Software Engineering Manager, Robotics

Ford Motor Company•Redford Charter Township, MI

2d•$132,800 - $250,800•Hybrid

About The Position

Ford’s Advanced Technology & Platforms organization is seeking an Engineering Manager to lead and grow a global robotics software engineering team. The team develops application software for mobile robots, manipulators, humanoid systems, and other robot types. The software must support different physical configurations and capabilities while reusing common components where practical. The manager will guide development, establish delivery plans, and ensure software is tested and ready for physical robots. The role is responsible for team leadership, software delivery, and technical execution. Responsibilities include hiring and coaching engineers, setting priorities, coordinating work across teams, and contributing to technical reviews. The manager will work closely with robotics architecture, hardware, simulation, platform, and testing teams. The position is hybrid, with a requirement to be onsite four or more days per week. Visa sponsorship and domestic relocation are available. Candidates must be legally authorized to work in the United States. The stated salary range is $132,800–$250,800; final salary depends on skills, experience, role scope, responsibility, and market value.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Robotics, Electrical Engineering, or equivalent practical background.
Hands-on robotics software experience, including ROS 2, navigation software, robot models and kinematics, and device drivers.
Strong C++ and Python skills.
At least 3 years of experience managing software engineers.
Experience delivering software for physical robots.
Experience developing software used across more than one robot platform or hardware configuration.
Experience hiring, coaching, and developing software engineers.
Experience leading distributed engineering teams.
Strong written and verbal communication skills.
Experience creating and delivering engineering plans with milestones, owners, and dates.
Ability to work effectively with technical leaders and partner engineering teams.

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree in Computer Science, Robotics, or Electrical Engineering.
Experience with humanoid, mobile manipulator, or legged platforms.
Simulation-driven development using Isaac Sim, Gazebo, MuJoCo, or equivalent, including sim-first bring-up and hardware-in-the-loop testing.
Experience with behavior trees, state machines, or task planning software.
Experience developing shared software platforms used by multiple products.
Experience working with international engineering teams.
Familiarity with technology or manufacturing readiness processes.
Experience with software updates, configuration management, and version control for deployed robot fleets.
Experience with safety-relevant or regulated software development.

Responsibilities

Lead development and delivery of the software application stack used across Ford’s advanced robotics programs.
Define delivery plans, milestones, responsibilities, and dependencies.
Promote reuse of common software components across different robot platforms.
Oversee software for robot description and kinematics, device integration, navigation, manipulation, simulation, and system bring-up.
Establish software quality, testing, and release practices.
Track progress, manage risks, and communicate issues with proposed actions.
Lead, coach, and develop a globally distributed robotics software engineering team.
Hire engineers as the team and project portfolio grow.
Set clear goals, responsibilities, and expectations.
Support professional development and build technical leadership within the team.
Maintain regular communication and effective working practices across locations and time zones.
Participate in code reviews, design reviews, and technical problem solving as needed.
Translate technical direction into practical engineering plans.
Coordinate software interfaces with robotics platform, data, and infrastructure teams.
Partner with hardware teams on robot builds and system integration.
Work with simulation and testing teams to validate software before deployment.
Provide clear status updates and raise risks early.

Benefits

Immediate medical, dental, vision, and prescription drug coverage.
Paid parental leave and new parent ramp-up programs.
Subsidized back-up childcare.
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.
Vacation time, sick/personal time, and paid holidays, including between Christmas Eve and New Year’s Day.
Visa sponsorship.
Domestic relocation.