Application Delivery Manager

Ford • Dearborn, MI

2d • Onsite

About The Position

We are seeking an experienced Application Delivery Manager to lead our release governance, platform upgrades, software deployments, release management, and operational stability initiatives. This pivotal leadership role will bridge the gap between technical infrastructure teams, development, hosting, and business stakeholders.
The ideal candidate excels at managing complex enterprise software releases while maintaining the deployments & customizations within our global PLM environments. You bring deep experience in ITIL change management, release governance, and stakeholder communication - translating technical complexity into clear business impact. negotiating downtime windows with senior leadership and diving into the details of a Teamcenter or 3DEXPERIENCE upgrade plan. A natural collaborator, you build trust across development, hosting, and business teams, and you thrive in a fast-paced environment where what we deliver and accountability both are important. This role is a people leader position but also technical.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Engineering, or equivalent work experience
• 8+ years of experience in Platform Lifecycle Management (PLM) Operations, Release Management, or Service Delivery
• 5+ years leading or managing technical teams in an enterprise environment
• Extensive experience with Siemens Teamcenter and/or Dassault 3DEXPERIENCE architecture and deployment
• Experience working in a fast pace, flexible industrial system team like Ford Motor Company
• Infrastructure Proficiency: Strong understanding of server operations (Linux/Windows), OS patching cycles, and network security (SSL/Firewalls).
• DevOps Tooling: Familiarity with CI/CD pipelines (Jenkins, Tekton, GitHub Actions) and Infrastructure-as-Code (Ansible/Terraform) to oversee automated deployments.
• Project Management Tools: Expert-level proficiency in Jira for backlog management, capacity planning, and reporting.
• Scripting Knowledge: Ability to understand and guide teams using scripting languages (PowerShell, Bash, Python) for automation tasks.
• Strategic Communication: Proven ability to translate technical constraints into business impacts for senior leadership.
• Process Rigor: Deep understanding of ITIL change management principles and audit compliance (GRC/SOX).
• Problem Solving: Excellent troubleshooting skills with a focus on root cause analysis and preventative measures.
• Collaboration: Demonstrated success in building relationships across Development, Infrastructure, and Business teams to deliver projects under aggressive timelines.

Nice To Haves

• ITIL Certification (Preferred)
• SAFe / Agile Certification (Preferred)

Responsibilities

• End-to-End Release Management: Define and govern a consistent process for managing software and code changes, patches, and upgrades across the PLM landscape (Teamcenter & 3DEXPERIENCE)
• Coordination: Establish release calendars and facilitate communication between development teams to manage dependencies, minimize conflicts, and ensure testing through UAT are received prior to deployment
• Agile Delivery: Manage the lifecycle of proprietary internal tools, ensuring agile delivery of client updates and patches outside of major release windows to maintain business velocity
• Risk Mitigation: Serve as the primary point of contact for business leadership regarding planned downtime, negotiating windows that minimize disruption to global operations
• Legacy Management: Oversee the maintenance and eventual decommissioning of legacy applications, ensuring data integrity during sunsetting phases
• Communication Management: Build professional, enterprise-grade email communications for all platform releases, outages, and deliverables
• Upgrade Orchestration: Serve as the directly responsible individual for upgrade management across all 3DEXPERIENCE and Teamcenter platforms within Ford Motor Company, including full upgrade releases and feature/patch releases
• Change Management: Work and coordinate with hosting, central, and business teams on any changes that are scoped, planned, and executed across the PLM landscape — ensuring all modifications follow ITIL-aligned change management processes, are properly documented, and carry appropriate approvals prior to implementation
• Incident Management: Serve as the primary incident commander for PLM platform outages — coordinating rapid response across hosting, development, and supplier teams, driving root cause analysis, and ensuring timely, professional communication to business stakeholders throughout the incident lifecycle
• Endpoint Software Deployment: manage the packages that are deployed globally to our Ford engineers utilizing our PLM software
• Custom Changes: Our platforms are heavily customized to meet Ford's unique engineering requirements. You will govern the lifecycle of all custom development — from requirements intake and prioritization through testing, deployment, and documentation — ensuring changes are delivered safely and do not compromise platform stability or upgrade readiness
• Resource Management: Lead capacity planning efforts, utilizing Jira to track team bandwidth, forecast constraints, and assign resources effectively against business priorities
• Audit Leadership: Serve as the lead for IT audits, ensuring full compliance with GRC, IFAR, and ASAR requirements

Benefits

• Immediate medical, dental, and prescription drug coverage
• Flexible family care, parental leave, new parent ramp-up programs, subsidized back-up childcare 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.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Number of Employees: 5,001-10,000 employees