Vehicle Structures Architecture Engineer

Ford Motor Company • Dearborn, MI

4d • $65,100 - $166,200 • Hybrid

About The Position

Ford is seeking a Vehicle Structures Architecture Engineer in Dearborn, Michigan, with a technical background in Body-in-White (BIW) structures and a focus on Tophat sheet metal development. The role develops flexible, cost-efficient, lightweight vehicle architectures that support varied occupancy and propulsion systems on accelerated program timelines. It calls for robust steel, aluminum, and mixed-material design solutions, including critical joining elements, that define structural load paths, enable stamping feasibility, reduce part complexity, and meet durability and vehicle-attribute requirements while balancing customer expectations, cost, range, and fuel economy.

The engineer collaborates with Vehicle Hardware Engineering, Flexible Vehicle Architecture, Advanced Manufacturing, Program Strategy & Planning, and other partner teams to ensure architecture designs align with manufacturing processes. Recognized expertise, leadership behaviors, and technical maturity in Top Hat Structures are important to successful business delivery. The position is hybrid and requires onsite work four or more days per week. Salary grade is 5 through 8, with a stated range of $65,100–$166,200; final placement depends on skills, experience, job scope, responsibility, and market value. Visa sponsorship is not available.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Automotive Engineering, or a related engineering discipline.
• At least 4 years of experience in Tophat or Platform Body Structure sheet metal or Closures sheet metal product development on program timelines, including virtual and prototype-build validation and industrialization/launch experience.
• Experience with advanced technology development, particularly in body structure.
• Ability to perform feasibility analyses using CAD tools, including master section development, draft angle analysis, undercut/die-lock detection, minimum bend-radius validation for sheet metal, and clearance checks for manufacturing requirements.
• Working knowledge and experience with engineering toolsets for deriving, communicating, and publishing 3D surfaces using Catia V5/TeamCenter Engineering and/or Catia V6/3DX.

Nice To Haves

• Master of Science degree in Engineering.
• Five or more years of Body Engineering Design and Release experience in Body Structures.
• Expert-level Catia V5 or 3DX skills.
• Strong systems interaction and integration skills involving Closures, Safety, Studio/Class-A development, Exterior Ornamentation, Durability/NVH, and Purchasing/Costing.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with demonstrated success in technical presentations.
• Demonstrated track record of strong leadership behaviors.

Responsibilities

• Develop sheet metal Top Hat BIW architectures, focusing on bodyside and roof development and aligning designs with customer usage, advanced manufacturing, and product cycle plan requirements.
• Develop parts and architectures applicable to unibody and body-on-frame vehicles; steel and aluminum; trucks, SUVs, and sedans; and internal-combustion, light EV/FHEV, and heavy EV/PHEV/BEV applications.
• Collaborate with Safety, Research, Manufacturing, Closures, Platform Structures, Materials Engineering, Vehicle Program teams, and other organizations to develop efficient, feasible BIW solutions supporting quality and cost objectives.
• Create Catia V5/3DX sheet metal studies and proposals for review with affected teams.
• Track new and critical competitive benchmarks, understand best-in-class designs, and develop advanced projects intended to surpass existing Top Hat architectures.
• Validate and optimize standard and mixed-metal joint designs in BIW architectures.
• Work closely with Safety and CAE teams to develop new architectures and adapt and optimize existing platforms.
• Coordinate with Studio Engineering to ensure designs are evocative, cost-competitive, and feasible to manufacture.
• Develop lightweight designs using new stamping materials, Aluminum High Pressure Die Casting, Plastic-Metal Hybrids, Multi-Piece-Integration technologies, and new grades of aluminum and steel sheet materials.
• Deliver a robust handoff to Applications Structures Engineering to support progression toward optimization without revolutionizing architecture designs.
• Use AI to improve development efficiency and development time, reduce cost, and improve quality.

Benefits

• Immediate medical, dental, vision, and prescription drug coverage.
• Paid parental leave, new parent ramp-up programs, and subsidized back-up child care.
• 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.
• Vacation time, sick/personal time, and paid holidays, including time between Christmas Eve and New Year’s Day.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level