Product Development Engineer - Exterior Structural Castings

Ford • Dearborn, MI

10d • $86,600 - $166,200 • Hybrid

About The Position

This Product Development Structural Casting Engineer role is part of Ford’s Product Development organization and focuses on designing and developing structural high-pressure die cast (HPDC) components for future body-in-white, closure, and frame designs. The engineer develops casting concepts, including casting geometry, gating systems, and overflows, while evaluating manufacturing feasibility. The role supports vehicle attribute validation with cross-functional teams, including crash safety, durability, and NVH, and modifies designs as needed based on validation results. The engineer also provides technical support during program execution and industrialization, contributes core engineering documentation, and supports less experienced engineers with CAD, casting manufacturing knowledge, and simulation interpretation. The position is part of the Structural Castings team delivering solutions for Ford’s global programs, with opportunities to contribute to technologies such as Rheocasting and Thixomolding.

The role includes creating designs that consolidate multiple parts into a single casting, developing business cases for proposed solutions, advising on design and process changes to optimize quality and cost, maintaining technical documentation, and working with cross-functional teams on vehicle packaging and issue resolution. It also involves supporting prototype part buy-off and casting quality assessments, and working with suppliers and tool shops to verify processes and tooling before production startup.

The position is hybrid and requires onsite work four or more days per week. It is salary grade 7–8, with a stated range of $86,600–$166,200. Visa sponsorship is not available, and candidates must be legally authorized to work in the United States.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s or higher-level degree in Mechanical, Materials, Manufacturing Engineering, or a related field.
• Four years of casting design experience.
• Ability to design solids in CAD, such as Catia, NX, or 3DX.
• Ability to interpret simulation results, such as Magmasoft, Flow 3D, or Procast, and improve casting designs based on them.
• Strong analytical and organizational skills, including the ability to manage several projects in a highly variable and uncertain environment.
• Strong written and oral communication skills.
• Microsoft Office experience.
• Legally authorized to work in the United States.

Responsibilities

• Create casting designs that integrate multiple parts into one casting.
• Develop business cases for proposed casting solutions for management consideration.
• Provide direction on design or process changes to optimize casting processes for quality and cost efficiency.
• Support technical documentation, including lessons learned, best practices, design rules, and design requirements, and keep documentation updated in Ford’s internal system.
• Work with cross-functional teams on vehicle packaging compliance and issue resolution.
• Support less experienced engineers with CAD, tooling design, and onsite casting quality assessment for prototype part buy-off, including recommendations for process or tooling improvements.
• Support external suppliers and tool shops with process and tooling verification before production startup.
• Generate HPDC structural casting design solutions, including CAD concepts for castings, gating systems, and overflows, while checking manufacturing feasibility.
• Work with cross-functional teams on vehicle attribute validation, including crash safety, durability, and NVH, and revise castings as needed.
• Provide technical support during program execution and industrialization.
• Generate core engineering documentation to continuously improve casting systems.

Benefits

• Immediate medical, dental, vision, and prescription drug coverage.
• 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.
• Vacation time, sick/personal time, and paid holidays, including time between Christmas Eve and New Year’s Day.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level