Product Development Engineer-Body Interior Craftsmanship

Ford • Dearborn, MI

32d • $65,100 - $166,200 • Hybrid

About The Position

The Interior Craftsmanship Engineer will elevate the craftsmanship of Ford vehicles and help ensure an exceptional customer experience. The role drives design and process excellence so vehicles meet or exceed perceived-quality expectations from concept through launch. The position is hybrid, with a requirement to work onsite four or more days per week.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering (Mechanical, Electrical, Industrial, or related field), or an equivalent combination of relevant education and experience.
• At least 3 years of experience in automotive quality, design, or manufacturing, with a focus on interior craftsmanship, fit and finish, or perceived quality.
• At least 1 year of CAD experience.
• Candidates must be legally authorized to work in the United States; employment eligibility will be verified at hire.

Nice To Haves

• Master's degree in Engineering (Mechanical, Electrical, Industrial, or related field) or an equivalent technical discipline.
• Automotive product development and systems engineering experience.
• Experience with automotive assembly and plant processes.
• Experience evaluating designs and vehicles against appearance standards.
• Experience performing or analyzing tolerance stack-up studies (RSS, VSA, etc.).
• Demonstrated knowledge of Geometric Dimensioning and Tolerancing (GD&T).
• Ability to develop action plans and lead implementation in cross-functional teams.
• Highly motivated, self-starting approach.
• Excellent interpersonal and organizational skills.
• Strong oral and written communication skills.
• Strong PC skills, including experience with Microsoft Excel and PowerPoint.

Responsibilities

• Drive vehicle design to achieve world-class interior craftsmanship.
• Establish interior gap and flush targets for new vehicle programs.
• Communicate cutline and interface intent to Studio through section cuts and related design views.
• Apply design and process standards, lessons learned, and best practices for fit-and-finish excellence.
• Drive required ingredients and craftsmanship enablers at Program Start to meet vehicle craftsmanship targets.
• Coordinate benchmarking and analyzed data to support decision-making on appearance-related issues.
• Conduct perceived-quality reviews in the immersion lab and present issues and work plans to management.
• Work with Manufacturing, Design & Release, Integration, Program Management, and Studio Engineering to drive recommended surface and cutline changes that meet fit-and-finish standards.
• Lead issue escalation, containment, and corrective-action tracking for craftsmanship concerns.
• Identify issues and improvement opportunities based on dimensional analyses and virtual and physical evaluations.
• Develop work plans and lead cross-functional teams to resolve system issues and ensure targets are met.
• Track perceived-quality status against program deliverables.

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.
• Established and active 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