Accessory Development Engineer

Ford, Inc; Long Beach (CA); Hybrid; USD 119,000 - 233,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, vision coverage

Parental leave and family benefits

Vehicle discount program

Tuition assistance

Paid time off and holidays

Job summary

Ford Motor Company is seeking a Vehicle Accessory Product Development Engineer to design and bring to life high-quality vehicle accessories. You will work with studio designers and cross-functional teams across engineering, manufacturing, and purchasing to ensure feasibility, design integrity, and timely launches.

You will lead CAD development, conduct feasibility studies, and coordinate with suppliers to optimize materials and processes while aligning with production volumes and cost targets.

Qualifications

• B.S. in Mechanical Engineering or related field.
• 2+ years of experience on production vehicle development and launch.
• 4+ years of CAD experience used collaboratively (3DX, CATIA, NX, ICEMSURF or Alias).
• 4+ years in exterior, interior systems or accessory design, development, release and supplier management.
• Proven record of development and launch for vehicle systems and accessories.

Responsibilities

• Design and develop vehicle accessories in CAD and other engineering tools.
• Conduct feasibility studies, prototyping, and testing for performance and durability.
• Define roadmap for accessories with build-to-print and co-development with suppliers.
• Collaborate with suppliers and manufacturers to select materials and optimize production processes.
• Support the product development lifecycle from concept to production, meeting timelines and quality standards.
• Troubleshoot and resolve technical issues during development, manufacturing, launching and service phases.
• Stay updated on industry trends, technologies, and materials to drive innovation.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to ensure manufacturing feasibility and serviceability.

Skills

CAD experience

Vehicle development

GD&T knowledge

Supplier management

Mechanical fundamentals

Education

Bachelor's in Mechanical Engineering

Tools

3DX

CATIA

NX

ICEMSURF

Alias

Job description

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.

Product Creation and Industrialization (PC&I) brings together Ford’s vehicle, electric, digital and design teams with our global manufacturing system. Working as one end-to-end organization, we turn ideas into high-quality vehicles, software and experiences across gas, hybrid and electric, designed around what customers need.

In this position... The Vehicle Accessory Product Development Engineer will work closely with studio designers to develop new design concepts and collaborate with other vehicle engineering teams and cross-functional teams on technical, feasibility, and cost trade-off studies. In this role, you will play a key part in designing and engineering high-quality vehicle accessories that enhance the functionality and aesthetics of vehicles. You will work closely with cross-functional teams to bring innovative concepts to life.The engineer will explore creative ideas covering a variety of systems, including roof solutions, bed solutions, and various innovative accessories to celebrate engineering and aesthetics design possibilities, from the concept phase all the way to manufacturing and quality teams for the launch.

What you'll do...

• Design and develop vehicle accessories in CAD and other engineering tools.
• Conduct feasibility studies, prototyping, and testing to ensure product performance and durability.
• Define roadmap for accessories with build to print approach, as well as co-development approach together with suppliers.
• Collaborate with suppliers and manufacturers to select materials and optimize production processes.
• Support the product development lifecycle, from concept to production, ensuring adherence to timelines and quality standards.
• Troubleshoot and resolve technical issues during the development, manufacturing, launching and service phases.
• Stay updated on industry trends, technologies, and materials to drive innovation.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams within engineering, manufacturing, and purchasing to ensure system manufacturing, assembly feasibility, and serviceability. Support vehicle development milestones and prototype/production build events

You'll have...

• B.S. in Mechanical Engineering or equivalent combination of relevant education and experience.
• B.S. in Mechanical Engineering or a related field
• 2+ years of experience working on production vehicle development and launch
• 4+ years of experience utilizing CAD (3DX, Catia, NX, ICEMSURF, or Alias) collaboratively, 3DX and CATIA preferred
• 4+ years of experience in exterior, interior systems or accessory design, development, release and supplier management.
• Proof of record of development and launch experience for vehicle system and accessories, e.g. roof applications, bed applications, trailer hitch applications
• Strong mechanical engineering fundamentals, with preferred to have experience designing mechanisms, electromechanical components
• Strong understanding of the materials and manufacturing processes such as stamping, injection molding, casting, composites, paint and other surface finishes
• Strong Understanding of differences in design and engineering based on production volume and functional and cosmetic features
• Strong familiarity with legislative requirements affecting the design feasibility
• Strong understanding of GD&T, craftsmanship and CMF and how design execution would be affected
• Experience in working on automotive Class A surface feasibility assessment and development, vehicle layout/package, including body structures, exteriors, closures, glazing
• Hands-on experience in building and launching automotive products

Benefits

• Immediate medical, dental, vision, and prescription drug coverage
• 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
• Generous vacation time, sick/personal time, and paid holidays, including between Christmas Eve and New Year’s Day

This position is a salary grade 7-8 and ranges from $118,700 - $232,700. 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.

Visa sponsorship is 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 with a requirement to be onsite four or more days per week.