting) you will lead a global team of technical leaders with the focus on program and platform integration, vehicle-specific electrical architecture development, ECU and wiring functional delivery, and robust end-of-line execution at our assembly plants. This role is responsible for providing strategic vision and directing efficiencies globally in the area of electrical systems quality delivery.

You'll have...

• Education: Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or a related field.
• Experience: Minimum of 8 years of hands-on experience in system engineering, software development, or related technical roles within the automotive industry, demonstrating a deep understanding of software and hardware systems.
• Technical Expertise: Proven expertise in defining, developing, and optimizing secure and safe feature systems for vehicles, including a comprehensive understanding of system architecture, integration, validation processes, and performance requirements specific to automotive applications.
• Communication & Collaboration: Excellent communication and collaboration skills, with the ability to effectively engage with cross-functional teams, external partners, and stakeholders to drive successful system development.
• Leadership: Proven leadership abilities, with a track record of mentoring and guiding technical teams, fostering innovation, and delivering high-quality feature systems that meet safety, security, and performance objectives.

Even better, you may have...

• Education: Master's degree in a technical or Management field.
• Experience:
  • 15+ years of experience in automotive electrical systems.
  • 10+ years in people management.
  • Experience launching new vehicles with a track record of achieving plant quality targets.
• Ford-specific knowledge: Mastery of product development deliverables and Ford engineering tools 
  • (AVBOM / WERS / AIMS / 5Ds / eFDVS, Jama / Engineering Sign Off / DFMEA / Six Sigma/Confluence and Jira applications)
• Strategic & systemic thinking: Demonstrated ability to comprehend end-to-end systems of systems, apply systemic thinking, critical thinking, and strategic reasoning to identify opportunities, rapidly understand complex concerns, provide alternative solutions, and drive strategy from concept through to production.
• Adaptability: Comfort with ambiguity, with a demonstrated ability to structure an approach to complex problems and drive clarity on solutions.
• Continuous improvement mindset: A drive for a system approach to design and development, coupled with a desire and curiosity to strive for exceptional delivery execution and continuous improvement.

What You'll Receive in Return...

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 childcare 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 a leadership level 4.

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: LL4 Benefits

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.

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You'll have...

• Strategic Leadership: Provide strategic direction and leadership to the Feature Commissioning Engineering teams, fostering a culture of collaboration, innovation, and excellence. Oversee global product portfolio of electrical system development from concept to production, ensuring alignment with product requirements and company objectives. Communicate project status, risks, and opportunities to executive leadership and stakeholders, providing regular updates and insights.
• Next-Generation Platform Integration: Design and drive new next-generation platform integration strategies, providing integration feedback and testing for early hardware and software releases and collaborating with feature teams for deeper testing. 
• Cross-Functional Collaboration & Issue Root Cause: Collaborate closely with cross-functional teams (including product/program management, design, software, feature assurance, architecture, and hardware engineering) to drive execution. Apply a cross-functional vehicle- and system-level mindset to lead teams in issue root cause in all vehicle domains, end-to-end electrical system operation, and signal propagation across networks.
• Quality Assurance & Risk Management: Ensure the highest standards of quality and reliability in feature commissioning through rigorous testing, validation, and verification. Identify and mitigate technical risks and challenges associated with electrical systems and proactively address issues to ensure successful delivery at Ford end-of-line.
• System Integration & Architecture: Facilitate the integration of electromechanical systems and achieve Chief-level systems sign-off across programs. Make recommendations for optimal solutions and designs that affect top-level vehicle architecture.
• Continuous Improvement: Drive continuous improvement initiatives through AI, automation, and process efficiency to optimize feature development processes, tools, and methodologies.