Staff Exterior Lighting Systems Engineer

Ford Motor Company • Long Beach, CA

1d • $150,200 - $283,500 • Hybrid

About The Position

The Staff Exterior Lighting Systems Engineer is responsible for designing, developing, validating, and delivering exterior lighting systems for advanced electric vehicle products. The role collaborates with studio and engineering teams on concepts and features, integrates emerging technologies, and works with cross-functional teams and suppliers to deliver production designs. Work begins during studio design and modeling and continues through prototyping, production, validation, and launch. The engineer optimizes manufacturing processes and costs while meeting regional regulatory requirements, and owns product design throughout the development cycle for global markets.

Requirements

• Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or an equivalent combination of relevant education and experience.
• At least 4 years of automotive lighting component and system engineering experience at an OEM or Tier 1 level.
• At least 4 years of collaborative CAD experience using tools such as 3DX, CATIA, NX, ICEMSURF, or Alias; 3DX and CATIA are preferred.
• At least 4 years of lighting systems design, development, and release experience, including completion of one or more production launch cycles.
• At least 3 years of experience designing lighting systems to global regulatory requirements.

Nice To Haves

• Strong knowledge of homologation and photometric regulations related to exterior lighting, including FMVSS 108 and ECE R48.
• Strong knowledge of optical system development processes and experience with optical simulation tools such as SPEOS, Lucid Shape, or equivalents.
• Successful execution of automotive lighting production programs; full LED lighting systems experience is preferred.
• Excellent understanding of lighting technologies, including lightguides, light blades, auto aiming, levelling, adaptive forward lighting systems, adaptive driving beam, laser, OLED, matrix, and DMD.
• Strong understanding of materials and manufacturing processes such as stamping, injection molding, casting, composites, etching, PVD, and other surface finishes.
• High proficiency with 3DX, CATIA, or similar tools, including drawing and modeling practices and methodologies.

Responsibilities

• Develop exterior lighting systems and products that meet studio aesthetic intent and global regulatory requirements.
• Engineer and execute exterior lighting from concept-design feasibility through production launch.
• Guide cross-functional integration with studio, vehicle engineering, electrical engineering, manufacturing, and software teams to achieve technically feasible designs.
• Analyze, test, and validate prototype and production lighting designs from mechanical, electrical, and optical perspectives.
• Participate in development with architecture, planning, supplier chain, and suppliers to optimize form, function, performance, and cost.
• Define exterior lighting system requirements and specifications to achieve vehicle attribute targets for structure, mass, and performance.

Benefits

• Immediate medical, dental, vision, and prescription drug coverage.
• Paid parental leave, new parent ramp-up programs, subsidized back-up child care, and more.
• 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