Sr. Systems Development Engineer
- Job ID
- 61325
- Location
- Dearborn, Michigan
- Category
- PD Operations and Quality
Overview
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
The Software Product Engineer (SPE) is the feature delivery lead within in-vehicle infotainment responsible for translating product and design intent into executable software backlogs and driving delivery across the in-vehicle digital experience, supporting middleware/services, and vehicle integration. This role has broad organizational influence across Product Management, Digital Product Design, engineering scrum teams, and testing to ensure feature readiness, integration quality, and release outcomes. The SPE is accountable for cross-team alignment, dependency and risk management, and integrated validation from concept through launch. This leadership role drives predictable program execution, customer-ready feature quality, and on-time delivery to vehicle platforms.
In this role, the SPE will own Driver Information HMI, including layouts, animations, themes, drive modes, and feature integration across our Build, Thrill, and Adventure domains. This SPE will also be responsible for our Welcome & Farewell screen experiences across in-vehicle displays.
- Own the end-to-end delivery for a number of vehicle features sets from concept through release sign-off.
- Translate PRDs, design artifacts, and system requirements into epics and sprint-ready user stories with clear acceptance criteria in Jira.
- Lead feasibility assessment, scope definition, and backlog readiness for PI planning; manage change/churn while protecting milestones.
- Drive cross-functional alignment with Product, Digital Product Design, Architecture, Engineering, and Test to ensure shared understanding of intent, priorities, and dependencies.
- Define and manage feature dependencies and blockers across HMI, services, platform, and validation.
- Validate end-to-end feature behavior on bench/vehicle through demos and product truth sessions; ensure implementation matches UX intent and functional expectations.
- Lead defect triage and prioritization for owned features; drive issues to closure through root-cause direction, retest strategy, and stakeholder communication.
- Maintain clear execution visibility via epic status summaries, risk registers/mitigation plans, and regular stakeholder updates.
- Ensure test coverage alignment by reviewing/confirming that test cases map to story acceptance criteria and key edge cases.
Minimum Qualifications
- Experience: 5+ years (or equivalent) delivering complex, cross-functional software features in embedded, automotive, or adjacent domains; demonstrated ownership across multiple teams and releases.
- Backlog leadership: Proven ability to author high-quality epics and user stories (clear scope, testable acceptance criteria, dependency mapping) and drive Agile execution (grooming, PI planning, sprint delivery).
- Systems integration mindset: Ability to reason about end-to-end behavior across HMI ↔ middleware/services ↔ vehicle signal access (via API abstraction) and drive integration/validation outcomes.
- Technical proficiency: Strong technical depth to lead engineers—comfortable with architecture discussions, interface contracts, and failure-mode thinking.
- Diagnostics/triage: Experience leading defect triage using logs and traces (e.g., ADB/dev logs; CAN trace familiarity) and driving disciplined prioritization/closure.
- Tools: Proficiency with Jira and Confluence; comfortable creating traceability to requirements/design artifacts and managing dependencies.
- Communication/leadership: Strong cross-functional leadership skills—can drive decisions, align stakeholders, and communicate risks/status crisply to technical and non-technical audiences.
- Education: BS in Engineering, Computer Science, or related technical field (or equivalent practical experience).
Preferred Qualifications
- Direct experience with QNX/Android Automotive, infotainment HMIs and Figma.
- Familiarity with CAN-based feature behaviors and vehicle state modeling; exposure to tools such as CANalyzer/Wireshark (or similar).
- Background in driver-focused feature areas.
- Experience with test management tools and reviewing test coverage against acceptance criteria.
- Knowledge of automotive program cadence and release gating (launch milestones, OTA readiness, in-field defect handling).
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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.
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Health and Wellness
Comprehensive medical, dental, vision, mental health, and unique wellness perks keep you and your family supported every step of the way.
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Financial and Retirement Programs
Build a strong financial future with robust retirement contributions, savings programs, and free personalized financial planning tools.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Additional Programs
Enjoy unexpected extras like pet insurance, legal services, identity protection, and access to convenient health and wellness services.
Testimonial
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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Built on one bold idea and the passion to define sustainable transportation for generations to come, Ford is a story about people with a vision that’s still being written.
What We Do -
Ford’s culture fuels the kind of momentum where ideas flow, progress is unstoppable, and our people keep redefining what it means to innovate.
Our People and Culture -
At Ford, your work matters, your life matters and we’re here to back the whole you—from growth to well-being—so you show up ready to realize your full potential.
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