Release Train Engineer, Systems and Core Architecture

We made history and now we work to transform the future – for our customers, our communities and our families. You'll see your work on the road every day, helping people move freely and pursue their dreams. At Ford, you can build more than vehicles. Come build what matters.

In this position... 

This role operates across the full SCA domain, with the EPM team supporting:

In-vehicle networking, including CAN, LIN, Ethernet, interfaces, communication layers, and related software stacks

Diagnostics, including diagnostic data, DTCs, parsed data, prognostics, and related vehicle diagnostic capabilities

Power controls and management

Cross-domain and vertical feature delivery that depends on strong systems and architecture coordination

Current and next-generation vehicle architectures, including FNV3.x delivery and next-generation platform planning

Scope and Impact

This role carries dual accountability — for the health and performance of the SCA Agile Release Train and for the people on the EPM team delivering within it. You will influence how Ford executes across systems, software, and architecture at scale, while directly developing the next generation of technical program leaders within SCA.

You will work closely with:

Your EPM team to coach, develop, and support execution across SCA delivery domains

Tech Platform teams to align the ART to platform cadence and manage cross-ART program dependencies

Tech Strategy teams to connect ART execution to longer-term architectural direction and SDV roadmap priorities

Engineering and validation teams to drive technical delivery from design through release at the ART level

Supplier partners to extend ART execution capacity and coordinate delivery across key technical domains

Other RTEs and similar leaders to maintain enterprise agile alignment and contribute to broader SAFe maturity at Ford

What Success Looks Like

In your first 12 months, you will:

Establish a healthy, high-performing ART operating rhythm across the SCA team, with clear PI Planning, ART Sync, and Inspect and Adapt practices in place

Build a cohesive, growing EPM team with clear roles, strong delivery practices, and visible career development momentum

Improve ART-level visibility into dependencies, risks, and execution health across all SCA domains

Establish and baseline ART-level metrics that give SCA and program leadership meaningful, real-time insight into delivery performance

Drive meaningful improvements in Program Predictability Measure (PPM) and cross-team dependency management across the ART

Support the execution of one or more major FNV3.x architecture or feature areas from planning through delivery with stronger predictability and accountability

Build trusted working relationships across engineering, platform, strategy, validation, supplier, and leadership teams

Contribute to how Ford evolves its SDV delivery operating model at the ART and enterprise level

What you'll do...

Lead and Develop a Small Team of Engineering Project Managers

Directly manage a team of Engineering Project Managers supporting critical SCA domains including diagnostics, in-vehicle networking, power controls, and cross-domain architecture delivery.

Provide coaching, feedback, and career development support to help EPMs grow their technical program management capabilities and cross-functional influence.

Set clear expectations for delivery quality, stakeholder communication, and program health across each EPM's portfolio.

Model and reinforce strong program management practices — including planning rigor, dependency management, risk identification, and leadership communication — across the team.

Build a strong team culture rooted in accountability, continuous improvement, collaboration, and trust.

Partner with SCA leadership on staffing, role scoping, and organizational design as the team evolves.

Own the SCA Agile Release Train

Own the operating model and delivery health of the SCA Agile Release Train, aligning to SAFe principles and Ford's evolving SDV execution framework.

Facilitate PI Planning events across the SCA ART, helping teams define program increments, identify dependencies, surface risks, and commit to realistic, coordinated execution plans.

Lead ART-level ceremonies including System Demos, Inspect and Adapt (I&A) workshops, ART Syncs, and Scrum-of-Scrums, ensuring these events drive real alignment and decision-making rather than status reporting.

Track and communicate ART-level metrics including Program Predictability Measure (PPM), feature flow, PI objectives completion, and risk burn-down.

Serve as the primary escalation path for cross-team impediments and systemic risks that the team cannot resolve independently.

Coach teams on SAFe practices, agile delivery principles, and continuous improvement — adapting approaches as Ford's SDV operating model matures.

Partner with the LACE (Lean-Agile Center of Excellence) and other RTEs across Ford's broader ART ecosystem to maintain alignment, share practices, and contribute to enterprise agile maturity.

Drive ART-Level Delivery and Architecture Execution

Translate SCA strategy into coordinated, multi-team delivery plans across hardware, embedded software, platform software, validation, and supplier workstreams.

