Thermal Firmware Integration Engineer - Early Career Program, Advanced EV

Ford Motor • Palo Alto, CA

10h • Hybrid

About The Position

Ford Motor Company is offering a six-month Early Career Program in Product Creation and Industrialization, with a possible shorter duration in some cases and a start date as early as spring 2027. The Thermal Firmware Integration Engineer works at the boundary between thermal hardware and embedded software, supporting bring-up, integration, verification, and hands-on debugging of thermal mechatronic systems. The role connects embedded C, vehicle logs, and thermal physics, with work validated on real hardware.

The thermal systems organization develops customer-facing systems that keep occupants comfortable, enable vehicle powertrain capability, and support battery fast charging in varied weather conditions. Its engineering work balances performance, energy consumption, cost, reliability, noise, vibration and harshness (NVH), and packaging through cross-functional collaboration across vehicle development.

Candidates may be required to work onsite four or more days per week. Eligible candidates who live 50 or more miles away may receive a $5,000 pre-tax relocation stipend. This position is salary grade 4. Visa sponsorship is not available; candidates must be legally authorized to work in the United States. Employment eligibility will be verified at hire.

Requirements

• Pursuing a degree in Mechatronics, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or a related discipline.
• Solid grounding in mechatronic fundamentals, including sensors, actuators, motors, and position feedback, and how they interact with embedded software.
• Ability to read, trace, and debug C/C++ on embedded targets.
• Demonstrated debugging and diagnostic ability, including judgment to identify whether a problem originates in electrical, mechanical, or software systems.
• Hands-on comfort in a lab, including building test setups, instrumenting hardware, and generating data.
• Excellent analytical, problem-solving, written communication, and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to work effectively in a collaborative, cross-functional team environment.
• GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale or equivalent.
• Ability to dedicate six months to the engagement.
• Must be legally authorized to work in the United States; visa sponsorship is not available.

Nice To Haves

• Experience with automotive communication protocols (CAN, LIN, Ethernet) and associated tooling.
• Proficiency with Vector tools (CANalyzer, CANoe, CANape) or equivalent calibration and debugging environments.
• Experience with hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) or bench-in-the-loop test environments.
• Familiarity with diagnostic standards and services (UDS, DTC design) and functional safety practice (ISO 26262) or risk assessment methods (FMEA/HARA).
• Knowledge of thermal physics, fluid mechanics, psychrometrics, or HVAC principles.
• Experience with electronics bench instrumentation, such as oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, power supplies, and current probes.
• Experience with Agile delivery and workflow tooling (Jira, Confluence) and requirements management (Jama).
• Experience with version control (Git) and code review practice.
• Proficiency in Python for scripting, test automation, or data analysis.

Responsibilities

• Support bench bring-up and integration of thermal mechatronic devices, including smart pumps, valves, electric compressors, actuators, motorized registers, and cabin or environmental sensors.
• Collaborate with engineers to build and instrument prototype bench setups combining simulated and actual vehicle components for firmware integration testing.
• Write and execute verification test cases for component controls, application logic, and diagnostics, and report results to development teams.
• Analyze CAN, LIN, and Automotive Ethernet traces and vehicle logs to characterize device behavior and isolate integration issues.
• Read and trace embedded C to understand implemented behavior, and support root-cause investigations across electrical, mechanical, and software domains.
• Support characterization of sensors and actuators across operating conditions, and help define plausibility, validity, and fault-detection expectations with controls engineers.
• Support verification of diagnostic trouble codes (DTCs) and manufacturing self-test behavior.
• Document interfaces, test setups, and known issues, and track issues to closure in the team's Jira workflow.

Benefits

• $5,000 pre-tax relocation stipend for eligible candidates living 50 or more miles away.
• Program offers involvement with an experienced team, meaningful contributions to breakthrough work, and development of skills for future career pursuits.
• Salary and benefits information is available through the linked Ford careers supplemental information.

What This Job Offers

• Career Level: Entry Level
• Education Level: No Education Listed