Senior Vehicle Accessory Product Development Engineer

At Ford Motor Company, we believe freedom of movement drives human progress. We also believe in providing you with the freedom to define and realize your dreams. With our incredible plans for the future of mobility, we have a wide variety of opportunities for you to accelerate your career potential as you help us define tomorrow’s transportation. 

Ford Model E is responsible for developing the key technologies and capabilities – such as EV platforms, batteries, e-motors, inverters, charging and recycling – to create ground-up, breakthrough electric vehicles. By joining the best software, engineering, design and UX talent, you will be a part of creating new technologies and concepts that can be applied across the Ford enterprise. Being on the Ford Model E team means building the future as Ford’s center of innovation and growth through electric and connected vehicles and services.

The Senior Vehicle Accessory Product Development Engineer will work closely with studio designers to develop new design concepts and collaborate with other vehicle engineering teams and cross-functional teams on technical, feasibility, and cost trade-off studies. In this role, you will play a key part in designing and engineering high-quality vehicle accessories that enhance the functionality and aesthetics of vehicles. You will work closely with cross-functional teams to bring innovative concepts to life. The engineer will explore creative ideas covering a variety of systems, including roof solutions, bed solutions, and various innovative accessories to celebrate engineering and aesthetics design possibilities, from the concept phase all the way to manufacturing and quality teams for the launch.

What you'll do…

• Design and develop vehicle accessories in CAD and other engineering tools. 
• Conduct feasibility studies, prototyping, and testing to ensure product performance and durability. 
• Define roadmap for accessories with build to print approach, as well as co-development approach together with suppliers. 
• Collaborate with suppliers and manufacturers to select materials and optimize production processes. 
• Support the product development lifecycle, from concept to production, ensuring adherence to timelines and quality standards. 
• Troubleshoot and resolve technical issues during the development, manufacturing, launching and service phases. 
• Stay updated on industry trends, technologies, and materials to drive innovation. 
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams within engineering, manufacturing, and purchasing to ensure system manufacturing, assembly feasibility, and serviceability. Support vehicle development milestones and prototype/production build events

What you'll have…

• B.S. in Mechanical Engineering or a related field
• 2+ years of experience working on production vehicle development and launch
• 4+ years of experience utilizing CAD (3DX, Catia, NX, ICEMSURF, or Alias) collaboratively, 3DX and CATIA preferred 
• 4+ years of experience in exterior, interior systems or accessory design, development, release and supplier management.
• Proof of record of development and launch experience for vehicle system and accessories, e.g. roof applications, bed applications, trailer hitch applications 

Even better, you may have…

• Strong mechanical engineering fundamentals, with preferred to have experience designing mechanisms, electromechanical components
• Strong understanding of the materials and manufacturing processes such as stamping, injection molding, casting, composites, paint and other surface finishes
• Strong Understanding of differences in design and engineering based on production volume and functional and cosmetic features
• Strong familiarity with legislative requirements affecting the design feasibility
• Strong understanding of GD&T, craftsmanship and CMF and how design execution would be affected 
• Experience in working on automotive Class A surface feasibility assessment and development, vehicle layout/package, including body structures, exteriors, closures, glazing
• Hands-on experience in building and launching automotive products

You may not check every box, or your experience may look a little different from what we've outlined, but if you think you can bring value to Ford Motor Company, we encourage you to apply

As an established global company, we offer the benefit of choice. You can choose what your Ford future will look like: will your story span the globe, or keep you close to home? Will your career be a deep dive into what you love, or a series of new teams and new skills? Will you be a leader, a change maker, a technical expert, a culture builder…or all of the above? No matter what you choose, we offer a work life that works for you, including:

• Immediate medical, dental, and prescription drug coverage
• Flexible family care, parental leave, new parent ramp-up programs, subsidized back-up child care 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.

For a detailed look at our benefits, click here: https://corporate.ford.com/content/dam/corporate/us/en-us/documents/careers/2024-benefits-and-comp-GSR-sal-plan-2.pdf

Visa sponsorship is available for this position.

Candidates for positions with Ford Motor Company must be legally authorized to work in the United States. Verification of employment eligibility will be required at the time of hire.

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to a culturally diverse workforce. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, color, age, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability status or protected veteran status. In the United States, if you need a reasonable accommodation for the online application process due to a disability, please call 1-888-336-0660.

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