Manufacturing Specialist - Paint

Ford • Allen Park, MI

1d • $115,500 - $218,100 • Hybrid

About The Position

Ford Racing is looking for a Paint Manufacturing Specialist to lead and elevate our in-house paint and coatings operations supporting Motorsports, our race-proven road car programs, and customization opportunities. In this role, you will own the equipment selection, processes, quality standards, and team performance behind every painted surface that leaves our shop—from prototype bodywork to race-ready liveries—ensuring every finish reflects the standard of a championship-caliber organization. You'll bring hands-on paint manufacturing expertise together with the leadership skills to guide a team, optimize processes, and partner across Design, Manufacturing, and Program teams to grow our business.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Manufacturing, or a related technical field, or equivalent practical experience in automotive/motorsports paint operations
• 7+ years of demonstrated hands-on experience in automotive or motorsports paint processes, including surface preparation, spray application, curing, and finish quality inspection
• A practical understanding of low volume customers and what how expectation differs on high dollar products vs high volume products.
• Working knowledge of coatings materials, equipment, and industry quality/durability standards
• Prior experience leading, supervising, or mentoring technicians or a small team
• Strong communication skills with the ability to partner cross-functionally with engineering and program teams
• Self-starter with a passion for winning and a low tolerance for excuses or shortcuts on quality

Nice To Haves

• Masters degree in Engineering, Manufacturing, or a related technical field, or equivalent practical experience in automotive/motorsports paint operations
• Experience in a motorsports, racing, or high-performance automotive environment
• Experience in low-volume niche product painting
• Familiarity with specialty finishes, liveries, and quick-turnaround paint requirements typical of racing programs
• Experience with Paint Protection Film (PPF) or other vehicle wrap technologies
• Experience introducing new coatings technologies or process improvements to reduce cycle time or cost
• Enthusiast background, with a passion for racing or performance products

Responsibilities

• Provide up-front analysis and selection of paint equipment for a new facility tailored to low-volume applications with a high level of flexibility for customization.
• Identify and implement new coatings technologies, materials, and equipment to improve quality, reduce cycle time, and avoid unnecessary capital investment.
• Design process and standards for surface preparation, coatings application, curing, and finish quality inspection for prototype, race vehicles, and production products.
• Develop and continuously improve paint process standards, work instructions, and quality checkpoints to ensure consistent, high-durability, race-ready finishes.
• Partner with Design and Release engineers and Program teams to align paint scheduling, materials, and finish requirements with build timing and program milestones.
• Guide, coach, and develop a team of paint technicians, fostering a culture of craftsmanship, safety, and continuous improvement.

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