Maintain visibility into ART-level dependencies, program risks, scope changes, and milestone commitments across all domains.

Connect the SCA ART to adjacent trains, Tech Platform teams, and Tech Strategy teams to ensure cross-ART alignment on shared architecture, platform cadence, and long-term SDV roadmap execution.

Support delivery from architecture definition and system design through implementation, validation, launch, OTA evolution, and lifecycle support.

Ensure that near-term FNV3.x delivery and next-generation architecture planning remain coordinated and mutually informed across the ART.

Manage Risk, Scope, and Systemic Impediments at Scale

Identify systemic risks and cross-team impediments early, develop mitigation strategies, and escalate to SCA and program leadership when needed to protect timing, quality, and business outcomes.

Establish clear risk management practices across the team, ensuring consistency in how risks are identified, tracked, communicated, and resolved.

Maintain an ART-level program risk register with clear ownership, mitigation plans, and escalation criteria.

Manage the impact of scope changes at the ART level, assessing effects on PI commitments, engineering capacity, validation readiness, and release plans.

Use Data to Drive Decisions and Transparency

Define and maintain ART-level delivery metrics, KPIs, and program health indicators that surface execution trends, dependency health, and quality signals.

Build and maintain dashboards and review mechanisms that give SCA leadership, stakeholders, and partners real-time visibility into ART performance.

Coach the EPM team on how to define, track, and communicate metrics effectively within their own domains.

Communicate ART-level progress, risks, tradeoffs, and delivery health clearly and concisely to SCA and program leadership.

Improve the SCA Operating Model

Lead Inspect and Adapt workshops and retrospectives at the ART level, ensuring insights translate into concrete process improvements.

Contribute to the evolution of Ford's SCA delivery model as the organization advances its SDV execution maturity.

Help define scalable delivery practices that can be adopted across the broader SCA organization and Ford's ART ecosystem.

Serve as a thought leader and change agent on how Ford executes foundational architecture work in the SDV era.

How You'll Lead

Inclusively: You bring the right people together — both on your team and across the ART — ensure diverse perspectives are heard, and build alignment that reflects the full range of engineering, product, validation, strategy, and supplier voices.

Decisively: You create clarity in ambiguous situations, drive decisions forward at the ART level, and help your team do the same within their domains.

As a Coach and Developer: You invest in your people, provide honest and timely feedback, and actively create conditions where your team can grow, stretch, and succeed.

Thoughtfully: You balance urgency with quality, short-term delivery with long-term architecture goals, and individual team needs with ART-level accountability.

Collaboratively: You build strong partnerships across engineering, product, validation, strategy, platform, and supplier teams — and model the cross-functional trust you expect your team to build as well.

With Ownership: You take accountability for ART outcomes and team performance, and you help your train solve problems before they become blockers.

You'll have...

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a related technical field

8+ years of experience leading complex technical program or product delivery across hardware, software, and/or services

3+ years of people leadership experience, with demonstrated ability to coach, develop, and retain technical program management talent

3+ years of experience as a Release Train Engineer or equivalent role in a SAFe or scaled agile environment

Strong working knowledge of SAFe principles and practices, including PI Planning, ART ceremonies, program metrics, and Inspect and Adapt

Experience driving execution across multiple cross-functional teams through the full product lifecycle, including validation, launch, and post-launch support

Experience managing ART-level schedules, dependencies, risks, scope, and stakeholder communications in a fast-paced development environment

Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to tailor messaging from engineering teams to executive leadership audiences

Demonstrated ability to build alignment and drive decisions across large, matrixed organizations

Even better, you may have...

SAFe RTE certification (SA, RTE, or SPC) or equivalent demonstrated experience

Experience with automotive systems, embedded systems, or Software Defined Vehicle platforms

Experience with vehicle networking, diagnostics, electrical architecture, or platform software

Experience working across both hardware and software organizations in a systems-responsible environment

Experience coordinating with supplier partners as part of large-scale technical program execution

Experience supporting programs from architecture definition through validation, launch, OTA updates, and lifecycle support

Familiarity with tools such as JIRA, Azure DevOps, and PI Planning facilitation platforms

Experience operating in a multi-ART environment and partnering with a Lean-Agile Center of Excellence (LACE)

Experience leading through organizational change or operating model transformation in a technology-driven environment

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 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 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.

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. #LI-Hybrid

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