Hardware Integration Engineer

Ford Motor • Dearborn, MI

7d • Hybrid

About The Position

We made history and now we work to transform the future – for our customers, our communities and our families. You'll see your work on the road every day, helping people move freely and pursue their dreams. At Ford, you can build more than vehicles. Come build what matters. Product Development uses design thinking & user experience methods to deliver breakthrough products and services that delight our customers. We bring innovative, exciting, and sustainable ideas to life. We have opportunities around the world for you to contribute to advancements in autonomy, electrification, smart mobility technologies, and more! You will guide the interior D&R team from initial styling theme selection through mass production, assuming process ownership for program delivery, priority alignment, and performance management. This role requires managing part-level cost and weight targets, overseeing Digital Pre-Assembly (DPA) health, and ensuring robust Bill of Materials (BOM) management. You will champion the Failure Mode Avoidance (FMA) process and manage total Design Verification (DVP&R) planning to support program milestones. Additionally, you will lead the engineering change control process and provide critical on-site assembly support during production plant build events to consistently meet Quality, Cost, Weight, and Functional (QCWF) targets.

Requirements

• Minimum Bachelor of Science (BS) degree in Engineering (Mechanical, Mechatronics, Electrical, or Industrial Engineering preferred).
• Minimum of 3 years of experience in automotive engineering, specifically in interior systems, systems integration, or design & release.
• Minimum of 1 year of experience utilizing Global 8D or similar root-cause analysis and cross-functional problem-solving methodologies.
• Valid Driver’s License required (to support vehicle testing and manufacturing plant travel).
• Primarily sedentary office work but requires periods of light physical work including standing and walking (up to 4-6 hours/day) during prototype builds, physical buck reviews, and plant launch events.
• Ability to travel to manufacturing plants and supplier sites (up to 20% travel required).

Nice To Haves

• Demonstrated working knowledge of corporate product development systems (e.g., Bill of Materials (BOM) management, Change Control/Release systems, Issue Tracking systems, and Digital Pre-Assembly/Packaging tools).

Responsibilities

• Leverage Dearborn location to engage in frequent, face-to-face collaboration with the Interior Studio Liaison and the Design Studio team, supporting physical property reviews (clay models, foam bucks, 3D prints) directly on the Studio floor.
• Serve as the primary liaison between functional engineering teams, attribute teams, and Program Management, establishing and chairing VHE integration meetings to manage open issues and program updates.
• Coach and guide D&R engineers on systems, tools, forms, and processes necessary to support the program, assisting them in overcoming roadblocks.
• Ensure functional engineering alignment with program assumptions, managing updates to the Product Direction Letter (program content document).
• Manage the development of part-level cost and weight targets alongside commodity planning teams, maintaining a roadmap and driving gap-closure actions.
• Review and validate 1st and 2nd Engineering Concepts and technical Statements of Work (ESOW) generated by D&Rs to ensure cross-functional compatibility.
• Manage functional CAD-to-BOM alignment, overseeing the Digital Pre-Assembly (DPA) and packaging workstreams to resolve digital buck clashes and misalignment reports.
• Develop and manage Failure Mode Avoidance (FMA) planning, reviewing D&R-generated DFMEAs and Special Characteristic agreements to ensure cross-functional alignment.
• Manage total Design Verification (DVP&R) planning to support program milestones, confirming compliance to design rules and coordinating sign-off for engineering deviations.
• Lead the engineering change control process to maintain a robust BOM, establishing and enforcing glidepaths for initial production part releases.
• Lead cross-functional issue resolution using 8D methodology, ensuring the corporate issue-tracking system is updated for on-time disposition or escalation.
• Lead on-site assembly support for the functional area during production plant build events, managing daily whiteboard calls, quality audits, and prototype part pedigree status.
• Support the Plant Vehicle Team (PVT) during hand-off, coordinating immediate reactions with engineering and supplier teams to address any stop-ship or critical build issues.

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.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level