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

Ford Motor • Dearborn, MI

2d • Hybrid

About The Position

Join the HV Battery Array team to design, validate, and release high-voltage battery array modules in collaboration with cross-functional and global partners. The role also helps 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 engineer works with design, analysis, packaging, supplier, welding-process, and component teams to ensure electrical, mechanical, and thermal interfaces meet system requirements. The role includes component design evaluation, design release, validation, quality documentation, issue resolution, and coordination with adjacent engineering, manufacturing, testing, supplier-assistance, and purchasing teams.

For the laser-welding focus, the engineer owns the busbar-to-cell welding specification, defines welded-joint requirements, develops and executes validation plans, supports process capability studies and PPAP, and participates in plant trials and pre-production builds. The position is hybrid, with an onsite requirement of four or more days per week, and requires travel as 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, Design Validation, and Process Verification 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, interact with internal and external stakeholders, and negotiate 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.
• Legally authorized to work in the United States; employment eligibility verification is required at hire.

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

• Collaborate with CAD designers, CAE engineers, battery packaging engineers, suppliers, welding process engineers, and battery component engineers to design and release HV battery welded array modules, including global partners where applicable.
• Develop and ensure compatibility of electrical, mechanical, and thermal module interfaces within the HV Battery System.
• Design or evaluate supplier designs for specific module components.
• Apply engineering and manufacturing-process knowledge to achieve efficient and cost-effective designs.
• Work with cross-functional and global teams to meet package, performance, and attribute requirements for the HV Battery Array/Cell Block System.
• Complete Design and Release activities, including WERS component release, validation, issue management, quality-document development, and delivery.
• Interface with HV Battery unit, manufacturing, cell, and testing teams, Supplier Technical Assistance, and Purchasing.
• Identify process and design improvements for efficiency and cost savings.
• 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 to develop capability studies demonstrating that the specification is met.
• Assess tradeoffs to reduce scrap, improve First Time Through, and improve 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 findings to refine process parameters and requirements.

Benefits

• Immediate medical, dental, vision, and prescription drug coverage.
• Flexible family care days, paid parental leave, new parent ramp-up programs, and subsidized backup 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