CAE Engineer - Early Career Program, Advanced EV

Ford Motor • Long Beach, CA

2d • Hybrid

About The Position

Ford Motor Company is offering a six-month Early Career Program in Advanced EV, with a possible shorter duration in some cases and a start as early as spring 2027. The ADVEV Structures and CAE team owns the body-in-white (BIW) architecture for new EV platforms, from early-program studies through production-intent design, analysis, and physical validation. As part of the NVH and Durability team, the candidate will gain hands-on experience in BIW structural design loops, including concept generation, detailed analysis, design for manufacture, and CAD.

The role supports CAE development of cost and mass-reduction opportunities for structural parts and assemblies, subject to stiffness, strength, and durability requirements. It also involves exploring optimization workflows, applying AI methods, deploying custom tools, and automating analysis to assess design domains and accelerate engineering decisions. Candidates may be required to work onsite four or more days per week. Eligible candidates who live more than 50 miles from a local office may receive a $5,000 pre-tax relocation and commuter stipend. Visa sponsorship is not available; candidates must be legally authorized to work in the United States.

Requirements

• Currently pursuing a Bachelor's or Master's degree in Mechanical Engineering or a related field.
• Demonstrated ability in structures design and optimization, from hand calculations through detailed analysis and execution.
• Strong first-principles understanding of solid mechanics and mechanics of materials.
• Proficiency in finite element methods, including linear and nonlinear static analysis.
• Experience with one or more FEA solvers: Abaqus, OptiStruct, nCode, or ANSYS.
• Experience with one or more FEA pre/post-processors: HyperMesh, SimLab, ANSA, or ANSYS.
• Scripting or programming experience in Python, including tools such as numpy, pandas, scipy, pytorch, or keras.
• Strong problem-solving skills and eagerness to learn in a fast-paced, collaborative environment.
• Ability to communicate technical ideas clearly across cross-functional teams.
• Legally authorized to work in the United States; employment eligibility will be verified at hire.

Nice To Haves

• Experience with CAD tools such as CATIA V6 or 3DEXPERIENCE.
• Experience with modeFrontier or similar DoE and optimization frameworks.
• Finite element methods extending to linear and nonlinear dynamic and modal analysis.
• Proficiency in numerical methods, including gradient- and non-gradient-based optimization and sensitivity analysis.
• Familiarity with AI-assisted coding tools such as Copilot.
• Familiarity with automotive manufacturing methods such as stampings, roll forming, extrusions, and casting, and joining technologies such as GMAW, SPR, RSW, and adhesives.

Responsibilities

• Drive CAE and optimization of next-generation Advanced EV products in one or more areas: Body, Exteriors, Closures, or Seats.
• Develop finite element models at component and subsystem levels to evaluate designs against stiffness, strength, and durability metrics using linear and nonlinear analysis techniques.
• Work with D&R engineers to pursue cost and mass-reduction opportunities using topology, topography, gauge, and shape optimization.
• Identify, develop, and implement CAE techniques, analysis procedures, and tools to improve model robustness, fidelity, and simulation speed.
• Automate analysis methods to support large-scale design of experiments (DoEs), create surrogate models using deep learning techniques, and explore design domains using response surface methods.
• Participate in CAE and design reviews, present findings, and influence design decisions.

Benefits

• $5,000 pre-tax relocation and commuter stipend for eligible candidates living more than 50 miles from a local office and assigned to an eligible team.

What This Job Offers

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