Product Development Engineer – Wiper/Washer (Subject Matter Expert)

Ford Motor • Dearborn, MI

1d • Hybrid

About The Position

The Product Development Engineer serves as the subject matter expert for exterior wiper and washer systems within Ford’s Global Body Exterior Ornamentation team. The role is responsible for technical content, strategy, and processes, ensuring robust component and vehicle-system design and delivery. It leads global product strategy across concept development, product development, verification and validation, launch and sign-off, ongoing support, and field quality assurance. The engineer also oversees creation of foundation documents and prevention of recurrence, and helps develop standardized tools, methods, and execution practices. The role interfaces with management and external organizations and supports global managers, technical leaders, and chief engineers in defining and communicating technical strategies and objectives.

The position leads technical activities for global exterior wiper and washer systems, including requirements sign-offs, design reviews, new technology development, issue investigation, and root-cause analysis. It guides development and maintenance of commodity standards, specifications, verification methods, tools, and processes, and mentors engineers and interfacing functions. The role is hybrid; candidates within commuting distance of a Ford hub may be required to work onsite four or more days per week.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering or a related physical science field.
• At least 10 years as a Body Exterior Design and Release Engineer or in similar experience.
• At least 6 years of experience in exterior automotive engineering, with a focus on systems such as exterior wiper and washer systems, hoses, nozzles, motors, and/or exterior automotive engineering.
• Understanding of DC motor functionality and performance.
• Expert-level knowledge of body exterior wiper and washer attributes, including material properties, durability and NVH design attributes, corrosion mitigation, control plan management, tooling, and testing methods.
• Experience across all program phases from Pre-Program through Launch, including one major program (scale 4–6).
• Working knowledge of applicable design, analysis, verification, quality, manufacturing, and assembly methods.
• Demonstrated improvements in customer satisfaction, warranty reduction, and total cost reduction.
• Working knowledge and experience with engineering tools including CAE, CATIA, and TCE.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Demonstrated strong leadership behaviors.
• Excellent problem-solving and root-cause-analysis skills.
• Ability to teach, coach, and mentor, and to document technical knowledge.
• Ability to work effectively with little oversight.
• Legally authorized to work in the United States; employment eligibility will be verified at hire.

Nice To Haves

• Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering or a related physical science field.
• Patents or invention disclosures, defensive disclosures, trade secrets, and/or technical publications.
• Experience with advanced technology development for exterior components related to wipers and washers.
• Experience with GPDS and GTDS processes, timing, and delivery requirements.
• Experience writing DFMEAs, SCCAFs, engineering specifications, requirements, design rules, or equivalent core documents.
• Ability to build strong working relationships with stakeholders, including program teams, purchasing, manufacturing, STA, and suppliers.
• Aptitude for developing processes.
• Strong understanding of statistical analysis and dimensional variance.
• CATIA V5 capability.
• Extensive experience and strong TMM working on safety-critical systems and components.

Responsibilities

• Provide global sign-offs for exterior wiper and washer HIR requirements across application programs at key milestones.
• Serve as an internal and external technical resource on component and vehicle systems and provide technical support to global teams.
• Recommend, develop, and verify applications for new and advanced exterior wiper and washer system designs.
• Analyze designs during development and address potential failures and error states.
• Lead development of new concepts to improve system performance and support timely implementation.
• Monitor and investigate new system technologies.
• Mentor and consult with department engineers and other interfacing functions.
• Support Campaign Prevent and CCRG activities for exterior wiper and washer systems, as needed.
• Provide technical advice to ASO and OGC as required.
• Guide development of module system tools, methods, and processes.
• Lead development and ongoing maintenance of commodity-specific standards, specifications, and verification methods.
• Lead development and deployment of commodity foundation documents, including DFMEAs, SCCAFs, Boundary Diagrams, P-Diagrams, DVP&Rs, and integration manuals.
• Guide or lead root-cause analysis of warranty, plant, or supplier wiper and washer issues.
• Lead design reviews using Failure Mode Avoidance (FMA).
• Lead and drive the prevent-recurrence process.
• Share and present work to cross-functional teams and senior leadership.
• Assist Global Managers, Technical Leaders, and chief engineers in identifying, resolving, and presenting department technical strategies, objectives, mission, and values.
• Act as the technical architect and specialist for exterior wiper and washer systems globally.

Benefits

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