Staff Embedded Controls Engineer, Thermal

Ford Motor • Long Beach, CA

13d • $150,200 - $283,500 • Hybrid

About The Position

The Staff Embedded Controls Engineer, Thermal develops controls for vehicle thermal systems that support occupant comfort, vehicle powertrain capability, and battery fast charging in varied weather conditions. The role balances heating and cooling performance, energy consumption, cost, reliability, noise, vibration and harshness (NVH), and packaging through physics-driven, cross-functional engineering collaboration. It bridges models and simulations with real-world vehicle behavior by building controls frameworks that deliver a strong customer experience.

The engineer develops control and estimation algorithms across climate control, batteries, powertrains, heat-pump and refrigeration systems, and vehicle computers. The role includes delivering real-time embedded software, testing and debugging algorithms at bench and vehicle level, developing control-focused thermal models, and using fleet telemetry and comparative model analysis to improve software quality and inform potential features. This is a hybrid position requiring onsite work four or more days per week. The position is leadership level 6, with a stated salary range of $150,200–$283,500. Visa sponsorship is available.

Requirements

• Master’s degree in electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, or computer science, with evidence of exceptional ability, or equivalent.
• At least 8 years of experience developing control algorithms and applying them to physical systems.
• High proficiency in Python programming.
• Strong foundational background in control theory, system dynamics, and model-based design.
• Collaborative mindset and strong communication skills.
• Experience with JIRA/Confluence or a similar system for tracking inputs and results.
• Hands-on experience in hardware bring-up, system debugging, and code optimization.
• Knowledge of electrical-engineering fundamentals, including circuit analysis and design.

Nice To Haves

• Strong understanding of linear systems and state estimation/observers.
• Familiarity with thermal control algorithms and experience implementing them on embedded systems.
• Familiarity with refrigeration systems, including compressors, heat exchangers, valves, sensors, charge, and oil management, and with HVAC systems.
• Experience with automotive communication protocols and stacks such as CAN, LIN, Ethernet, and UDS.
• Knowledge of microcontroller peripherals such as ADC, GPIO, PWM, and SPI, and experience with sensors and digital signal processing.
• Experience with data-management tools or using fleet data to guide design.
• Proficiency in C and C++, and scripting skills in at least one common language such as Python, Perl, or Shell.
• Experience developing thermal-system control algorithms using modeling tools such as Python, MATLAB/Simulink, or similar.

Responsibilities

• Create control and estimation algorithms for climate control, battery, powertrain, heat-pump and refrigeration systems, vehicle computers, and other thermal-management applications.
• Deliver high-quality C code in a real-time embedded environment.
• Write unit, software-in-the-loop (SIL), and hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) test cases.
• Work with test and integration engineers to debug control algorithms at the bench and vehicle level.
• Adapt or create reduced-order thermal-system models for control-focused development and refinement workflows.
• Collaborate with electrical, mechanical, and firmware engineers to execute control strategies.
• Develop fault detection and reaction strategies to support a seamless customer experience.
• Develop and continuously improve models to quantitatively compare control algorithms across metrics such as cost, efficiency, performance, and complexity.
• Monitor fleet telemetry and analyze data to improve software quality and help develop ideas for new software features.

Benefits

• Immediate medical, dental, vision, and prescription drug coverage.
• Flexible family care days, paid parental leave, new-parent ramp-up programs, and subsidized backup childcare.
• 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.
• Employee resource groups.
• Paid time off for individual and team community service.
• 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