HV Battery Design & Release Engineer- Busbar-to Cell Welding/Array & Thermal

Ford • Dearborn, MI

3d • $68,300 - $192,900 • Hybrid

About The Position

Join Ford’s HV Battery Array team as a Design & Release Engineer. The role involves designing, validating, and releasing high-voltage battery array modules and collaborating with cross-functional and global partners to bring them to production. The engineer will help establish Ford’s in-house laser welding capability for HV battery cells, owning the specification and validation of busbar-to-cell welds and supporting early plant trials. Additional array and thermal design and release assignments may be taken on as team needs evolve.

The position works with engineering, manufacturing, supplier, and global teams to develop compatible electrical, mechanical, and thermal interfaces; evaluate module component designs; meet package, performance, and attribute requirements; and complete design-and-release activities. These include component release in WERS, validation, issue management, quality documentation, and delivery. The engineer will identify process and design improvements, report issues to leadership, and lead technical resolution.

For laser welding, the engineer owns and develops the busbar-to-cell laser-welding engineering specification, defines welded-joint functional requirements, and develops and executes Design Validation (DV) and Process Verification (PV) plans supporting PPAP. The role includes working with Battery Manufacturing Engineering on capability studies, assessing tradeoffs to improve scrap, First Time Through (FTT), and cycle time, supporting plant trials and pre-production builds, and analyzing weld-quality data such as cross-sections to refine process parameters and requirements.

This is a hybrid position requiring onsite work four or more days per week. Travel may be needed for plant support and design reviews.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical, Electrical, Materials, or Welding Engineering and at least 5 years of relevant experience, or a master’s degree in one of those engineering fields and at least 2 years of relevant experience.
• Relevant experience in electrified powertrain or HV battery engineering systems, HV battery array design and release, or welding/joining process engineering.
• Experience in Design and Release roles, supplier management, and multidisciplinary engineering in electrification.
• Experience writing requirements and engineering specifications and evaluating supplier designs against them.
• Experience developing and evaluating DVP&R, DV, and PV test plans.
• Experience with the Failure Mode Avoidance process and quality documents such as DFMEA, PFMEA, and control plans.
• Knowledge of GD&T standards, 2D prints, and tolerance stack-up analysis methods.
• Strong presentation and communication skills, including reporting to managers, chief engineers, directors, and new model launch leaders.
• Ability to work across vehicle-program functions and interact with internal and external stakeholders, including negotiating tradeoffs.
• Proactive, self-motivated, and detail-oriented approach.
• Strong teamwork, organizational, oral, and written communication skills.
• Willingness to travel as needed for plant support and design reviews.

Nice To Haves

• Experience with laser welding processes and parameters and knowledge of welded electrical-joint requirements.
• Experience with weld-quality analysis, such as cross-section review.
• Experience with capability studies, scrap reduction, First Time Through, and cycle-time optimization.
• Experience with PPAP, manufacturing launch, or plant trials.
• Knowledge of electronics manufacturing, soldering, wiring, SMT, connectors, and electrical systems.
• Knowledge of stampings, castings, and injection-molded plastics.
• Team leadership experience.

Responsibilities

• Design, validate, and release high-voltage battery welded array modules in collaboration with cross-functional and global partners.
• Develop and ensure compatibility of module electrical, mechanical, and thermal interfaces within the HV Battery System.
• Design or evaluate supplier designs for module components and apply engineering and manufacturing-process knowledge to achieve efficient, cost-effective designs.
• Coordinate with relevant teams, including teams in the UK, Brazil, and China where applicable, to meet package, performance, and attribute requirements.
• Complete Design and Release activities, including WERS component release, validation, issue management, quality document development, and delivery.
• Interface with the HV Battery unit, manufacturing, cell, and testing teams, Supplier Technical Assistance, and Purchasing.
• Identify design and process improvements that increase efficiency and reduce cost.
• Report design, testing, timing, and quality issues to leadership promptly and lead technical resolution.
• Own and develop the engineering specification for busbar-to-cell laser welding and take it through Battery Manufacturing Engineering review and release.
• Define welded-joint functional requirements for structural integrity, electrical conductivity, and thermal management.
• Develop and execute Design Validation and Process Verification test plans to support PPAP of the process assembly line.
• Work with Battery Manufacturing Engineering on capability studies to demonstrate that the specification is met; assess tradeoffs to reduce scrap and improve First Time Through and cycle time.
• Support early plant trials and pre-production builds, including onsite plant work; interpret trial conditions and drive technical resolution.
• Review weld-quality data, including cross-section analysis, and use it to refine process parameters and requirements.
• Travel as needed for plant support and design reviews.

Benefits

• Immediate medical, dental, vision, and prescription drug coverage.
• Flexible family care days, paid parental leave, new parent ramp-up programs, and subsidized back-up child care.
• Family-building benefits, including adoption and surrogacy expense reimbursement and fertility treatments.
• Vehicle discount program for employees and family members and management leases.
• Tuition assistance.
• Employee resource groups.
• Paid time off for individual and team community service.
• 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