Technical Program Manager - ADAS SW Platform

Ford • Dearborn, MI

4d • $99,600 - $162,900 • Hybrid

About The Position

Ford Motor Company is seeking a diligent, detail-driven project management professional to support Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) software development activities. The role applies Technical Program Management engineering principles and analytical techniques to deliver software for the ADAS ECU, including hand-coded or model-based development (MBD) software and software tooling or support software that advances ADAS product development.

The Technical Program Manager partners with stakeholders across Ford to define, scope, prioritize, and deliver major initiatives spanning multiple teams and organizations. The role aligns stakeholder needs, develops and executes roadmaps, schedules, project plans, and resourcing plans, and leads cross-functional teams to deliver software on time and with high quality. It works closely with technical development leaders and engineers to manage dependencies, address issues, and maintain delivery velocity.

The position is responsible for making plans and status visible through work-management and communication tools, presenting project status to stakeholders and leadership, and proactively managing risks through mitigation and recovery plans. The role is hybrid and requires onsite work four or more days per week. Visa sponsorship is not available; candidates must be legally authorized to work in the United States.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Engineering, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or Controls Engineering.
• At least 5 years of experience in software program management in an embedded technical software discipline.
• At least 5 years of experience using industry-standard project management tools for product development and delivery, such as MS Project or equivalent.
• At least 2 years of experience using Jira or an equivalent work-management tool for product development and delivery.
• Ability to understand complex technical issues and present an appropriate level of detail for the target audience.

Nice To Haves

• Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, Aerospace Engineering, or Controls Engineering.
• At least 7 years of experience in software program management in an embedded technical software discipline within the automotive domain.
• Strong background in embedded software development and understanding of Advanced Driver Assistance Systems.
• Experience managing complex technical software workstreams, particularly Diagnostics (UDS/DEM/DCM), Software Download (SWDL), Over-the-Air (OTA) updates, or Vision/Image Processing.
• Experience leading cross-functional teams across disciplines such as engineering, product, design, testing, and quality throughout the product lifecycle.
• Expert knowledge of Agile development methods and their application.
• Strong understanding of software development lifecycle methodology.
• Mastery of technical plan development, including task identification, task breakdown, and timing, for use at multiple leadership levels.
• Extensive experience with Atlassian tools such as Jira and Confluence, and with GitHub source code management.
• Extensive experience using Confluence to develop and maintain rich-content wiki pages.
• Proven ability to communicate program information, in writing and verbally, to stakeholders at various organizational levels.

Responsibilities

• Partner with key stakeholders to define, scope, prioritize, and deliver major ADAS software initiatives across multiple teams and organizations at Ford.
• Understand stakeholder needs across the product development organization and influence as appropriate to align on prioritized initiatives.
• Apply technical project planning, management, and leadership to the development and delivery of ADAS software, including hand-coded or MBD-based software.
• Apply technical project planning, management, and leadership to the development and delivery of software tooling or support software for ADAS product development.
• Implement and execute roadmaps, schedules, project plans, and resourcing plans to meet commitments across customer constituencies.
• Lead team members in modern software development practices and precise execution of technical plans, including milestone tracking, dependency management, risk management, and mitigation.
• Lead cross-functional teams—including Systems, Software, Feature, Suppliers, V&V, and Quality—to define and drive development plans and ensure timely, high-quality software delivery.
• Partner with technical development leaders to build effective technical leader/TPM pairings that support delivery velocity.
• Use technical knowledge to help technical leaders and engineers resolve dependencies and stakeholder issues.
• Help resolve or facilitate resolution of technical issues.
• Provide regular team updates through wiki, Jira, Teams, email, and other communication channels.
• Communicate and present project status to stakeholders and leadership.
• Proactively identify and manage project risks, developing mitigations and recovery plans when projects slip.
• Use work-management tools, including wiki, Jira, and project management tools, to make plans and status visible to leadership and provide strategic planning options and contingencies.

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.
• Established and active 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: Mid Level