|
|
 |
 |
Product Development
Shaping the Automotive Future
Picture a brand-new Focus nimbly negotiating city traffic or cruising the open highway. Once, it was an idea; now, clad in a gleaming skin, it brings its power and presence to the road.
Where do these ideas begin?
Product Development (PD) employees are a vital part of the team that conceives a new product. Our employees develop product cycle plans that help forecasters determine our approach to different markets. Research, design, packaging and engineering business analysts help set the path for a new vehicle’s production. Designers, engineers and testers then create a vehicle to meet market demands. Working with the Research and Advanced Vehicle Technology teams, we determine which new technologies can be implemented. Computer Aided Engineering (CAE) tools are applied, and prototypes are built and tested.
Are you ready to put your ideas on the road?
Ford College Graduate Program
The Product Development Ford College Graduate (FCG) program is a 32-month rotational program that develops your technical skill with hands-on work in several areas of PD.
To begin your program, you choose a "home" organization based on your interests, background and our business needs. You will be assigned a mentor, a member of PD management within your area, to advise and guide you through a core set of developmental assignments related to your home organization. These assignments are structured to develop your skills and build your understanding of your home organization and the product creation process. Your development will be further supported by a number of technical and professional training opportunities. Once you complete the program, you will be placed in your home organization to continue building your career and developing technical expertise.
Most successful candidates will have graduated in the top 20 percent of their class and have demonstrated leadership skills and exceptionally strong technical skills. They are beginning their careers with B.S. and M.S. degrees in Mechanical, Aeronautical/Aerospace or Electrical/Electronic Engineering, or equivalent qualifications. Some opportunities are also available for Chemical, Materials Science, and Biomedical/Biomechanical engineers. Product Strategy & Planning candidates should have a B.S. in engineering, some professional experience, and their M.B.A. or Masters in Engineering Management. These positions are in Southeast Michigan.
Summer Intern Program
Get hands-on experience and become a contributing member of our product teams as they design and develop the highest quality world-class cars and light and commercial trucks to meet the needs of our global customers. In Product Development you will use your engineering education to learn and use computer simulation skills and traditional empirical engineering methods to optimize designs before the vehicles are produced.
Preferred applicants must have completed their junior year and have a minimum of a 3.0 G.P.A. Candidates must also be working toward a degree in Mechanical or Electrical/Electronic Engineering. Some opportunities may also be available for Chemical, Materials Science, Aeronautical, and Biomedical Engineers. Openings for this program are in Southeast Michigan.
Our Work Areas
Powertrain
Powertrain is responsible for delivering powertrain control systems and calibrations to provide flawless driveability.
Areas of opportunity in Powertrain include:- Calibration
- Exhaust After-Treatment
- Emissions/CAFE Compliance
- Fuel Systems
- Powertrain Control Systems
The Powertrain Control System Engineering organization is responsible for control algorithm and software development for engines and transmissions, On-Board and End-of-Line diagnostics system development and calibration, and design and release for North American Powertrain control systems.
Calibration is responsible for defining standards and methodologies and developing state-of-the-art tools for CAE calibration. The On-Board Diagnostic (OBD) Calibration section is responsible for validating OBD strategies and developing calibrations for regulator monitors.
The Powertrain Emissions/CAFE Compliance organization ensures compliance with all applicable emissions and fuel economy regulations. We achieve this through development of new catalyst technologies and fuel vapor techniques, certifying the effectiveness of various fuel economy actions, and determining the impact of fuels and lubes on performance, emissions, and durability.
Product Strategy & Planning
Product Strategy & Planning is the perfect place for you to combine your experience in engineering and your head for business. We are responsible for spotting business opportunities in consumer trends and the competitive landscape, globally aligning our brands, and bringing together the vision of Manufacturing, Finance, Marketing, and other organizations inside Ford Motor Company to forecast wants and needs. All of this together helps us determine what kind of cars and trucks we'll be putting on the road several years into the future.
