Product & Program Definition Specialist

Ford Motor • Dearborn, MI

2d • Hybrid

About The Position

In this position... Ford is seeking a highly analytical and innovative practitioner to join the Product Definition Team within Ford’s Vehicle Program Management Team, playing a critical role in modernizing our product development & definition processes. This role will shape the future of Ford’s product & program definition through innovation of packages, features & rules, fundamentally transforming how Ford communicates the product through the entire industrial system. This is a dynamic role requiring a blend of analytical skills, creative problem-solving, effective communication, and project management capabilities. You will be instrumental in leveraging data, contributing new concepts, and enhancing the efficiency and effectiveness of our product and program definition process.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in engineering, Business Analytics, Data Science, or related field.
• 0-7 years of experience in program management, data analysis or product definition role, preferably within the automotive industry or consulting.
• Excellent communication, collaboration, and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to create and deliver clear, concise, and engaging presentations to diverse audiences.
• Analytical, detail-oriented, and adaptable.
• Comfortable voicing opinions and sharing innovative concepts within a team setting.
• Experience with project management methodologies (e.g., Agile, Waterfall).
• Ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously and prioritize tasks effectively.
• Experience with Microsoft Teams, SharePoint, and OneNote to communicate in a team environment.
• Strong Excel & PowerPoint skills.
• Experience with data analysis tools (Excel with VB or Power BI).

Nice To Haves

• PMP certification.
• Master's degree in engineering, Program Management or a relevant Business area.
• Knowledge of Jira & Confluence
• Knowledge/understanding of relevant industry standards and processes, including automotive-specific terminology, product development lifecycles and key market trends and processes.
• Experience/knowledge in systems engineering in a manufacturing setting.
• Experience working with BOMs (Bills of Materials), program teams, engineering teams, and product definition systems.
• Experience with MDM/ERP/PLM/CAD systems (any).
• Understanding of engineering, manufacturing or other industrial business systems and their interaction with product definition processes.
• Working knowledge of part codification and vehicle codification methodologies.
• Knowledge of automotive supply chain management, purchasing processes, or related areas.
• Familiarity with other relevant automotive tools and systems.

Responsibilities

• Conducting SME deep dives, captures current state scenarios, pain points & opportunities.
• Develop use case/scenario models to illustrate the impact of proposed changes.
• Create future state product architecture to support the design and implementation of new processes.
• Prepare design templates, points of view (POVs), and other supporting documentation.
• Validate the design of future-state processes through testing and analysis.
• Identify potential adoption gaps, risks, challenges, and develop mitigation strategies.
• Prepare and deliver compelling presentations to various audiences, including senior management, clearly communicating findings and recommendations.
• Proactively contribute innovative concepts and solutions to improve product definition processes.
• Effectively communicate ideas, challenge existing assumptions, and contribute constructively to team settings.
• A willingness to learn tools and help shape future concepts for Ford’s business teams.
• Organize, run, and document meeting outcomes.

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