Full Lifecycle AI/ML Engineering Lead
- Job ID
- 62246
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: On-site
Full Lifecycle AI/ML Engineering Lead
- Job ID
- 62246
About the Organization
We are undergoing a historic industrial shift—moving from building great vehicles to building the sophisticated, scalable systems that power them. The Advanced Industrial Technology organization was created to operationalize this shift. Our mission is not to deploy isolated tools; it is to build an ecosystem that learns from factory data, transforms it into scalable platforms, and delivers measurable enterprise value.
This organization is designed to position us as a leader in industrial innovation. We accelerate digital evolution and manufacturing excellence by integrating cutting-edge technology directly into our global operations. Our structure includes vertical business units focused on specific technology stacks, supported by shared services that ensure scale and operational consistency.
As part of this team, the Sight Vertical is responsible for building an end-to-end business around AI/ML anomaly detection products using both image data (Sight) and parametric data (Sense). This vertical transforms raw data into actionable manufacturing intelligence through products focused on visual error-proofing, defect detection, and assembly process monitoring.
The Opportunity
Are you a technical leader who thrives at the intersection of software engineering, data science, and physical manufacturing? As the Software Engineering Manager for the Sight Vertical, you will lead a high-performing team of software and data engineers building our computer vision and analytics suite.
While technical mastery in software development is important, your primary mission is leadership. You will be responsible for fostering a culture of engineering excellence, creativity, mentoring talent, and ensuring the seamless delivery of complex software products. You won't just oversee code; you will architect the engineering culture that allows AI models to move from research to global industrial scale.
The Position
Reporting to the Sight Vertical Lead, the Software Engineering Manager is responsible for the execution and technical health of the Sight and Sense product lines. You will lead the engineering team in translating strategic goals into robust, scalable software, ensuring our products meet rigorous industrial standards for global rollout.
Note: This role is 100% on site in the Dearborn, MI area and may require some travel to manufacturing facilities for product development and deployment validation.
What You’ll Be Able to Do
- Engineering Leadership & Mentorship: Lead, coach, and grow a multi-disciplinary team of software and data engineers. Foster a collaborative environment focused on continuous improvement and professional development.
- Technical Delivery: Own the software development lifecycle for Sight and Sense products. Ensure the team delivers high-quality, maintainable code that meets project milestones and performance benchmarks and results in a reliable and highly scalable product.
- Architecture & Strategy: Provide technical oversight for software and hardware architecture, MLOps pipelines, technology stack selection, and controls integration. Balance the need for rapid innovation with the stability required for 24/7 manufacturing environments.
- Cross-Functional Collaboration: Partner closely with Product Managers and stakeholders to translate manufacturing challenges into technical roadmaps and executable engineering backlogs.
- Platform Integration: Ensure all vision products are built for seamless integration with centralized data and operating platforms, adhering to a "build once, scale everywhere" philosophy.
- Operational Excellence: Drive engineering best practices, including automated testing, CI/CD, and robust monitoring for models deployed at the "edge" (on-site factory hardware).
- Innovation: Drive innovation by integrating Agentic workflows and AI-assisted engineering tools to maximize team productivity and software quality
- Deployment Oversight: Work with site-level stakeholders to ensure technical solutions account for real-world variables such as factory lighting, line speeds, and network constraints.
Minimum Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, AI/ML, or a related technical field.
- Leadership Experience: 3+ years of experience directly managing software engineering teams, with a proven track record of hiring, mentoring, and retaining talent.
- Technical Background: 5+ years of experience in software engineering, specifically involving AI/ML, Computer Vision, or complex data-driven products.
- Systems Knowledge: Deep understanding of the machine learning lifecycle (data engineering, model training, inference, and monitoring).
- Agile Proficiency: Extensive experience leading teams in Agile environments, managing sprints, and optimizing delivery velocity.
Preferred Requirements
- Master’s in a technical field related to Computer Vision, Software Development, or Data Science.
- Experience with MLOps platforms and cloud infrastructure (GCP, Azure, or AWS).
- Experience scaling AI/ML products from a single pilot to a global enterprise footprint in an industrial or IoT context.
- Knowledge of industrial communication protocols and edge computing hardware.
Success in the Role
- Team Health: High team engagement, low turnover, and a clear pipeline for internal career growth.
- Deployment Velocity: Significant reduction in the time required to move a vision model from development to global production.
- Engineering Quality: High reliability of deployed systems with minimal site-specific custom engineering required.
- Business Impact: Measurable improvements in defect detection rates and quality metrics across global manufacturing sites.
- Technical Standard: Establishing the Sight and Sense products as the gold standard for vision-based anomaly detection within the enterprise.
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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.
Your Benefits
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