Technical Specialist - Suspension Systems

Ford • Dearborn, MI

13h • Hybrid

About The Position

Product Development uses design thinking & user experience methods to deliver breakthrough products and services that delight our customers. We bring innovative, exciting, and sustainable ideas to life. We have opportunities around the world for you to contribute to advancements in autonomy, electrification, smart mobility technologies, and more! At Ford, the Vehicle Hardware Engineering teams are using Design Thinking & User Experience methods to deliver breakthrough products and services that will delight our customers. Our employees are laser-focused on bringing innovative, exciting, and sustainable ideas to life. From autonomy and electrification to smart mobility technologies, our teams around the world are working together with excitement to make smart vehicles for a smart world. Technical Expert (LL6) position leading global suspension and steering system integration from concept, design and validation, through industrialization and launch for base and off road capable systems.

Requirements

• BS-Engineering required
• 10 years of experience
• 6+ years in suspension related components and commodities.
• Extensive system and component engineering design & release experience, knowledge of various chassis architecture performance characteristics, and experience with vehicle, system, and component durability validation methods, architecture creation, and vehicle manufacturing.
• Extensive experience creating and managing DFMEA/PFMEA/SCCAF/Control Plans/ drawings-GD&T
• Experience with problem solving tools – 8D, 5 why, Six Sigma, etc.
• Experience analyzing output from CAE and physical test methods – vehicle, system, and component.
• Position requires occasional travel to assembly plants and other global chassis engineering centers to support process development, issue identification/resolution, and launch/ongoing production.
• Travel may be significant at times as needed
• On-site support for collaboration required targeting 4 days per week minimum.

Nice To Haves

• Understanding of GPDS deliverables and basic Ford engineering tools including Teamcenter and buck environment.
• Ability to handle complex tasks and challenging situations under compressed timing
• Experience communicating with senior leaders, design and release, manufacturing, and suppliers
• Outstanding planning, organizational and project management skills with proper follow-up to accomplish multiple objectives
• Strong One Ford Leadership Behaviors with demonstrated ability to drive and deliver results
• Effective coaching and mentoring skills
• Excellent written and oral presentation skills
• Ability to build strong effective relationships with cross functional teams (Foundation Chassis, Design and Release, Vehicle Operations, Testing Centers, and Suppliers)

Responsibilities

• Connect Chassis Systems modeling efforts to component development and final vehicle performance through connecting analytical methods to hardware creation and production.
• Establishing efficient strategies for providing off road variants from base vehicles. Owning the design inputs and strategy for common / unique hardware to meet different levels of off road capability.
• Connect the suspension and steering component Technical Experts and Subject Matter Experts to having robust components delivering system performance expectations given system noise factors, system interactions, and allowed variation with components and assembly.
• Work with the suspension and chassis design load experts and the chassis CAE experts to develop methods that address allowed component and system variation across different variant use cases.
• Own the suspension system DFMEA and associated system foundation documents.
• Own the suspension system / chassis system requirements and design rules
• Interface with VO, Internal Control Plans, SCCAFs, process sheets, launch score cards, and VOPFAG’s to ensure system design for manufacturing and manufacturing processes that address system significant and critical characteristics.
• Lead system analysis for root cause identification and confirmation for vehicle testing, significant warranty or field issues, and manufacturing process issues. Address the system level root causes and help identify end item issues that are part of the total root cause and then led by that areas foundation expert.
• Assist in establishing overall vehicle development plans based on cascaded system attribute targets being the primary system contact for vehicle dynamics, vehicle NVH, road load team, and vehicle durability team.
• Assist with the deep dive, root cause identification, and development of robust 8D’s at a system level.
• Go-To for System Problem Solving – Launch, Recall, Quality / Field Issues, DV/PV Issues
• Create and Conduct training sessions
• Minimize / eliminate system and assembly related launch warranty spikes.
• Lead System-Level Integration: Direct the system-level development and integration of advanced active suspension systems, including ECU development, sensor integration, and electronically controlled dampers.
• Technical Specification & Design Control: Define system design guidelines, perform rigorous specification reviews, and author system-level Design Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (DFMEA) covering signal I/O, control modes, and hardware/software interfaces.
• Chassis Technology Roadmap Alignment: Guide the development of next-generation chassis technologies, including active dampers, air springs, and electronic roll control systems, ensuring alignment with future vehicle architecture glidepaths.

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: Principal