Interior Systems Management Group Lead

Ford • Dearborn, MI

2d • 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!
In this position...
The Interior System Management Lead is a senior leadership role responsible for the operational excellence, process integrity, and resource optimization of the Interior System Management team. This role oversees a team of System Managers who are embedded in specific vehicle programs. The System Management Lead's primary mission is to standardize "how" the team works, ensure that System Managers are executing their RASIC responsibilities with high discipline, and strategically balance the engineering workload across the portfolio of current and future vehicle programs.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering.
• 10+ years of experience in Automotive Interior Systems (Seats, Trim, Cockpit, or Restraints).

Nice To Haves

• Master's degree in Engineering.
• Proven track record of managing professional engineers and driving cross-functional alignment in a matrixed environment.
• Deep mastery of Ford’s global product development systems, sourcing processes, and manufacturing requirements.
• Ability to look beyond a single vehicle program to see patterns, risks, and opportunities across the entire Interior Systems portfolio.
• Exceptional ability to translate complex engineering data into executive-level summaries for the Interior Integration Director and other senior stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Team Leadership & People Management:
• Directly manage, mentor, and develop a team of System Managers.
• Conduct performance evaluations and provide technical coaching to ensure System Managers effectively lead their respective vehicle lines (Seats, Restraints, Cockpit, and Trim).
• Foster a culture of accountability regarding system-level metrics (cost, weight, and timing).
• Process Governance & Discipline:
• Methodology Oversight: Ensure all System Managers maintain strict discipline to Ford’s internal processes, including the Product Development Process (PDP), Tooling Kick-Off (TKO) glidepaths, and Business Performance Reviews (BPR).
• Standardization: Audit the "subsystem-level views" provided by System Managers to ensure consistency in how data is rolled up and reported to the SET Leaders.
• Quality Assurance: Ensure that APQP and PPAP statuses are being tracked accurately across all programs to prevent late-stage launch risks.
• Strategic Workload Balancing:
• Resource Allocation: Analyze the complexity and timing of upcoming vehicle programs to assign System Managers effectively.
• Portfolio Management: Balance the team's bandwidth between "Current" programs (maintenance and launch) and "New" programs (early-stage architecture and FEDE setup).
• Surge Management: Identify potential bottlenecks in the vehicle cycle plan and redistribute resources or adjust priorities to ensure no single program falls behind.
• Best Practices & Continuous Improvement:
• Knowledge Sharing: Establish a forum for System Managers to share "lessons learned" across vehicle lines (e.g., a successful part-count reduction strategy on one program should be standardized across others).
• Tooling & Systems: Lead the adoption of new engineering tools and digital environments (e.g., enhancements to FEDE or DPA processes) to improve the efficiency of the interior integration team.
• Process Evolution: Continuously refine the ISE RASIC and operating model to adapt to changing vehicle architectures (e.g., EV-specific interior requirements).

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