Senior Product Development Engineer – Exterior Architecture Truck/SUV

Ford • Dearborn, MI

4d • $86,600 - $166,200 • Hybrid

About The Position

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! At Ford Motor Company, we are dedicated to designing, manufacturing, and offering high quality vehicles that meet the diverse needs of our customers. We believe in our employees, and value the diverse perspectives that they bring to the business that is the driving force behind Ford’s success. Come join a company that is focused on the customers of our vehicles, the quality of product they deserve, the sustainability of our environment, the communities our products help thrive. Currently, we are seeking a Body on Frame (BoF) Truck & SUV Structures Architecture Senior Engineer candidate for our Dearborn, Michigan location having a technical background in BoF Body-in-White (BIW) Structures, with a focus on Pick Up Box development. The importance of flexible BoF BIW architecture has grown significantly due to the need for cost-efficient, lightweight vehicles. These cater to a variety of occupancy & propulsion systems, all while derived through accelerated program timelines. Development of robust design solutions for steel, aluminum and mixed materials including critical joining elements are required. Robust solutions include a proper definition of BoF platform bandwidth, system efficiencies through part complexity reduction technologies, critical fixed & variable parameters in Top Hat execution, all while meeting stringent durability and attribute requirements to balance customer expectations and cost & vehicle range. Collaboration with Vehicle Hardware Engineering (VHE) Flexible Vehicle Architecture teams, Advanced Manufacturing, and Program Strategy & Planning organizations is vital to ensure compatible architecture designs with process assumptions. Quality assurance must be detected and confirmed in resulting architecture definitions, so VO and Supply Base can properly control Ford Vehicle quality expectations during production. Recognized expertise, demonstrated leadership behaviors, and technical maturity within BoF Structures is critical for this role, and the expected successful business delivery.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering, Automotive Engineering, or a related engineering discipline (required).
• Minimum of 6 years’ experience in the Body Structure product development, with direct advancement (UNV/UPV series), validation (FJD/DCV), and industrialization (launch) experience.
• Experience with Advanced Technology development – particularly in body structure systems and mixed materials joining with aluminum.
• The D&R Engineer will perform feasibility analyses using CAD tools, including draft angle analysis, undercut detection, minimum bend radius validation for sheet metal, and clearance checks to support manufacturing and machining requirements.
• Working knowledge and experience with Engineering toolsets to derive, communicate, and publish 3D surfaces via: Catia V5/TeamCenter Engineering and/or Catia V6/3DX is required.
• Experience with GPDS milestone delivery, with knowledge of GTDS timing Milestones for new technologies.

Nice To Haves

• Master of Science degree in Engineering preferred.
• Body Engineering Design and Release experience in Body Structures strongly preferred.
• Strong skillset in Systems interaction and integration with frames, battery structures, Chassis, and Interior Trim preferred.
• Strong written/verbal communication skills, with demonstrated successes in technical presentations.
• Demonstrated track record of strong Leadership Behaviors aligned with Leadership+.
• Demonstrated track record of strong collaboration / negotiation skills to drive global alignment Strong team problem solving skills - technical and non-technical to achieve collaborative outcomes.

Responsibilities

• Develop new BoF BIW architectures with a focus on Pick-up Box development and real world knowledge of pick up box customer usage that aligns with advanced manufacturing and product cycle plan requirements.
• Collaborate extensively with RIC, VO – Manufacturing, Materials Engineering, Vehicle Program Teams to develop efficient and feasible BIW solutions in support of our Quality and Cost efficiency corporate objectives.
• Maintain a thorough knowledge of new and critical competitive benchmarks to fully understand Best in Class designs and develop advanced projects to ensure Ford supersedes existing BoF Platform & Top Hat architectures.
• Work with Application engineering teams to optimize designs as a system, leveraging your expertise.
• Support the development and institutionalization of best practices, design rules, and requirements in FEDE for BoF BIW design applications.
• Define and validate BoF architecture system assumptions for program applications during the development phase.
• Validation and optimization of standard and mixed-metal joint designs in BIW architectures.
• Close cooperation with Architecture & Applications CAE-team for the development of new BoF architectures, as well as adaptation and optimization of existing platforms.
• Development of new lightweight designs including Aluminum High Pressure Die Casting, Plastic-Metal Hybrids, Multi-Piece-Integration(MPI) technologies, and new material grades of aluminum and steel sheet materials.
• Deliver a robust hand-off to Applications Structures Engineering for seamless progression toward optimization, without revolution of architecture designs.
• Use AI to improve development efficiency, development time, reduce cost, while improving quality.
• Ensure that Ford remains in a leadership position for BoF architectures, while promoting enhancements and innovation to existing structure designs currently in production.
• Robust implementation of new architecture designs and joining processes into forward-model programs in line with GTDS-principles; elimination of last-minute design pivots.
• Leverage Ford’s internal manufacturing assets to ensure Exterior cost targets can be delivered to support EBIT.
• Use simulation tools to reduce dependency on external support and physical testing.
• Implement architecture strategies that align with Ford Purchasing objectives for sourcing efficiencies.

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: Senior