The Product Strategy & Planning FCG program provides total vehicle and cross-organizational experience with possible assignments in Engineering & Engineering Management, Manufacturing, Marketing, Finance, or the Strategy or Business Office. Your management-level mentor will help create an individualized rotation plan. After four assignments lasting six to eight months each, you'll be ready to enter the core discipline of PS&P, or choose an area of expertise and interest from the disciplines that make up our organization:
- Advanced Product Strategy
- Competitive Intelligence
- Product Marketing & Futuring
- Regulatory Planning
- Cycle Plan Development
Research & Advanced Engineering
Anticipate, innovate, and incorporate: that's how the Research & Advanced Engineering (R&A) organization helps Ford Motor Company lead the pack in safe, environmentally responsible, and affordable personal mobility. We use science and technology to develop practical solutions to real problems that need innovative answers. From globally-recognized emissions research and fuel cell development to studying driver distractions, we change the way the world drives – while changing the world for the better. You'll use incredible technology like the virtual aero-acoustic wind tunnel, interactive conceptual design, and vehicle vibration simulators at our state-of-the-art research facilities in Dearborn and Aachen, Germany.
To begin your career, you'll enter a core discipline of Research & Advanced Engineering:- Environmental, Physical Sciences, and Safety Research and Advanced Engineering
- Manufacturing and Vehicle Design Research and Advanced Engineering
- Powertrain Research and Advanced Engineering
- Sustainable Mobility Technologies
Vehicle Development & Engineering Control (VDEC)
Our activities encompass development, analysis and verification of total vehicle attributes. These attributes include ride and handling, vehicle NVH (noise, vibration, harshness), thermal and aerodynamic characteristics, and design package (space) and weight. A key part of VDEC is the balance of system and component performance into harmonious vehicle performance. Total vehicle targets are cascaded into subsystem and component design parameters to insure customer satisfaction.
VDEC methods use state-of-the-art analysis processes, including advanced modeling techniques like statistical energy analysis and computational fluid flow. Our world-class testing laboratories facilitate development, diagnosis and verification, and they feature advanced lab capability in such areas as sound quality, laser holography, chassis dynamometry and modal analysis.
VDEC offers opportunities for growth in the following areas:- Computer Aided Engineering
- Noise Vibration & Harshness
- Thermal Aero Systems Engineering
- Vehicle Dynamics
- Vehicle Integration
- Vehicle Package & Ergonomics
Body Engineering
Body Engineering consists of almost everything the customer can see, feel, smell or touch on a vehicle. You can follow our work from the plastic front bumper cover to the steel rear tow bar, from the glass of the windshield to the sheet metal of the lower rocker panels. Inside the vehicle, we design systems such as the instrument panel, seats, cargo bins, air bags and more. Body engineers are at the heart of delivering these systems to the customer.
Opportunities in Body include:- Design Engineering: As a design & release engineer, you participate in the design and development of a vehicle at all stages. Design engineers are responsible for designs in sheet metal, the exterior visible surfaces and the basic building blocks beneath the skin of a vehicle; closures, the doors, glass, seals, mechanisms and latches; exterior trim and ornamentation, such as headlamps, tail lamps, roof racks, badging, fascias, claddings, moldings, wipers and all of the other details that add to the exterior details of a vehicle; interior trim and seating, which includes door panels, head liners, pillar trim, quarter trim, front seats, rear seats, jump seats, visors, storage bins, loads of comfort and convenience features and lots more; restraints, including air bags, air curtains, sensors and seat belts, and the instrument panel, one of the most complex systems on the vehicle.
- Safety Engineering: As a safety engineer, you'll find yourself immersed in the challenges of developing some of the most advanced safety features on the road. Safety engineers are responsible for testing and analyzing occupant safety systems and vehicle structure in response to crashes.
- Engineer/Designer/Analyst (EDA): In the newly emerging role of an EDA, you can move the product development community toward ever increasing technical proficiency by combining the traditional roles of Engineering, Design and CAE analysis. This new classification will develop your ability to understand and perform these functions yourself rather than directing the efforts of others.
- Computer Aided Engineering (CAE): CAE is used to predict product performance, drive design and minimize cost and weight. CAE is also involved in most of the customer functional attributes like durability, NVH, safety, vehicle dynamics, thermal management, aerodynamics, fuel economy and performance, package, weight, electrical systems and electronics.
Chassis Engineering
Chassis Engineering is responsible for the design and engineering of suspension systems, steering systems, brakes, ABS systems including stability and traction control, fuel systems, wheels and tires, and frames/sub-frames.
Chassis Engineering develops robust concept designs that are capable of meeting vehicle driving dynamics objectives; establishes system and component functional targets and specifications; and works with the suppliers to design, test and validate chassis systems and components.
