Staff Vehicle Test Engineer

Ford • Palo Alto, CA

1d • Hybrid

About The Position

We are the movers of the world and the makers of the future. We get up every day, roll up our sleeves and build a better world -- together. At Ford, we’re all a part of something bigger than ourselves. Are you ready to change the way the world moves? Ford’s Electric Vehicles, Digital and Design (EVDD) team is charged with delivering the company’s vision of a fully electric transportation future. EVDD is customer-obsessed, entrepreneurial, and data-driven and is dedicated to delivering industry-leading customer experience for electric vehicle buyers and owners. You’ll join an agile team of doers pioneering our EV future by working collaboratively, staying focused on only what matters, and delivering excellence day in and day out. Join us to make positive change by helping build a better world where every person is free to move and pursue their dreams.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical, Electrical, or Computer Engineering (or equivalent experience).
• 8+ years of experience in automotive vehicle-level testing or integration, with at least some exposure to multiple domains (chassis, powertrain, ADAS, body, infotainment).
• Strong hands-on experience with prototype vehicles, including flashing ECUs, configuring networks, and running test campaigns.
• Proficiency in automotive communication tools (Vector CANoe, CANalyzer, CANape; or equivalent).
• Experience analyzing and managing vehicle logs (MDF, BLF, or other formats).
• Solid understanding of diagnostics (UDS, OBD-II, DoIP) and ECU validation.
• Comfortable with scripting (Python, MATLAB, or similar) for test automation and data analysis.
• Proven ability to debug issues at the system level, bridging software and hardware boundaries.
• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, prototype-heavy environment with changing priorities.
• Willingness to work flexible hours (afternoon/evening/weekend shifts) as needed during test campaigns.
• Willingness to travel for proving ground and winter test campaigns.

Nice To Haves

• Familiarity with safety and validation processes (ISO 26262, ASPICE) is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute vehicle-level test plans for pre-merge and post-merge software releases.
• Lead daily regression testing loops (startup/shutdown, diagnostics, CAN/Ethernet communication, domain feature smoke tests).
• Operate and maintain prototype vehicles, ensuring readiness for software testing and proving ground campaigns.
• Collect, analyze, and manage vehicle log data, providing clear feedback to integration and domain software teams.
• Debug and triage software/hardware integration issues, working closely with integration engineers and suppliers.
• Support vehicle bring-up: ECU flashing, network validation, wiring checks, and basic diagnostics.
• Define and enforce test processes and standards to ensure consistent execution across vehicles and sites.
• Mentor junior vehicle test engineers/operators on procedures, safety, and best practices.
• Partner with release and tools engineers to automate test result reporting and regression tracking.
• Support extended test campaigns at proving grounds, winter test sites, and internal demos.

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: Mid Level
• Number of Employees: 5,001-10,000 employees