Manufacturing Software Engineer

Job ID: 71609
Location: Redford, Michigan
Category: Manufacturing

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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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At Ford, we are the movers of the world and the makers of the future. Every day, we roll up our sleeves to build a better world—together. We are part of something bigger, reshaping the way the world moves through innovation, passion, and dedication. Are you ready to join us and leave your mark on the future of mobility?

Ford’s Advanced Technology & Platforms (ATP) team is seeking a highly motivated Manufacturing Software Engineer to develop and deploy mission-critical diagnostic, testing, and quality software for current and next-generation Ford and Lincoln vehicles.

In this role, you’ll build software that connects in-vehicle systems with modern manufacturing operations. You’ll work across the stack—from native applications on Android Automotive OS (AAOS) in the Ford infotainment ecosystem to enterprise cloud services—to help ensure vehicle quality as vehicles move through Ford assembly plants around the world.

Manufacturing Software & Vehicle Quality

Design, develop, test, and deploy robust full-stack applications that support end-of-line vehicle quality and diagnostic verification across Ford’s global assembly plants.
Develop, optimize, and maintain vehicle-level applications and background services on Android Automotive OS using Java and Kotlin, tailored to the Ford infotainment ecosystem.
Work directly with plant engineers, quality teams, and assembly operations to understand plant-floor challenges and turn them into practical, high-impact software solutions.
Collaborate with stakeholders across vehicle software architecture, connected vehicle platforms, cloud engineering, and manufacturing IT.
Own feature delivery from requirements and technical specifications through implementation, testing, and validation in vehicles and simulated plant environments.
Demonstrate working software, enhancements, and prototypes to technical peers, plant leadership, and business stakeholders.

Engineering Quality & Delivery

Apply modern software engineering practices, including automated unit and instrumentation testing, code coverage, static analysis, and CI/CD.
Help ensure software deployments are reliable and suitable for quality-critical manufacturing operations.
Work in a fast-paced Agile environment, contributing to iterative development and continuous improvement.
Use work item tracking, defect management, and test lifecycle tools—including Jira and Xray—to support execution, test plans, and requirements traceability.
Create clear requirements and technical documentation using collaboration tools such as Confluence.
Communicate technical concepts, delivery progress, and software demonstrations clearly to both technical and non-technical audiences.

Android & AAOS Development

Build vehicle-facing applications and services using Java and modern Kotlin, including Jetpack Compose, MVVM/MVI patterns, Kotlin Coroutines, Kotlin Flow, and dependency-injection frameworks such as Dagger or Hilt.
Work with the Vehicle Hardware Abstraction Layer (VHAL) and Android system services to monitor vehicle signals and execute vehicle actions.
Develop privileged, system-level, or platform-signed Android applications; define custom permissions; and implement inter-process communication using AIDL and Binder.
Use the Android Open Source Project (AOSP) build system and debugging tools such as logcat, systrace, and Perfetto to investigate performance issues, ANRs, and native crash tombstones.
Develop automated unit and instrumentation tests using tools such as JUnit, Espresso, and Robolectric, and integrate them into CI/CD pipelines for emulators and physical target hardware.
Promote code quality and maintainability through tools such as SonarQube, Spotless, Android Lint, and JaCoCo.

Cloud, Connected Vehicle & Systems Integration

Apply familiarity with the Ford Telematics Communication Protocol (FTCP) to support vehicle-to-cloud messaging and data exchange.
Work with cloud technologies—preferably Google Cloud Platform (GCP)—to support connected vehicle data pipelines, backend services, and plant quality telemetry.
Contribute to modern software engineering practices, including continuous integration and continuous deployment automation.

We recognize that no one person will embody every quality or skill listed below. If you’re passionate about automotive software, manufacturing technology, and building reliable solutions that improve vehicle quality, we encourage you to apply.

Education

Bachelor’s or master’s degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or a related technical field.

Experience

3+ years of professional software engineering experience, with a focus on automotive infotainment development and Android platform engineering.
Hands-on experience developing software for Android Automotive OS (AAOS).
Familiarity with the Ford infotainment ecosystem and vehicle architectures.
Experience in the Ford manufacturing ecosystem or another high-volume automotive plant-floor production environment.
Experience working in a fast-paced Agile software development environment.
Experience using work item tracking, defect management, and test lifecycle tools such as Jira and Xray.
Demonstrated ability to write clear requirements and technical documentation and translate complex business needs into production software.
Strong communication, presentation, and interpersonal skills, including the ability to demonstrate working software and explain technical concepts to diverse stakeholders.

Android & AAOS Development Expertise

Strong proficiency in Android development using Java and modern Kotlin, including Jetpack Compose, MVVM/MVI, Kotlin Coroutines, Kotlin Flow, and dependency-injection frameworks such as Dagger or Hilt.
Hands-on experience with VHAL and underlying Android system services.
Experience building privileged, system-level, or platform-signed Android applications, defining custom permissions, and implementing AIDL and Binder communication.
Familiarity with AOSP builds and advanced debugging, including logcat, systrace, Perfetto, ANR analysis, and native crash tombstones.
Experience developing automated unit and instrumentation tests with JUnit, Espresso, or Robolectric, and integrating tests into CI/CD pipelines for emulators and physical hardware.
Experience with static analysis, formatting, and coverage tools such as SonarQube, Spotless, Android Lint, and JaCoCo.

Preferred Experience

Familiarity with the Ford Telematics Communication Protocol (FTCP).
Experience with GCP, connected vehicle data pipelines, backend services, or plant quality telemetry.
Experience developing backend microservices using Java and Spring Boot.
Familiarity with data serialization formats such as Protocol Buffers (Protobuf).
Experience with messaging protocols such as MQTT and REST, and cloud services such as Cloud Run and BigQuery.

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, and prescription drug coverage

• Flexible family care, parental leave, new parent ramp-up programs, subsidized back-up child care 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.

For a detailed look at our benefits, click here: Benefit Summary

This position is a salary grade6-7.

This position is a salary grade 6-7 and ranges from $74,300-$144,900.

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.

* Please note: This is a hybrid role, you are expected to relocate if you are not within commutable distance, and responsible to be onsite 4 days per week *

*Visa Sponsorship is not provided for this role*

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 committed to a culturally diverse workforce. 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.

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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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Manufacturing Software Engineer

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Looking for jobs tailored to you?

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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