Thermal Systems Firmware Integration Engineer

Ford • Palo Alto, CA

1d • $138,800 - $232,700 • Hybrid

About The Position

Ford is seeking a hands-on Thermal Firmware Integration Engineer to own the sensing and actuation layer of our next-generation climate system. Cabin comfort is one of the most immediate and personal parts of the customer experience. All of that depends on firmware correctly interpreting what the vehicle senses and precisely commanding what it actuates. In this role you will own that layer end to end. You will lead the integration and characterization of cabin temperature sensors and rain, light, solar and humidity (RLSH) sensing, drive the firmware integration of electromechanical registers (motorized air vents), and build the diagnostics and self-test capability that proves the system is healthy. This is a multi-disciplinary role for someone who is equally comfortable reading embedded C, instrumenting a buck, interpreting a vehicle log. You will work closely with controls, modeling, and test engineers, and directly with component suppliers. Our team is small and the scope is real: you will own your domain rather than coordinate it.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Mechatronics, Mechanical, Electrical or Computer Engineering.
• 3+ years of experience in embedded systems, firmware integration or systems engineering, ideally in automotive or another relevant high-volume product domain.
• Strong grounding in mechatronic fundamentals (sensors, actuators, motors, position feedback) and how they interact with embedded software.
• Proficiency reading and debugging C/C++ on embedded targets.
• Demonstrated debugging skill across electrical, mechanical and software domains, and the judgment to know which one you are actually looking at.
• Experience with automotive communication protocols (CAN, LIN, Ethernet) and associated tooling.
• Hands-on comfort in a lab: building test setups, instrumenting hardware, and generating your own data.

Nice To Haves

• Master's degree in a relevant engineering field.
• Direct experience with HVAC systems and/or cabin climate control
• Experience integrating environmental or optical sensing (humidity, solar load, rain/light) in an automotive context.
• Experience with motorized air vents, smart registers or similar customer-facing electromechanical devices.
• Background in end-of-line testing, manufacturing diagnostics or plant-facing validation.
• Familiarity with diagnostic standards and services (UDS, DTC design) and functional safety practice (ISO 26262).
• Scripting for data analysis or test automation (Python, MATLAB).
• Proficiency with Vector tools (CANalyzer, CANoe, CANape) or equivalent calibration and debugging environments.
• Experience with Agile delivery and workflow tooling (Jira, Confluence) and requirements management (Jama).
• Knowledge of thermal physics, psychrometrics or fluid dynamics.

Responsibilities

• Cabin sensing integration and characterization: Own the firmware integration of cabin temperature, humidity, solar and rain/light sensing, from component selection and interface definition through characterization, calibration and vehicle validation.
• Characterize sensor behavior across operating conditions and integrate the results into the climate control and models, partnering with modeling and controls engineers.
• Work with controls engineers to define sensor plausibility, validity and fault-detection logic so that the system degrades gracefully rather than failing outright when a sensor is compromised.
• Electromechanical register and actuator integration: Lead firmware integration of electromechanical registers (motorized air vents), including aiming, position accuracy, calibration and end-stop learning.
• Align register aiming and HMI representation so the position the customer selects on screen matches the airflow they receive, working with infotainment and HMI teams to negotiate the interface.
• Define actuator interface requirements for suppliers and verify delivered behavior against them.
• Diagnostics, fault handling and manufacturing self-test: Implement and verify diagnostic trouble codes (DTCs) for climate sensors and actuators and define the supporting diagnostic codes.
• Partner with manufacturing and service teams to make self-test results actionable on the line and in the field, and to drive first-pass yield on thermal build processes.
• Firmware verification and hands-on debug: Design and execute pre-merge verification plans; review embedded C and support release sign-off
• Lead root-cause investigation of integration issues using logging, CAN/LIN/ETH trace analysis and physical measurement.
• Support vehicle test campaigns, including offsite hot and cold weather trips.
• Log, track and drive closure of issues to genuine root cause through the team's Jira and Jama workflow.
• Feature and interface development: Own the climate-to-HMI interface specification and hold command-to-response latency to target.
• Contribute to sprint planning and technical risk identification, and document architecture, interfaces and known issues so the work is maintainable by the team rather than by one person.

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