Product Development Engineer – Wiper/Washer (Subject Matter Expert)

At Ford Motor Company, you can build more than vehicles. Come build what matters.

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.

In this position, you will serve as the Subject Matter Expert (SME) for all exterior Wiper related matters ensuring robust design & delivery of components & vehicle systems.

Responsibilities

• Globally responsible for signoffs of exterior wiper and washer HIR requirements for all application programs at key milestones.
• Act as technical resource internally & externally on component & vehicle systems. Provide technical support to global teams.
• Recommend, develop & verify applications for new & advanced exterior wiper and washer systems designs.
• Analyze designs during the development process & address any potential failures & error states.
• Lead design of new concepts to improve system performance & provide leadership & support for timely implementation.
• Monitor & investigate new system technologies to maintain company position as industry leader in this field.
• Mentor & provide consulting to department engineer & other interfacing functions.
• Support Campaign Prevent for exterior wiper and washer systems and related systems.
• Support CCRG for exterior wiper and washer systems activities as needed.
• Provide technical advice to ASO and OGC as required.
• Guide development of module system tools, methods & processes.
• Lead development & ongoing maintenance/update of commodity specific standards, specifications & verification methods.
• Lead development & deployment of all commodity foundation documents including DFMEAs, SCCAFs, Boundary Diagrams, P-Diagrams, DVP&R & integration manuals.
• Guide or lead root cause analysis of warranty, plant or supplier wiper/washer issues.
• Lead design reviews based on Failure Mode Avoidance (FMA).
• Lead & drive prevent recurrence process.
• Ability to share & present work to cross-functional teams and senior leadership.

Qualifications

• Minimum Requirements:

+ B.S. in Mechanical Engineering or a related physical science field of study + 10+ years as a Body Exterior Design and Release Engineer or similar experience + 6+ years’ experience with job responsibilities specific to exterior automotive engineering with focus in systems like exterior wiper and washer systems, hoses, nozzles, motors and/or exterior automotive engineering. + Understanding on DC motors functionality and performance. + Demonstrated expert level knowledge in body exterior wiper and washer attributes, including material properties, design attributes for durability / NVH, corrosion mitigation, control plan management, tooling and testing methods. + Experience in all program phases from Pre-Program through Launch including one major (scale 4-6). + Working knowledge of applicable Design, Analysis, Verification, Quality, Manufacturing, and Assembly methods. + Demonstrated improvements in customer satisfaction, reduction in warranty, total cost reduction. + Working knowledge and experience with Engineering toolset – CAE / CATIA, TCE + Excellent written / verbal communication skills. + Demonstrated track record of strong leadership behaviors. + Excellent problem-solving and root cause analysis skills. + Demonstrated capability to teach / coach / mentor and document technical knowledge. + Self-starter - ability to work effectively with little oversight.

• Preferred:

+ M.S. in Mechanical Engineering or a related physical science field of study. + Patents / Invention, Defensive Disclosures / Trade Secrets and/or Technical Publications. + Experience with Advanced Technology development of Exterior components related to wipers and washers. + Experience with GPDS and GTDS processes, timing and delivery requirements. + Experience writing DFMEA’s, SCCAF’s, Engineering Specifications, Requirements, Design Rules or equivalent Core documents. + Ability to build strong working relationships with all stakeholders including program teams, purchasing, manufacturing, STA & suppliers. + An aptitude for developing processes. + Strong understanding of statistical analysis and dimensional variance. + CATIA V5 capable. + Extensive experience & strong TMM working on safety critical systems & components.

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.