Director, Hardware Engineering & Integration - ATP

Ford•Dearborn, MI

10d

About The Position

The Director, Hardware Engineering & Integration, ATP will lead the engineering of ATP-owned hardware and establish a repeatable integration and commissioning method for deploying automation across Ford plants. The role owns end effectors and tooling, edge compute and enclosures, RoboGym test cells, and cable and wire-harness standards. It also leads virtual commissioning, factory and site acceptance testing, controls integration, and standard work for deployment and commissioning. The director will lead ATP’s integration and build team, grow Ford’s in-house installation and commissioning capability, and define readiness standards for robot, AMR, printer, and vision-system suppliers. The role ensures designs are ready for manufacture by TDM and works with the Forge-X humanoid program, Core controls engineering, and the Forge, Sight, and Print verticals. Safety is a core responsibility, including documented risk assessments and validated safety functions before production use.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical, Electrical, Mechatronics, or Controls Engineering, or a related field.
12+ years of experience in automation, robotics, or industrial equipment engineering, including 5+ 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 practices.
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 high-volume robotic applications.
Own edge-compute hardware and enclosures connecting plant equipment to the Ford platform.
Build and maintain RoboGym test cells to qualify third-party robots against Ford standards.
Set cable and wire-harness standards and develop in-house harnessing capability.
Establish a consistent ATP commissioning method covering risk assessment, virtual commissioning, factory acceptance, site acceptance, and plant handover.
Integrate robots and cells with plant controls, including PLCs, safety PLCs, and HMIs, and with industrial networks.
Reduce deployment cost and cycle time using standard designs, reusable controls templates, and lessons-learned processes.
Train and certify plant and ATP engineers to integrate, program, and maintain ATP technology in-house.
Define device and supplier readiness standards covering drivers, manifests, data interfaces, and safety documentation.
Align fleet and AMR suppliers to open interface standards and printer and vision suppliers to Ford’s device standard.
Run equipment qualification through RoboGym and incorporate integration requirements into sourcing terms.
Design ATP hardware for manufacture, including cost, tolerances, serviceability, and supplier readiness; prepare documentation and test plans for TDM production.
Plan production volumes and second sources for ATP-owned hardware.
Require functional-safety risk assessments and validated safety functions, and partner with plant safety, controls, and cybersecurity teams on commissioning.
Lead and grow a multidisciplinary mechanical, electrical, controls, and commissioning engineering team.
Build in-house capability to replace outside integrator work, establish team structure and standard work, and develop career pathways.