Prototype Development Engineer

Ford • Long Beach, CA

1d • $118,700 - $232,700 • Hybrid

About The Position

Ford’s Electric Vehicles, Digital and Design (EVDD) team is charged with delivering the company’s vision of a fully electric transportation future. EVDD is customer-obsessed, entrepreneurial, and data-driven and is dedicated to delivering industry-leading customer experience for electric vehicle buyers and owners. You’ll join an agile team of doers pioneering our EV future by working collaboratively, staying focused on only what matters, and delivering excellence day in and day out. Join us to make positive change by helping build a better world where every person is free to move and pursue their dreams.
In this position...
As a Prototype Development Engineer, you will be the bridge between conceptual design and physical reality. You will own the design, build, integration, commissioning, and maintenance of critical electrical test assets, including advanced Labcars, HIL (Hardware-in-the-Loop) benches, test fixtures, prototype support equipment, and related EV development assets. This is a high-impact, hands-on role where you will collaborate with cross-functional engineering teams and technicians to ensure our next-generation electric vehicle (EV) architectures can be built, tested, validated, and iterated quickly. You will not just maintain hardware; you will develop test assets from the ground up, including CAD/layout, BOM creation, purchasing support, technician-ready build documentation, electrical test integration, debug, commissioning,

Requirements

• Bachelor’s Degree in Electrical, Mechanical, Mechatronics, Computer, Software Engineering or equivalent combination of relevant education and experience.
• 5+ years of hands-on experience in hardware development, test asset design, test equipment build, prototype development, HIL/lab systems, board bring-up, vehicle systems engineering, or manufacturing test environments.
• Demonstrated experience designing, building, commissioning, or supporting physical test assets such as fixtures, racks, carts, panels, enclosures, benches, HIL systems, Labcars, lab systems, or automated test equipment.
• Experience with CAD or layout tools such as CATIA, 3DEXPERIENCE, SolidWorks, NX, Creo, Inventor, AutoCAD, EPLAN, or similar.
• Experience creating BOMs, identifying parts, supporting sourcing or purchasing, managing alternates, and preparing builds for execution.
• Experience integrating electrical test equipment such as DAQ, power supplies, electronic loads, instrumentation, signal conditioning, wiring, harnessing, or safety interlocks.
• Experience with vehicle or embedded communication protocols such as CAN, LIN, Automotive Ethernet, or similar networked systems.
• Experience using embedded networking interface or diagnostic tools such as CANalyzer, CANoe, Wireshark, VSPY3, or similar.
• Proficiency in reading and interpreting complex electrical schematics, wiring diagrams, mechanical layouts, harness documentation, and PCB assemblies.
• Experience writing and executing formal test plans with clear go/no-go criteria.
• Experience directing or working closely with technicians during fabrication, assembly, wiring, commissioning, troubleshooting, or lab build activities.
• Ability to create and maintain build records, commissioning results, maintenance instructions, configuration status, and clear technical documentation.
• Ability to travel 0-15% to support vehicle builds, test asset deployment, modifications, off-site testing, and prototype support activities.

Nice To Haves

• Advanced vehicle architecture or experience with EV prototype development, Labcars, HIL benches, and vehicle-level electrical integration.
• Working knowledge of battery management systems (BMS), motor calibration, OBD diagnostics, functional safety (ISO 26262), HV/LV electrical systems, and prototype electrical safety practices.
• Experience instrumenting sensor systems and using DAQ tools for high-fidelity data analysis.
• Hands-on support in prototype development, including CAD, PCB design or review (Altium or similar), HV/LV test asset design, harness fabrication/debugging, scripting (Python or similar), LabVIEW/C#/SCPI/VISA, NI/PXI/cDAQ, and test automation.
• Experience converting one-off lab or prototype equipment into documented, repeatable build packages that can be maintained, repaired, or rebuilt by others.
• Experience developing commissioning procedures, calibration procedures, maintenance procedures, troubleshooting guides, and operating instructions for test assets.
• A systems-thinking mindset with a passion for continuous improvement; strong verbal and written communication skills to lead design reviews and technical demos; ability to thrive in a fast-paced, dynamic environment with evolving priorities.

Responsibilities

• Own the development of physical electrical test assets from concept through commissioning, including fixtures, racks, carts, panels, enclosures, brackets, harness routing, and lab/test hardware packaging.
• Create CAD layouts, mechanical packaging concepts, drawing packages, and build-to-print documentation using CATIA, 3DEXPERIENCE, SolidWorks, NX, Creo, Inventor, AutoCAD, EPLAN, or similar tools.
• Develop complete BOMs, identify parts and alternates, support sourcing and purchasing, coordinate vendors or internal procurement processes, and ensure parts are available to support build timing.
• Integrate power supplies, electronic loads, DAQ, NI/PXI/cDAQ hardware, oscilloscopes, meters, signal conditioning, instrumentation, safety interlocks, wiring, harnessing, and electrical interfaces into physical test assets.
• Support the development, commissioning, and maintenance of Labcars, HIL benches, prototype vehicles, and related EV test assets.
• Perform and oversee component installation, complex wiring, harness fabrication/debugging, module software flashing, and network debugging (CAN, LIN, Automotive Ethernet).
• Troubleshoot and triage complex electrical, mechanical packaging, software integration, wiring, signal, communication, grounding, and hardware issues during build events and commissioning.
• Develop comprehensive test strategies to validate full-system functionality; perform regression testing to ensure system stability and performance consistency across hardware and software iterations.
• Direct technicians during fabrication, wiring, assembly, installation, and commissioning; inspect builds against design intent; capture redlines and drive design changes required after first build.
• Interface with Systems Integration, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Prototype Operations, technicians, purchasing, and vendors to identify design changes between build phases and support iterative development cycles.
• Provide hands-on support during prototype build events, test asset deployment, fleet management activities, and off-site testing (requires travel).
• Maintain rigorous records of module status, hardware revisions, BOM maturity, installed components, configuration status, commissioning results, operating instructions, maintenance information, and integration maturity to provide clear visibility to stakeholders.

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: Mid Level