Chief Product Officer - AI Optimization

In this position... 

We are seeking a strategic, outcomes‑driven leader to establish and scale an AI Products Center of Excellence — a horizontal capability responsible for transforming how the organization prioritizes, governs, and delivers AI-enabled business value.

This role is designed for a senior leader with experience shaping enterprise operating models, guiding portfolio transformation, and embedding product discipline within large, matrixed organizations. The ideal candidate blends consulting-level strategic framing with hands-on experience implementing new practices, enabling them to move seamlessly between executive alignment, structured problem-solving, and delivery oversight.

What you'll do...

1. Build and Operationalize the AI Product CoE

• Establish the AI Product CoE from the ground up, defining the mission, operating model, governance design, and engagement model.
• Create repeatable practices that scale across the enterprise, informed by best-in-class product operating frameworks and organizational design principles.

2. Lead Enterprise Product & Portfolio Transformation

• Develop a single, unified AI product portfolio with consistent granularity, strategic alignment, and transparent prioritization.
• Implement portfolio rationalization and value case standardization to address duplicate investments and fragmented solution architectures.

3. Drive Executive-Level Alignment & Adoption

• Partner with senior leadership to clarify strategic priorities, align on problem statements, and communicate enterprise-wide value narratives.
• Translate complex AI capabilities and data foundations into meaningful business outcomes, enabling leadership decisions and measurable ROI.

4. Establish Governance & Product Management Standards

• Create lightweight governance mechanisms: intake, ownership, lifecycle, stage gates, data trust checkpoints, and value realization tracking.
• Ensure teams adopt consistent product definitions, decision frameworks, and documentation standards.

5. Enable Reusability, Interoperability & Data Trust

• Identify shared components, reusable patterns, and consolidation opportunities across AI, analytics, and data products.
• Partner with engineering and data leadership to reduce fragmented data sources and reinforce trust in enterprise datasets.

6. Lead Cross-Functional Problem Framing & Storytelling

• Facilitate structured workshops using design thinking and service design methods to uncover real customer problems and shared needs.
• Create coherent value stories that integrate dealer, customer, and internal business perspectives into a unified narrative.

7. Identify & Eliminate Enterprise Waste

• Analyze sources of duplication, divergent development paths, and inefficiencies across teams.
• Recommend harmonization strategies, closure of redundant workstreams, and reuse-first approaches to product development.

You'll have... 

Strategic Transformation & Operating Model Design

• Experience designing and implementing organization-wide operating models in product, digital, or AI contexts.
• Demonstrated ability to bring order and structure to ambiguous environments.
• Expertise in creating portfolio frameworks, prioritization models, value realization structures, and roadmap harmonization.
• Proven ability to align executives, engineering, product, design, and business stakeholders around shared goals.
• Experience navigating organizational silos and building coalitions across large enterprises.
• Strong background in design thinking, journey mapping, or service blueprinting to connect business needs to product strategy.
• Comfortable shaping high-level narratives for C-suite leaders, guiding strategic decisions, and translating complexity into clarity.
• Experience standing up new functions, playbooks, frameworks, or CoEs-especially in digital, product, or data contexts.

Enterprise Product Strategy & Portfolio Management

Cross-Functional Leadership in Complex Ecosystems

Innovation, Service Design & Problem Framing

Executive Storytelling & Advisory

Practice Creation & Institutionalization

Minimum qualifications

• 10+ years of professional experience.

• BS or equivalent degree.
  

Even better, you may have…

• MS, MBA or equivalent business degree.  

• Design Thinking, Problem Solving, or Human Centered Design certifications.

• Product Management: Agile/SCRUM CSPO, PSPO, Six Sigma Black Belt, Certified Product Manager, Product Strategy.

• Experience in both consulting and industry leadership roles.

• Background in the business implementation of AI platforms, data modernization, or advanced analytics products.

• Experience in dealer ecosystems, connected customer experience, or large operational networks.

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 5.

For more information on salary and benefits, click here: https://fordcareers.co/LL5SP1

Visa sponsorship is not 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.

Onsite work of up to four days per week may be required for candidates within commuting distance of a Ford hub location. #LI-Hybrid   #LI-LB1