Director, Connected Vehicle Cloud Platform Strategy

Ford • Dearborn, MI

5h • Hybrid

About The Position

Come help build a better world, where every person is free to move and pursue their dreams. Ford MotorCompany was built on the belief that freedom of movement drives human progress. It’s a belief that has fueled our passion to create great cars and trucks. And today, it drives our commitment to become the world’s most trusted mobility company, designing vehicles for a smart world that helps people move more safely, confidently, and freely. Ford is experiencing significant business transformation in an ever-changing propulsion and digital world, and we are looking for exceptional talent to join us on this journey.
About EVDD
Ford is redefining how it will build a better world for the future by creating a culture and opportunities where employees will capitalize on Ford’s excellence in designing and building the most iconic products while also helping develop the future of world-class connected EVs. Ford is transforming our global automotive business to scale EVs, strengthen operations, and unlock value. We will deliver the speed of a startup, with the deep expertise of high-volume production.
As part of the future, we have the EVDD function. Electric Vehicles, Digital and Design leadership – driving the future of the digital technologies.
In this position…
The Director, Connected Vehicle Cloud Platform Strategy, reporting to the head of cloud engineering and partnering with other development leaders across cloud platform and operations, app, infotainment, and other vehicle systems. This role really sits at the intersection of technology, product strategy, and operational efficiency, which makes it quite impactful!
This critical position has responsibility for managing the platform's vision and strategy development. You will be the bridge between product innovation and engineering execution, collaborating closely with product and engineering teams and partnering across the organization to drive the platform's evolution and meet the complex and evolving needs of our global automotive customers and internal product teams.
You are responsible for ensuring the platform is robust, reliable, secure, scalable, and efficiently managed from a technical and economic perspective. This includes overseeing the platform's architecture and ensuring its performance.
You will have a deep understanding of IoT technologies, including vehicle connectivity, cloud platforms, data analytics, mobile apps and smart devices.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Information Technology, or a related technical field, OR equivalent combination of education and relevant work experience.
• Proven experience managing technical platforms, ideally within the IoT, cloud services, or automotive domain. Experience with cost analysis (TCO) and technical lifecycle management (LCM, EOL).
• Strong technical background with an understanding of software architecture, distributed systems, and cloud infrastructure.
• Deep knowledge of key IoT technologies as listed (vehicle connectivity, cloud platforms, data analytics, mobile apps, smart devices).
• Experience working closely with both Product and Engineering teams in an Agile or similar development environment. Ability to define and manage technical roadmaps and backlogs.
• Excellent communication, collaboration, and stakeholder management skills.
• Ability to translate complex technical concepts into clear, understandable terms for non-technical audiences.
• 15+ years of progressive experience in platform management or technical leadership.

Nice To Haves

• Master's degree in a relevant technical field or MBA.
• Direct experience in the automotive industry or with connected device technologies (telematics, vehicle data, etc.).
• Proven ability to influence and collaborate effectively across large, complex organizations.

Responsibilities

• Define and champion the technical vision, strategy, and roadmap for the Connected Vehicle Cloud Platform, aligning it with overall company objectives and product strategies.
• Oversee and guide the platform's architecture, ensuring it is designed for reliability, security, scalability, performance, and cost-effectiveness.
• Collaborate closely with Product Management, Engineering, and other cross-functional teams (e.g., Security, Operations) to define requirements, prioritize development efforts, and ensure successful delivery and operation of platform capabilities.
• Utilize your deep understanding of IoT technologies, including vehicle connectivity, cloud platforms, data ingestion & analytics, mobile app integration, and smart device ecosystems, to make informed technical and strategic decisions.
• Ensure the platform meets stringent requirements for regulatory compliance, reliability, performance, and security, working with engineering and business teams to establish and monitor key metrics (SLOs, KPIs).
• Own and manage the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) analysis for the platform, identifying cost drivers and opportunities for optimization.
• Develop and execute robust Lifecycle Management (LCM) plans for various platform components and technologies, ensuring currency and supportability.
• Define and manage End-of-Life (EOL) plans for deprecated platform elements, planning for smooth transitions.
• Communicate platform status, roadmap, and technical concepts effectively to technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Stay current with industry trends, technological advancements, and competitive landscapes relevant to automotive IoT platforms.

Benefits

• Immediate medical, dental, vision and prescription drug coverage
• Flexible family care days, paid parental leave, new parent ramp-up programs, subsidized back-up childcare 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: Director