Body on Frame Structures Architecture Technical Specialist

About the role

At Ford Motor Company, we are dedicated to designing, manufacturing, and offering high-quality vehicles that meet the diverse needs of our customers. This Technical Specialist role focuses on Body on Frame (BoF) Body Structure, with a diverse background in ICE, HEV, and EV architectures. The importance of flexible BoF Body architectures has grown significantly due to the need for cost-efficient, lightweight vehicles catering to various occupancy and propulsion systems through accelerated program timelines. This role involves developing robust design solutions for steel, aluminum, and mixed materials, including critical joining elements, while meeting stringent durability and attribute requirements.

Collaboration with Vehicle Hardware Engineering (VHE) Flexible Vehicle Architecture teams, Advanced Manufacturing, and Program Strategy & Planning organizations is vital to ensure compatible architecture designs with process assumptions. Quality assurance must be integrated into architecture definitions to meet Ford Vehicle quality expectations during production.

Responsibilities

• Develop new Body on Frame BIW architectures that align with advanced manufacturing and product cycle plan requirements.
• Collaborate extensively with RIC, VO – Manufacturing, Materials Engineering, and Vehicle Program Teams to develop efficient and feasible BIW solutions in support of Quality and Cost efficiency corporate objectives.
• Maintain a thorough knowledge of new and critical competitive benchmarks to fully understand Best-in-Class designs and develop advanced projects to ensure Ford supersedes existing BoF Body architectures.
• Work with Application engineering teams to optimize designs as a system, leveraging expertise to provide technical insights toward design robustness in prelude of milestones.
• Develop and institutionalize best practices and design rules in FEDE for BoF BIW design applications.
• Drive continuous improvement in future programs, including TS-level sign-off by Ford Applications engineering pre-FDJ.
• Enhance and manage Foundation document improvements (DVP, DFMEA, interface diagrams, boundary diagrams) through partnership with Exterior Structure Core TS and subject matter experts.
• Define and validate BoF architecture system assumptions for program applications during the development phase.
• Validate and optimize standard and mixed-metal joint designs in BIW architectures.
• Cooperate closely with Architecture & Applications CAE-team for the development of new BoF architectures, as well as adaptation and optimization of existing platforms.
• Develop new lightweight designs integrating reductive design principles through Aluminum High Pressure Die Casting, Plastic-Metal Hybrids, Magnesium Thixo-molding, and new methods of aluminum and steel sheet material applications.
• Deliver a robust hand-off to Applications Structures Engineering for seamless progression toward optimization without revolution of architecture designs, via aligned Requirement and Design Rule checks.

Success Metrics

• Ensure Ford remains in a leadership position for BoF architectures while promoting enhancements and innovation to existing structure designs currently in production.
• Robust implementation of new architecture designs and joining processes into forward-model programs in line with GTDS-principles; elimination of last-minute design pivots.
• Leverage Ford’s internal manufacturing assets to ensure Exterior cost targets can be delivered to support EBIT.
• Promote and use AI and simulation tools to reduce dependency on external support and physical testing.
• Capture and document BoF architecture strategies that align with Ford Purchasing objectives for sourcing efficiencies.

Requirements

• Bachelor of Science degree in Engineering required.
• Minimum of 8 years experience in Body Exterior Systems and Structure product development, with direct advancement (UNV/UPV-series), validation (FJD/DCV), and industrialization (launch) experience.
• Body Engineering Design and Release experience in Body Exterior Systems and Structures required.
• Experience with Advanced Technology development – particularly in body structure systems and mixed materials bonding with aluminum.
• Experience with GPDS milestone delivery, with knowledge of GTDS timing Milestones for new technologies.
• Strong written/verbal communication skills, with demonstrated successes in technical presentations to senior leadership.
• Working knowledge and experience with Engineering toolsets: Catia V5/TeamCenter Engineering. Catia V6/3DX Level 1 CAD capability experience required.
• Demonstrated track record of strong Leadership Behaviors aligned with Leadership+.
• Demonstrated track record of strong collaboration/negotiation skills to drive global alignment to efficient BoF system design solutions.
• Strong team problem-solving skills – technical and non-technical – to achieve collaborative outcomes.

Qualifications

• Preferred Master of Science degree in Technical Engineering for Engineering Management.
• Strong skillset in systems interaction and integration with frames, battery structures, chassis, seats & restraints, and interior trim preferred.

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!

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.

Pay

This position is leadership level 6 and ranges from $115,500-$218,100. Final determination of salary grade will be based on candidate's skills and experience, and base salary will be set within the applicable range according to job scope, responsibility, and competitive market value.

Schedule

This position is hybrid. Candidates who are in commuting distance to a Ford hub location may be required to be onsite four or more days per week.