Chassis Engineering offers opportunities for growth in the following areas:
- Computer Aided Engineering
- Frames
- Suspension
- Steering
- Brakes
- Wheels and Tires
You could also be part of a newly emerging role called EDA (Engineer/Designer/Analyst). As an EDA you can move the product development community toward ever increasing technical proficiency by combining the traditional roles of Engineering, CAD and CAE analysis. Chassis engineers are also involved in supporting manufacturing, assembly and service of chassis systems.
Vehicle Evaluation and Verification (VEV)
VEV provides CAE analysis and physical verification testing to support the design, development and certification of Ford Motor Company products worldwide. Our engineers have hands-on experience with our latest technology engines, components, and vehicles. We use CAE tools and methods as well as laboratory and track-based testing to test the exciting products Ford Motor Company will sell to our customers.
But the job is not just product testing. Our CAE departments are involved in designing components and systems, and our testing departments design and develop the test methods (and even testing facilities) used to assure our products provide satisfaction to our customers.
VEV offers opportunities for growth in the following areas:- Body/Chassis/Vehicle Laboratories
- Emissions Laboratories
- Engine Laboratories
- Fuel Subsystems
- Safety Laboratories
- Wind Tunnel
Our central role in delivering exciting, environmentally friendly, high technology products for production makes this a great place to work.
Electrical & Electronic Systems Engineering
EESE has responsibility for the electrical system of all North American brands. These systems include audio, telematics, driver information, power supply and cranking, restraints, safety and security, and numerous body and chassis features.
Working with our supply base we have design and release responsibility for products including body electronic modules, switches, wiring, alternators, starters, batteries, instrument clusters, radios, speakers, antennas, key fobs and numerous sensors, etc. Other responsibilities include component packaging, CAE analysis, electromagnetic compatibility certification, power supply sizing, interior lighting harmony, network communication and diagnostics, fusing, grounding, electrical architecture strategies and software and control algorithms.
EESE offers opportunities for growth in the following areas:- EE Architecture and Vehicle Subsystems
- Network Communications
- Electrical & Electronic Computer Aided Engineering
- Technology Development and Implementation
- Power Supply
- Multimedia
- Driver Information
Material Engineering Testing and Standards (MET&S)
Our department provides comprehensive materials engineering, fastener, corrosion protection, and materials testing services to North American Product Development and Manufacturing activities worldwide. We use our expertise to direct the selection and specification of materials, fasteners and corrosion protection for all Ford car and truck brands. We also perform tests and analyses for automotive components and samples. Our other key responsibilities are advancing materials technologies and predictive testing methods and developing total cost management strategy for the materials we test.
METS offers opportunities for growth in the following areas:- Corrosion Protection Engineering
- Fastener Engineering & Testing
- Global Technical Standards
- Materials Engineering & Testing
Preferred Background for Careers in Product Development
- Powertrain
B.S. or M.S. in Mechanical or Electrical Engineering - Product Strategy & Planning
B.S. in Engineering and an M.B.A. or Masters in Engineering Management. One to three years of professional experience is preferred as well. - Research & Advanced Engineering
B.S. or M.S. in Mechanical, Electrical or Chemical Engineering, Physical Sciences, Mathematics, or Computer Science. Qualified candidates for Sustainable Mobility Technology should have experience with some of the following: fuel cell technology, future car team, future truck team, hybrid electric vehicle teams work in the area of fuel cell technology (e.g., with a professor), control systems, advanced battery systems or power electronics - Vehicle Development & Engineering Control
B.S. or M.S. in Mechanical or Aeronautical/Aerospace Engineering - Body Engineering
B.S. or M.S. in Mechanical, Aeronautical/Aerospace, Electrical, or Biomedical/Biomechanical Engineering - Chassis Engineering
B.S. or M.S. in Mechanical, Electrical, Structural or Material Science Engineering - Vehicle Evaluation and Verification
B.S. or M.S. in Mechanical, Aeronautical/Aerospace or Electrical Engineering - Electrical & Electronic Systems Engineering
B.S. or M.S. in Electrical Engineering - Material Engineering Testing and Standards
B.S. or M.S. in Material Science, Chemical Engineering, Chemistry or Metallurgy
 back to top
|
|
|
|
