Director, Hardware Engineering & Integration - ATP

Ford Motor Company•Dearborn, MI

10d

About The Position

Ford Motor Company is seeking a Director, Hardware Engineering & Integration for ATP. The role reports to the ATP vertical leader for Forge, Print and Global Operations and combines ownership of ATP-designed hardware with responsibility for the integration and commissioning methods used to deploy it across plants. The position will build in-house capability and reduce reliance on outside integrators while making deployments more repeatable, cost-effective, and scalable. The director owns engineering for end effectors and tooling, edge compute and enclosures, RoboGym robot test and certification cells, and cable and wire-harness standards. The role also owns ATP’s integration and commissioning method, including virtual commissioning, acceptance testing, controls integration, and standard work. It leads the shared team that installs and commissions robots, autonomous mobile robots (AMRs), and vision cells, and sets device-readiness requirements for robot, AMR, printer, and vision suppliers. The position ensures designs are ready for manufacture by Ford’s prototype and manufacturing subsidiary, TDM, and partners with the Forge-X humanoid program lead, Core controls engineering, and the Forge, Sight, and Print verticals. It establishes functional safety as a gate for production deployment and leads a multidisciplinary engineering and commissioning team.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical, Electrical, Mechatronics, or Controls Engineering, or a related field.
12 or more years of experience in automation, robotics, or industrial equipment engineering, including 5 or more years leading engineering teams.
Hands-on experience designing robot cells and end-of-arm tooling and commissioning them in a production environment.
PLC and controls integration experience with Rockwell or Siemens, and experience with industrial networks such as PROFINET and EtherNet/IP.
Working knowledge of robot functional safety, including ISO 10218 and ISO 13849, and risk assessment practice.
Design-for-manufacture experience taking hardware from prototype to production.
Experience leading teams on the plant floor and working with plant leadership through launch.

Nice To Haves

Background at an automotive OEM, Tier 1 supplier, or major automation integrator.
Experience with virtual commissioning tools such as Process Simulate or equivalent, and digital twin workflows.
AMR fleet deployment experience and familiarity with open interface standards such as VDA 5050 and OPC UA.
Experience with edge computing hardware for industrial environments.
Functional safety certification (TÜV or equivalent) or a Professional Engineer license.

Responsibilities

Lead design and validation of end effectors, grippers, and tooling for Ford’s high-volume robotic applications.
Own edge compute hardware and enclosures that connect plant equipment to the Ford platform.
Build and maintain RoboGym test cells for qualifying third-party robots against Ford’s standard.
Set cable and wire-harness standards and develop in-house harnessing capability.
Establish one ATP commissioning method covering risk assessment, virtual commissioning, factory acceptance testing, site acceptance testing, and handover to the plant.
Integrate robots and cells with plant controls, including PLC, safety PLC, and HMI, and industrial networks such as PROFINET, EtherNet/IP, and OPC UA.
Reduce deployment cost and cycle time through standard designs, reusable controls templates, and lessons-learned loops.
Train and certify plant and ATP engineers to integrate, program, and maintain ATP technology in-house.
Define device-readiness requirements for supplier devices, including drivers, manifests, data interfaces to the Ford platform, and safety documentation.
Align fleet and AMR suppliers to open interface standards such as VDA 5050, and printer and vision suppliers to Ford’s device standard.
Run equipment qualification through RoboGym so equipment is tested once and approved for every plant.
Include integration terms in sourcing so suppliers contribute to integration effort.
Design ATP hardware for manufacture, considering cost, tolerances, serviceability, and supplier readiness.
Prepare designs, documentation, and test plans for TDM to manufacture without redesign.
Plan volumes and second sources for ATP-owned hardware as deployments grow.
Require functional-safety gates, documented risk assessments, and validated safety functions before cells operate in production.
Partner with plant safety, controls, and cybersecurity teams on safe and secure commissioning.
Lead and grow a multidisciplinary team of mechanical, electrical, controls, and commissioning engineers.
Convert outside-integrator work into in-house Ford capability, beginning with high-volume applications.
Set team structure, standard work, and career pathways while maintaining a high bar for safety and quality.
Partner with the Forge-X humanoid program lead, Core controls engineering, and the Forge, Sight, and Print verticals.