Product Development Engineer - Exterior Lighting Vision Systems

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

The Exterior Lighting Engineer is a multi-disciplinary technical authority responsible for the integrity, evolution, and in-house design ownership of lighting systems. As the department shifts toward Build-to-Print (BTP) models and AI-driven engineering, this role is the primary driver of Ford’s internal technical foundation. This position bridges the gap between mechanical, electrical, software, and optical engineering.

Responsibilities

Technical Standards, Requirements, and AI Driven Innovation

• Leading the transition from supplier-led designs to Ford-owned "Build-to-Print" applications, including developing detailed internal CAD, optical models, and technical data packages.
• Utilizing and developing Artificial Intelligence to automate administrative and data-heavy tasks, enabling more time for high-value In-House-Design.
• Defining and maintaining the technical specifications and global design rules that govern all lighting programs to ensure consistency and performance.
• Driving the research and development of next-generation lighting technologies to maintain a competitive advantage.

Quality Engineering and Risk Mitigation

• Leading the proactive identification of risks through the development and ownership of DFMEA and supporting PFMEA to ensure flawless manufacturing.
• Serving as the lead investigator for complex system failures, including physical teardowns and forensic analysis of field returns.
• Owning the technical "health" of the commodity, directly impacting quality metrics and warranty spend.

Financial & Program Integrity

• Identifying and executing technical cost-reduction strategies through BTP efficiencies, without compromising quality or regulatory compliance.
• Leading the negotiation between Studio’s aesthetic vision, manufacturing feasibility, and purchasing targets.
• Acting as the technical authority during early-stage feasibility to ensure that aesthetic vision and engineering requirements are aligned.

What you'll do...

• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to deliver a robust system at vehicle level.
• Create and present technical presentations for peer and management reviews.
• Perform and/or review & sign off technical analyses of component/system functional and packaging studies.
• Actively participate in the Technical Design Reviews.

Qualifications

You'll have...

• Bachelor’s degree or higher in mechanical engineering or a related field.
• 5+ years of experience in design, development, or launch of automotive lighting or similar components.
• CAD Capable (such as CATIA, 3DX, Teamcenter) & familiarity with CAE tools and software.

Even better, you may have...

• Master's of Science in Engineering (Mechanical preferred).
• 7+ years of experience.
• Experience in design and release of Exterior Lighting.
• Software literacy and mechatronics experience.

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.