Forward Deployed Engineer, Ford Energy
About The Position
In this position, while Ford leverages industry-standard platforms for its core ERP, CRM, and MES capabilities, the most challenging and high-value problems exist at the intersection of customers, operations, physical assets, and data with software. These are not generic applications but custom-built solutions for real operational problems where building in-house is faster and smarter, accelerated by AI. The role is for engineers who want to own outcomes, not just tickets. Engineers will be embedded with internal stakeholders and external customers to understand operational problems and then design, build, and deploy the software to solve them. This involves working across the full stack: application development, cloud infrastructure on GCP, enterprise data platform for AI scale, integrations with manufacturing and warehousing technology, and automation and tooling for production deployment. This role is ideal for engineers who thrive in ambiguity, desire direct exposure to business and customer problems, and seek significant ownership and accountability. Instead of receiving a fully specified spec, engineers will help define the problem and then build and deploy the solution. Ford Energy's engineering organization is being built to be AI-native from day one, integrating intelligent automation, orchestration, and applied AI/ML into daily operations.
Requirements
- 5+ years of experience as a software engineer with a strong background in hands-on development, systems architecture, and integrating production systems.
- Comfortable wearing multiple hats (application engineering, cloud infrastructure, and production delivery automation) rather than specializing in only one layer.
- Experience spanning both greenfield development and enterprise platform integrations.
- Track record of taking ambiguous, high-stakes problems from first conversation to working software in production and comfortable being judged on outcomes delivered, not just code written.
- Demonstrated experience with AI/ML in production or applied business contexts.
- Strong practice of using generative AI tools to accelerate development velocity across the SDLC.
- Experience with Go, Python, TypeScript, API design, GCP, and modern cloud architectures.
- Experience with infrastructure-as-code, cloud environments, and delivery automation.
- Ability to navigate ambiguous, fast-changing environments and deliver simple, secure solutions under tight timelines.
- Excellent communication and relationship-building skills, with the ability to partner effectively across diverse technical and business teams as an individual contributor.
- Comfortable operating with minimal process and significant latitude and comfortable owning the consequences of what you ship.
- Ability to build the playbook as you go in a role without a fully-built playbook.
Nice To Haves
- Prior forward-deployed, field engineering, solutions engineering, or startup founding-engineer experience.
- Experience with MQTT, IoT, edge computing, manufacturing technologies, and enterprise platform integrations (ERP, CRM, MES).
- Familiarity with AI engineering frameworks and intelligent automation patterns.
Responsibilities
- Build an AI-Native Organization: Help define and implement what “AI-native” means for Ford Energy engineering as a daily practice, using generative AI tools and AI-assisted development across the SDLC. Build practical AI/ML capabilities and intelligent automation to solve operational problems, setting standards for the team as it scales. Ensure every AI use case has a clear, measurable value proposition.
- Embed and Solve: Work directly with internal operations, product, and customer teams to understand business and operational problems firsthand. Translate these insights into shipped software.
- Own Delivery End to End: Handle multiple roles across the stack, including application code development (Go and related services), designing and operating cloud infrastructure on GCP, and owning automation, environments, and pipelines for reliable production deployment. Focus on delivering deployed solutions that drive real outcomes.
- Build the Custom Edge: Design, develop, and secure applications, API integrations, and edge systems to complement core ERP, CRM, and MES platforms. Engineer tools specifically for Ford Energy's business model and customers.
- Architect and Build, Fast: Move between systems design, API integrations, cloud-native services, IoT/edge workflows, infrastructure-as-code, and production-ready software, prioritizing simple, secure, and reliable solutions that are deployed quickly.
- Turn Ambiguity into Deployed Software: Convert evolving business needs into working systems in the field, using sound engineering judgment and AI-assisted development for speed without compromising security or reliability.
- Partner Relentlessly: Build strong relationships with product, operations, business stakeholders, and customers to ensure solutions effectively address the intended problems.
- Uphold the Standard: Contribute to engineering standards through high-quality design and code, participate in architecture and code reviews (including AI/ML integration patterns and cloud/infrastructure approaches), and share technical knowledge with peers.
Benefits
- Immediate medical, dental, vision and prescription drug coverage
- Flexible family care days, paid parental leave, new parent ramp-up programs, subsidized back-up child care 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.
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Mid Level
Education Level
No Education Listed
