Director - Technical Program Management

Ford Motor • Dearborn, MI

1d • 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? Come help build a better world, where every person is free to move and pursue their dreams. Ford Motor Company 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 digital world. We are dedicated to delivering distinctive products and solutions, having an “always on” relationship with customers and continuously improving our user experience. In this position... Ford’s Industrial System Transformation – Project Synergy: About 2000 applications/tools/spreadsheets ageing between 10 and 40 years are involved in the process of evolving the design of a new product into an assembled vehicle. These siloed and fragmented processes, systems and data are a key factor in making Ford’s industrial system uncompetitive. An end-to-end transformation across the ecosystem is imperative and the timing is NOW. There are 3 parts to this transformation (Engineering – PD, Material Planning – MRP and Manufacturing - MFG) that will be executed concurrently, in an integrated roadmap, focused on targeted vehicle programs/manufacturing plants. This will be a multi-year transformation. PD Transformation: Transform PD with new organization, processes (Engineering Change, Failure Mode Analysis, Systems Engineering) and tools for 3D engineering collaboration. MRP Modernization: As part of Ford's industrial transformation, this program modernizes Ford's Material Requirements Planning & Inventory Management process and replaces a 1980's era green-screen system with prioritized deployment across core vehicle operations and powertrain plants. Digital MFG / Next Gen: Create next generation digital manufacturing capabilities by: Leveraging the capabilities from the new Engineering ecosystem to seamlessly integrate with factory floor design & planning, work instructions, and process simulation. Leverage Vehicle Intelligence that will be enabled by FNV3.5 to enable the vehicle to self-diagnose and manage status & quality during the assembly processes. Integrating telematics data into the MFG process. The Industrial System IT leadership team is adding a Director- Technical Program Management to provide overall program management leadership for deliverables across IT and the business functions, using a combination of traditional program management techniques and agile software development practices, through coordination of launch activities across multiple teams. The 2026 investment for this program is estimated to be over $150M and the lifetime investment will be well over $500M. Based in Dearborn, MI, this is a hybrid position with a required four-day onsite presence each week

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Production, Systems, or Mechanical Engineering or equivalent combination of relevant education and experience
• 5+ years consistent track record, driving accountability and ownership with cross-functional teams
• 5+ years large-scale program management and cross-work stream integration experience that will include:
• Expertise in financial and resource management (~$50+M budget)
• Experience in handling governance reviews and issue resolutions at the executive (VP and C-level) leadership level
• Ability to balance Program Management and Agile practices
• 5+ years of experience with Ford and/or Industrial domains such as Product Development, Manufacturing and Logistics, Supply Chain Planning or similar.

Nice To Haves

• Master’s Degree in in Production, Systems, or Mechanical Engineering
• Knowledge of manufacturing and engineering processes i.e., GPDS, FPS
• Experience with Ford – PD, MFG and/or MP&L
• Familiarity with PLM and MRP technologies including SAP
• Understanding of Product Driven System of Delivery
• Politically savvy navigating the organization to achieve outcomes
• Proven ability to lead and empower team members
• Experience bringing together business change initiatives and the key enablers
• Understanding of emerging digital technologies
• Experience driving IT integration across domains
• Experience modernizing legacy IT infrastructure and applications
• Role model of Ford+ Leadership
• Self-starter – able to identify what needs to be done and then get it done
• Hands-on problem solver to anticipate and proactively resolve hurdles

Responsibilities

• Strategic Execution & Program Orchestration
• Drive Strategic Orchestration: Lead the end-to-end delivery of complex, multi-year industrial technology programs. Ensure seamless alignment between IT Product Delivery Organizations (PDOs), Engineering, Supply Chain, and Manufacturing to realize the comprehensive vision for Ford’s industrial ecosystem.
• Architect Enterprise Governance: Establish and lead a robust cross-functional governance framework that bridges IT delivery with vehicle program, enterprise capabilities, and global plant launch milestones (L1–L3) ensuring executive visibility and accountability.
• Strategic Roadmap Integration: Align program achievements with the overarching strategic roadmap, defining the development and deployment of process transformations and enabling technologies.
• Technical Leadership & Operational Excellence
• Champion Real-Time Insights: Oversee the development and maintenance of integrated Jira dashboards. Ensure these are synchronized with IT teams’ backlogs to provide leadership with real-time telemetry on program health and velocity.
• Value-Driven PI Planning: Lead high-impact quarterly PI Planning cycles to define and drive specific value delivery, ensuring the team remains focused on the highest-priority business outcomes.
• Proactive Risk Mitigation: Utilize strategic foresight to identify and resolve hurdles and roadblocks before they impact critical vehicle program milestones or plant launch windows.
• Comprehensive RAID Management: Maintain a rigorous, focused management of the RAID log (Risks, Actions, Issues, Decisions), ensuring clear ownership and rapid resolution of impediments.
• Financial Stewardship & Scope Control
• Fiscal Accountability: Execute full financial responsibility for the program, managing forecasts and actuals across the entire scope to ensure budget adherence and transparency.
• Rigorous Scope Management: Lead the formal definition and tracking of program scope, maintaining a disciplined change log to prevent scope creep while ensuring flexibility for critical requirements.
• Program Artifact Excellence: Ensure all program artifacts and documentation are maintained to the highest corporate standards for audit and lifecycle management.
• Stakeholder Influence & Change Leadership
• Executive Storytelling & Influence: Prepare and deliver high-stakes executive updates and presentations, synthesizing complex operational data into clear strategic narratives regarding accomplishments, objectives, and roadmaps.
• Transformational Change Management: Enable the organizational change management (OCM) required for successful implementation, ensuring technology shifts are met with high user adoption and operational readiness.
• Collaborative KPI Management: Partner with stakeholders to ensure monthly metrics and KPIs are consolidated and reported according to corporate standards, driving a culture of continuous improvement.

Benefits

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