Systems Engineer

Ford • Dearborn, MI

10h • Hybrid

About The Position

We made history and now we work to transform the future – for our customers, our communities and our families. You'll see your work on the road every day, helping people move freely and pursue their dreams. At Ford, you can build more than vehicles. Come build what matters.
In this position...
As a System Engineer for Vehicle Software Updates, you will serve as a technical linchpin, driving the end-to-end delivery of robust software update solutions. You will be responsible for the architectural integrity of the system, from initial requirement decomposition to final vehicle validation and field support.

Requirements

• Education: Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a related field (or equivalent experience).
• System Design: 5+ years of experience in system-level design within complex environments.
• Software Update Expertise: 2+ years of direct experience with vehicle software update processes (OTA, Service, or Manufacturing).
• Automotive Protocols: 2+ years of experience working with automotive communication protocols, specifically CAN and Ethernet.

Nice To Haves

• Master's degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or Electrical Engineering.
• Deep familiarity with Agile methodologies and modern software development techniques.
• Proven ability to systematically resolve complex technical issues under pressure.
• Comprehensive understanding of software engineering best practices, including coding standards, source control management (Git), build processes, and full-lifecycle testing/operations.

Responsibilities

• Lead the Delivery Lifecycle: Provide comprehensive technical leadership throughout the Vehicle Software Update delivery cycle, ensuring all milestones are met with high-quality engineering standards.
• Architectural Design: Own the system-level design and define the overarching architecture. Decompose high-level requirements into specific component responsibilities and define precise integration points between vehicle nodes and cloud components.
• Specification Management: Author, release, and manage detailed technical specifications within JAMA, ensuring a "single source of truth" for the system.
• Requirements Cascading: Effectively communicate and explain complex requirements to a diverse group of partners, including D&R engineers, Suppliers, Cloud Operations, and Systems teams.
• Prototyping & Bring-up: Perform early-stage bring-up and prototype proof-of-concepts (PoCs) to support incremental sprint deliveries and validate design assumptions.
• Test Accountability: Demonstrate ultimate accountability for the solution by signing off on the correctness and completeness of test plans.
• Hands-on Vehicle Testing: Conduct physical vehicle testing using CAN, Ethernet, and other diagnostic tools to verify software update functionality.
• Requirement Tracking: Meticulously monitor requirement fulfillment and track any deviations throughout the development process.
• Expert Triaging: Lead issue triaging efforts and provide expert support to downstream teams, including conformance, system, and service testers, as well as field deployment teams.
• Root Cause Analysis: Analyze complex system failures to identify root causes; define and implement robust resolution and prevention strategies.
• Stakeholder Engagement: Facilitate and participate in Technical Design Reviews (TDRs), project meetings, and high-level presentations for both business and technical audiences.

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