Seat Complete Manager

Ford•Dearborn, MI

1d•Hybrid

About The Position

We made history and now we work to transform the future – for our customers, our communities and our families. You'll see your work on the road every day, helping people move freely and pursue their dreams. At Ford, you can build more than vehicles. Come build what matters. Product Development uses design thinking & user experience methods to deliver breakthrough products and services that delight our customers. We bring innovative, exciting, and sustainable ideas to life. We have opportunities around the world for you to contribute to advancements in autonomy, electrification, smart mobility technologies, and more! In this position... As the Manager for Seat Complete, you will lead a world-class team of engineers responsible for the design, development, and delivery of seating systems across our vehicle portfolio. The seat is a primary touchpoint for our customers and a defining element of the Ford+ brand experience. You will oversee the integration of comfort, craftsmanship, safety, and advanced technology (including heating, ventilation, and massage systems) while ensuring all quality, cost, and weight targets are met. This is a high-visibility leadership role that requires strong collaboration with Studio/Design, Marketing, Purchasing, and Manufacturing to deliver best-in-class interior solutions.

Requirements

Bachelor’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or a related field.
10+ years of experience in automotive product development, specifically within Interior or Seating systems.

Nice To Haves

Master's Degree in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or a related field.
Proven experience managing large-scale budgets and hitting aggressive weight and cost-reduction targets.
Demonstrated ability to lead teams through complex product launches (GPDS).

Responsibilities

Program Discipline: Lead the team to achieve all delivery milestones (from KO to Job 1). Rigorously manage the delivery of piece cost, tooling budgets, and weight targets to ensure program profitability and vehicle efficiency.
Customer Satisfaction (JDP): Drive engineering solutions that ensure best-in-class J.D. Power "Seat Quality and Satisfaction" results. Focus on tactile comfort, ergonomic support, and the elimination of BSR (Buzz, Squeak, and Rattle).
Complexity Management: Lead initiatives to simplify the seating portfolio. You will work with Marketing and Planning to reduce the number of unique seat orderable combinations and part-level complexity to streamline manufacturing and supply chain operations.
Strategic Commonality: Execute a "Design Once, Use Many" philosophy. Identify opportunities for the strategic re-use of frames, motors, and electronic modules across vehicle lines to reduce engineering work-overload and capitalize on economies of scale.
Technical Leadership: Oversee the Design & Release (D&R) of seat structures, foam, trim, and climate systems, ensuring all designs are optimized for both performance and mass-efficiency.
Cross-Functional Integration: Partner with Studio, Safety, and Manufacturing to ensure seat systems are not only beautiful and comfortable but also highly manufacturable and compliant with global safety standards.

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.

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