AI-First Backend Developer

Ford • Dearborn, MI

11d • $99,600 - $192,900 • Hybrid

About The Position

Ford Motor Company’s Global Data Insight & Analytics team develops data products and analytical solutions that support product development, design, and cost strategy. The team is adopting an AI-first development model using spec-driven development and AI tools to accelerate delivery. The role is described as a hands-on Data Scientist position focused on transforming complex data into actionable insights and scalable analytical solutions while working across data science, AI, and analytics with technical teams and business stakeholders.

The position enables AI-first, spec-driven development by creating clear specifications, acceptance criteria, and architectural guidance for AI coding agents; applying agents and reusable prompts to improve workflows; establishing quality controls for AI-generated code; and evaluating emerging AI tools and practices. It also builds and optimizes GCP CI/CD pipelines and environment automation, replacing manual deployment processes with self-service tools and standardized workflows, and implementing observability, feature flags, and automated rollback capabilities.

The role develops production-grade Python services and secure, versioned APIs; designs scalable data models using BigQuery and PostgreSQL; develops and optimizes data and machine-learning pipelines in collaboration with data scientists; and supports AI-driven applications through scalable backend solutions. The position is hybrid and requires onsite work four or more days per week.

Requirements

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Data Science, Computer Science, or a related technical field, or equivalent practical experience.
• 6+ years of experience in data science, data engineering, or software engineering.
• 3+ years of experience building and operating cloud-based workloads, preferably on Google Cloud Platform (GCP).
• Experience developing data pipelines, analytical solutions, and CI/CD processes.
• Strong Python programming skills and experience with modern data science tools and frameworks.
• Hands-on experience with AI coding agents and validating AI-generated outputs.
• Solid data modeling skills and experience with BigQuery and analytical workloads.
• Familiarity with Git, cloud infrastructure, observability, and performance optimization.
• Working knowledge of front-end or full-stack development.
• Strong communication and collaboration skills, with the ability to mentor and coach others.
• An automation mindset focused on improving efficiency and scalability.
• Curiosity about the business and ability to translate business needs into data-driven solutions.

Nice To Haves

• Experience with spec-driven or AI-assisted development practices.
• GCP certifications in Data Engineering, Cloud Development, or DevOps.
• Experience in platform engineering, developer experience, or DORA metrics.
• Background in automotive, manufacturing, or product-cost analytics.

Responsibilities

• Develop clear, testable specifications, acceptance criteria, and architectural guidelines for AI coding agents.
• Use AI coding agents, reusable prompts, and repository conventions to streamline development workflows.
• Establish quality controls for AI-generated code, including automated testing, security scanning, and static analysis.
• Evaluate emerging AI tools and practices, including agentic workflows, MCP integrations, and evaluation frameworks.
• Design and maintain CI/CD pipelines and environment automation on GCP to enable frequent, independent production deployments.
• Replace manual deployment processes with self-service tools, reusable templates, and standardized workflows.
• Implement observability, feature flags, and automated rollback capabilities for safe, reliable deployments.
• Build and maintain production-grade Python services and secure, versioned APIs.
• Design scalable data models using BigQuery and PostgreSQL.
• Develop and optimize data and machine-learning pipelines in collaboration with data scientists.
• Support AI-driven applications and evolving product requirements through scalable backend solutions.
• Partner with technical teams and business stakeholders to solve complex problems and deliver data-driven solutions.

Benefits

• Immediate medical, dental, vision, and prescription drug coverage.
• Flexible family care days, paid parental leave, new parent ramp-up programs, and subsidized back-up child care.
• Family-building benefits, including adoption and surrogacy expense reimbursement and fertility treatments.
• 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.
• Paid holidays, including the week between Christmas and New Year’s Day.
• Paid time off and the option to purchase additional vacation time.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior