Technical Expert – Structures Safety

Job ID: 73607
Location: Allen Park, Michigan
Category: PD Operations and Quality

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At Ford, you’ll work on ideas that matter, alongside passionate people who want to make a global impact. Together, we’re shaping the next era of transportation—grounded in purpose, driven by progress. Make your move.

Job Type: Full time
Work Type: Hybrid

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The Technical Expert, Structures Safety, is responsible for leading the development, analysis, validation, and optimization of vehicle structural crashworthiness performance across all phases of vehicle development. This role provides technical leadership for vehicle body structure, load path architecture, battery protection systems, and overall crash energy management to achieve world-class safety performance while balancing cost, mass, manufacturability, and program timing.

The position serves as the subject matter expert for structural crash safety and partners closely with Design, CAE, Testing, Manufacturing, Vehicle Engineering, and Regulatory Compliance teams to deliver vehicles that meet or exceed global safety requirements and customer expectations.

What you'll do...

Technical Leadership
•    Lead crashworthiness strategy and technical direction for vehicle programs from concept through production.
•    Act as the organization's technical authority for structural crash safety performance.
•    Develop safety architecture concepts for frontal, side, rear, and pedestrian impact requirements.
•    Mentor and coach engineers in crashworthiness analysis, testing, and design development.
•    Establish engineering best practices, methodologies, and standard work procedures.

Structural Crashworthiness Development
•    Develop and optimize vehicle structures to meet global regulatory and consumer information test requirements.
•    Lead development of crash load paths, occupant compartment integrity, and energy absorption systems.
•    Drive structural solutions for body-in-white, front-end architecture, side structures, floor systems, and battery protection.
•    Ensure robust integration between vehicle structure, restraint systems, and occupant safety performance.
•    Provide technical leadership for EV structural battery pack crash protection and high-voltage system safety.

CAE Analysis & Correlation
•    Lead advanced nonlinear finite element simulations using LS-DYNA and related CAE tools.
•    Conduct crashworthiness assessments for frontal, side, rear, and pedestrian impact scenarios.
•    Perform root-cause investigations of safety performance concerns and drive corrective actions.
•    Develop correlation methodologies between CAE predictions and physical test results.
•    Utilize DOE, optimization, and sensitivity studies to identify high-value design improvements.

Testing & Validation
•    Support crash test planning, execution, and post-test investigations.
•    Lead vehicle teardowns and performance assessments following physical testing.
•    Correlate structural deformation, intrusion, load paths, and failure modes with simulation results.
•    Drive lessons learned and continuous improvement initiatives from test results.
•    Recommend design countermeasures to achieve safety objectives.

Cross-Functional Collaboration
•    Collaborate with Vehicle Engineering, Design Studio, Manufacturing, Materials Engineering, and Supplier teams.
•    Influence vehicle architecture decisions to improve safety performance early in development.
•    Support executive reviews by communicating technical risks, trade-offs, and recommendations.
•    Work closely with regulatory and homologation teams to ensure compliance with global requirements.
•    Lead technical discussions with suppliers, testing laboratories, and external partners.

Innovation & Future Technology
•    Develop innovative structural concepts to improve crashworthiness performance.
•    Evaluate emerging materials, manufacturing processes, and safety technologies.
•    Drive patent generation and intellectual property development.
•    Support future vehicle platform and battery architecture development initiatives.
•    Benchmark competitor vehicles and industry best practices.

You'll have...
•    Bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering, or related field.
•    10+ years of experience in vehicle crashworthiness, structural safety, or automotive CAE.
•    Extensive experience with nonlinear finite element analysis and crash simulation.
•    Strong knowledge of vehicle structures, body-in-white design, and crash energy management.
•    Experience with LS-DYNA, Hyper Mesh, ANSA, Primer, or equivalent CAE tools.
•    Demonstrated experience leading technical projects and influencing engineering decisions.

Even better, you may have...
•    Master's degree or Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering or related discipline.
•    Expertise in EV architecture, high-voltage battery protection, and structural battery systems.
•    Experience supporting global vehicle development programs.
•    Knowledge of materials, manufacturing processes, and structural optimization techniques.
•    Experience presenting technical recommendations to executives and chief engineers.

Leadership Expectations
•    Serve as the organization's recognized technical authority for crashworthiness structures.
•    Drive technical excellence, innovation, and engineering best practices.
•    Influence vehicle architecture decisions early in development.
•    Develop and mentor future technical experts.
•    Foster a culture of accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement.

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!

As an established global company, we offer the benefit of choice. You can choose what your Ford future will look like: will your story span the globe, or keep you close to home? Will your career be a deep dive into what you love, or a series of new teams and new skills? Will you be a leader, a changemaker, a technical expert, a culture builder…or all of the above? No matter what you choose, we offer a work life that works for you, including:
• 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.

This position is a leadership level 6 and ranges from $132,800-$250,800.
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.

For more information on salary and benefits, click here: https://fordcareers.co/LL6

Visa sponsorship is available for this position.

Candidates for positions with Ford Motor Company must be legally authorized to work in the United States. Verification of employment eligibility will be required at the time of hire.

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, color, age, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability status or protected veteran status. In the United States, if you need a reasonable accommodation for the online application process due to a disability, please call 1-888-336-0660.

This position is hybrid with a requirement to be onsite four or more days per week. #LI-Hybrid

#LI-MZ1 #UEV

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Change the world with your ideas.

Speak up. We’re listening. At Ford, we believe the right ideas, and the people behind them, can move an entire industry. Here, you'll work with teams who value your voice, push bold ideas forward, and leave a mark that lasts.

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Support designed to go the distance.

From day one, Ford invests in you with medical benefits built to help you plan for what’s next. You’ll also get support for you and your family that meets you at every step, so you can move forward with confidence.

Health and Wellness

Comprehensive medical, dental, vision, mental health, and unique wellness perks keep you and your family supported every step of the way.
Financial and Retirement Programs

Build a strong financial future with robust retirement contributions, savings programs, and free personalized financial planning tools.
Flexible Vacation and Holidays

Enjoy your time away from work with generous vacation, holidays, and flexible family leave designed to help you balance life and work with ease.
Vehicle Discount Program

The best thing about building great products is driving them! The second-best thing: sharing your discount with family and friends so they can drive them, too.
Family Growth and Support

Grow your family confidently with fertility, surrogacy, and adoption assistance, paid parental leave, and a supportive new-parent ramp-up program.
Additional Programs

Enjoy unexpected extras like pet insurance, legal services, identity protection, and access to convenient health and wellness services.

Ford gives me the space to innovate, to lead, and to serve — all while staying true to who I am as an engineer, educator, and parent. It’s not just a career; it’s a community that drives change.

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Technical Expert – Structures Safety

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Change the world with your ideas.

Support designed to go the distance.

Health and Wellness

Financial and Retirement Programs

Flexible Vacation and Holidays

Vehicle Discount Program

Family Growth and Support

Additional Programs

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