Director, Vehicle Cloud & Mobility - Telemetry & Data Platform

Ford • Palo Alto, CA

3d • Hybrid

About The Position

Ford is seeking an accomplished and visionary leader to serve as the Director, Vehicle Cloud and Mobility (VC&M) – Telemetry and Data Platform. This pivotal role involves leading a diverse, global team of data platform and product engineers to define and execute the strategy, development, and operational excellence of Ford’s critical connected vehicle telemetry and data platforms. You will drive innovation, ensuring the highest standards of availability, performance, and customer experience across existing and future generations of data ecosystems powering Ford's connected capabilities.
Reporting to the Head of VC&M Data Engineering, this technical leadership position requires balancing near-term delivery with long-term modernization. You will operate confidently in both steady-state environments and ambiguous transformation spaces, partnering across cloud platform, operations, app, infotainment, and other vehicle systems to deliver enterprise-level initiatives.

Requirements

• 15+ years of progressive experience in a relevant technical field, with demonstrated experience leading and transforming large, multi-disciplined global engineering organizations.
• Proven ability to lead teams through complex, multi-year transformation initiatives in ambiguous and rapidly changing environments.
• Exceptional communication skills, capable of translating complex technical concepts for diverse audiences and influencing across organizational boundaries.
• Strong strategic and critical thinking, with the ability to drive strategy from concept through to production.
• Demonstrated business acumen related to connected vehicle systems, IT operations, and customer experience.
• Experience leading cross-functional teams in multifaceted technical, legal, and regulatory constrained environments.
• Deep understanding of infrastructure architecture, cloud technologies, and 24x7 operational models.
• Expertise in designing, deploying, and supporting cloud-based solutions at scale.
• Expert in data platforms and pipelines, including associated data privacy and security.
• Hands-on experience writing, deploying, and supporting platform-based software in production using modern technologies.
• Strong understanding of APIs, integration patterns, data exchange methods, performance modeling, protocols, and cloud security principles.
• Experience with multiple cloud providers (e.g., Google Cloud Platform, Azure, AWS) and on-premise solutions.
• Familiarity with VC&M preferred tech stack (e.g., Java, Spring Boot, Docker, GCP).
• Experience supporting "always-on" production systems.
• Knowledge of Agile methodologies and tools (e.g., Jira).
• Bachelor’s degree in Electronics, Computer Science, Software Engineering, or a related technical field.

Nice To Haves

• Master’s degree preferred.
• Prior experience in automotive delivery roles or associated industries.
• Experience with remote diagnostics for devices, leading into prognostics.

Responsibilities

• Define and execute the vision, strategy, and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for VC&M Telemetry and Data Platforms, encompassing specification, development, deployment, quality, and operations.
• Drive delivery discipline, best practices, and continuous improvement across the organization, ensuring robust and on-time project and upgrade delivery.
• Provide end-to-end ownership of data platforms, products, and services, guaranteeing reliability, scalability, and performance for global connected vehicle experiences. Lead the development, maintenance, and support of mission-critical platform components.
• Foster operational excellence through data-driven insights, real-world performance metrics, and continuous optimization. Ensure compliance with security, availability, and performance standards across all managed services.
• Partner with Product, Security, Architecture, and Operations teams to maintain a stable, "always-on" customer experience. Serve as a primary technical and organizational change agent, aligning engineering, product, and enterprise stakeholders.
• Recruit, develop, and direct a diverse, multi-disciplined global team, fostering a culture of innovation and high performance.

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
• Number of Employees: 5,001-10,000 employees