Software Release Systems Engineer

Ford Motor • Dearborn, MI

2d • Hybrid

About The Position

As a member of Ford Motor Company’s Systems Engineering team for Vehicle Software Updates, the Software Release Systems Engineer serves as a technical linchpin for end-to-end delivery of software release solutions across multiple deployment environments. The role is responsible for system architectural integrity from initial requirements decomposition through vehicle validation and field support. This position is hybrid and requires onsite work four or more days per week.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical, Computer, or Systems Engineering, or equivalent combination of relevant education and experience.
• At least 5 years of experience in system-level design within complex environments.
• At least 2 years of direct experience with vehicle software release processes (OTA, Service, or Manufacturing) or networked embedded systems.
• At least 2 years of direct experience with developer operations pipelines, software release management processes, and/or embedded software deployment systems.

Nice To Haves

• Master’s degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or Electrical Engineering.
• Deep familiarity with modern software development practices.
• Ability to systematically resolve complex technical issues under pressure.
• Understanding of software engineering best practices, including coding standards, Git source control management, build processes, and full-lifecycle testing and operations.
• At least 2 years of experience with automotive communication protocols, specifically CAN and Ethernet.

Responsibilities

• Provide technical leadership throughout the Vehicle Software Update delivery cycle and ensure milestones are met to high engineering standards.
• Own system-level design and define the overarching architecture.
• Decompose high-level requirements into logical component responsibilities and define integration points between vehicle nodes and cloud components.
• Author, release, and manage technical specifications in JAMA as the single source of truth for the system.
• Communicate complex requirements to D&R engineers, suppliers, Cloud Operations, and Systems teams.
• Perform early-stage bring-up and prototype proofs of concept to support incremental sprint deliveries and validate design assumptions.
• Sign off on the correctness and completeness of test plans.
• Conduct physical vehicle testing using CAN, Ethernet, and other diagnostic tools to verify software update functionality.
• Monitor requirement fulfillment and track development deviations.
• Lead issue triaging and support conformance, system and service testers, and field deployment teams.
• Analyze complex system failures, identify root causes, and define and implement resolution and prevention strategies.
• Facilitate and participate in Technical Design Reviews, project meetings, and high-level presentations for business and technical audiences.

Benefits

• Immediate medical, dental, vision, and prescription drug coverage.
• Paid parental leave, new parent ramp-up programs, and subsidized back-up child care.
• Family-building benefits, including adoption and surrogacy expense reimbursement and fertility treatments.
• 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.
• Generous vacation time, sick/personal time, and paid holidays, including between Christmas Eve and New Year’s Day.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior