Prototype Development Engineer

Ford's Electric Vehicles, Digital and Design (EVDD) team is seeking a Prototype Development Engineer to deliver the company's vision of a fully electric transportation future. As a Prototype Development Engineer, you will own the design, build, integration, commissioning, and maintenance of critical electrical test assets, including advanced Labcars, HIL (Hardware-in-the-Loop) benches, test fixtures, prototype support equipment, and related EV development assets.

Responsibilities:

• Test Asset Design & Build: Own the development of physical electrical test assets from concept through commissioning.
• CAD / Layout Ownership: Create CAD layouts, mechanical packaging concepts, drawing packages, and build-to-print documentation using various tools.
• BOM, Purchasing & Build Readiness: Develop complete BOMs, identify parts and alternates, support sourcing and purchasing, and ensure parts are available to support build timing.
• Electrical Test Integration: Integrate power supplies, electronic loads, DAQ, NI/PXI/cDAQ hardware, oscilloscopes, meters, signal conditioning, instrumentation, safety interlocks, wiring, harnessing, and electrical interfaces into physical test assets.
• Asset Bring-Up: Support the development, commissioning, and maintenance of Labcars, HIL benches, prototype vehicles, and related EV test assets.
• Technical Execution: Perform and oversee component installation, complex wiring, harness fabrication/debugging, module software flashing, and network debugging.
• System Diagnostics: Troubleshoot and triage complex electrical, mechanical packaging, software integration, wiring, signal, communication, grounding, and hardware issues.
• Strategic Testing & Validation: Develop comprehensive test strategies to validate full-system functionality.
• Technician Direction: Direct technicians during fabrication, wiring, assembly, installation, and commissioning.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Interface with Systems Integration, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Prototype Operations, technicians, purchasing, and vendors.
• Field Support: Provide hands-on support during prototype build events, test asset deployment, fleet management activities, and off-site testing.
• Documentation: Maintain rigorous records of module status, hardware revisions, BOM maturity, installed components, configuration status, commissioning results, operating instructions, maintenance information, and integration maturity.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor's Degree in Electrical, Mechanical, Mechatronics, Computer, Software Engineering or equivalent combination of relevant education and experience.
• 5+ years of hands-on experience in hardware development, test asset design, test equipment build, prototype development, HIL/lab systems, board bring-up, vehicle systems engineering, or manufacturing test environments.
• Demonstrated experience designing, building, commissioning, or supporting physical test assets.
• Experience with CAD or layout tools such as CATIA, 3DEXPERIENCE, SolidWorks, NX, Creo, Inventor, AutoCAD, EPLAN, or similar.
• Experience creating BOMs, identifying parts, supporting sourcing or purchasing, managing alternates, and preparing builds for execution.
• Experience integrating electrical test equipment such as DAQ, power supplies, electronic loads, instrumentation, signal conditioning, wiring, harnessing, or safety interlocks.
• Experience with vehicle or embedded communication protocols such as CAN, LIN, Automotive Ethernet, or similar networked systems.

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.

Salary: $118,700-$198,500 or $138,800-$232,700 depending on the salary grade