Core Seats Foam Engineer

Ford • Dearborn, MI

1d

About The Position

Develop and optimize foam geometries, densities, and hardness profiles for seat cushions, backs, bolsters, and headrests. Design for MFG, craftsmanship, robustness to occupant usage / abuse. Work closely with manufacturing and suppliers on mold design, process optimization, and production readiness. Apply lessons learned to mitigate foam defects and support root cause analysis using structured problem-solving methods (8D, DMAIC, etc.). Ensure process controls are robust to meet dimensional, chemical, and physical specifications during mass production. Support build events and validate foam performance in prototype and production builds. Identify cost-reduction opportunities through material, design, and process improvements. Drive continuous improvement in comfort, weight, and recyclability of seating foam systems. Interface with cross functional team and Tier-1 suppliers to create / revise / improve technical requirements. Support cross-functional teams including Design Engineering, Comfort Engineering, and Materials Lab. Participate in Foundation document creation for foam systems. 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. For more information on salary and benefits, click here: https://fordcareers.co/GSRSP1. This position is a range of salary grades SG5-SG8. Visa sponsorship is not available for this position. Verification of employment eligibility will be required at the time of hire.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Materials Engineering, Chemical Engineering or related field.
• 2+ years of experience in automotive foam design and development.
• Strong understanding of polyurethane chemistry, molding processes, and foam behavior.
• Familiarity with CAD tools (CATIA V5).
• Experience with Boundary, P-Diagrams, DFMEA, DVP&R, GD&T and problem-solving tools (8D, 5-Why).

Nice To Haves

• Master's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Materials Engineering, Chemical Engineering, or related field.
• Knowledge of OEM specifications (GM, Ford, Stellantis, Toyota, etc.) is an asset.

Responsibilities

• Develop and optimize foam geometries, densities, and hardness profiles for seat cushions, backs, bolsters, and headrests.
• Design for MFG, craftsmanship, robustness to occupant usage / abuse.
• Work closely with manufacturing and suppliers on mold design, process optimization, and production readiness.
• Apply lessons learned to mitigate foam defects and support root cause analysis using structured problem-solving methods (8D, DMAIC, etc.).
• Ensure process controls are robust to meet dimensional, chemical, and physical specifications during mass production.
• Support build events and validate foam performance in prototype and production builds.
• Identify cost-reduction opportunities through material, design, and process improvements.
• Drive continuous improvement in comfort, weight, and recyclability of seating foam systems.
• Interface with cross functional team and Tier-1 suppliers to create / revise / improve technical requirements.
• Support cross-functional teams including Design Engineering, Comfort Engineering, and Materials Lab.
• Participate in Foundation document creation for foam systems.

Benefits

• 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

What This Job Offers

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