Dimensional Systems Supervisor

Ford Motor Company•Dearborn, MI

40d•Hybrid

About The Position

We are the movers of the world and the makers of the future. We get up every day, roll up our sleeves and build a better world -- together. At Ford, we're all a part of something bigger than ourselves. Are you ready to change the way the world moves? Product Development uses design thinking & user experience methods to deliver breakthrough products and services that delight our customers. We bring innovative, exciting, and sustainable ideas to life. We have opportunities around the world for you to contribute to advancements in autonomy, electrification, smart mobility technologies, and more! In this position... This group owns post-Design Freeze variation analysis encompassing all interior and exterior component and assembly design and tolerance changes, certification of checking fixtures, and the data-driven management of tolerance concessions/relief and production dimensional issues in partnership with suppliers and plant teams. While you will support pre-Design Freeze activities for purchased assemblies, the primary focus of this role is post-Design Freeze readiness and execution across both purchased and in-house engineered components and assemblies. As the People Leader for this team, you will build, coach, and lead a group of Variation Analysis Engineers. You will set the strategy, standards, work priorities and remove roadblocks so the team can deliver robust outcomes. You'll ensure VSA results are accurate and correlate to physical measurements, drive cross-functional alignment (D&R, Manufacturing, Quality, PVT, and suppliers) on production dimensional issues. This role is hybrid/onsite as program and launch phases require, with close collaboration at Ford facilities, suppliers, and manufacturing plants. Expect travel of approximately 10-20% within North America, with increased onsite presence during tool tryout, PPAP, and key build events. Ford is expanding our Dimensional Systems capability with a team purpose-built to drive post-Design Freeze execution across vehicle systems during launch and current production.

Responsibilities

Build, lead, and coach a high-performing team of Variation Analysis Engineers. Manage performance, career development, workload, and staffing.
Establish and maintain standards, templates, and best practices for VSA, datum strategies, and gauge validation.
Own prioritization of work across programs, balancing the team's capacity with launch and current production needs.
Oversee checking fixture design validation, ensuring significant and critical characteristics and the GD&T intent is maintained.
Review and approve downstream fit and function of proposed component design changes using 3D-VSA.
Quantify and manage tolerance concessions across build events; assess potential impact on vehicle fit/function and align with APQP/PPAP requirements.
Drive implementation of dimensional enablers for non-compliant requirements and improvements to tooling/processing.
Direct on-site support at suppliers and plants during build events to manage tolerance concessions and risk through build events.
Lead cross-functional problem-solving (D&R, Manufacturing, Quality, PVT, Suppliers) to determine root cause and implement corrective actions.
Oversee and manage the development of assembly datum strategies and definition of drawing GD&T in CATIA/3DX for purchased assemblies (e.g., seat frames, cross-car beams, bumper beams).
Review and approve 3D-VSA studies (Vis-VSA) to predict system capability against appearance and functional requirements.
Ensure correlation of simulation results to measurement data and refine model methods for accuracy.