Data Scientist, Production Planning

Ford; Dearborn (MI); On-site; USD 110,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

Ford's Enterprise Technology team seeks a Data Scientist to design end-to-end data products powering global supply-demand matching. You will blend data science and software engineering to deliver production-grade solutions, focusing on high-accuracy demand forecasting and predictive modeling.

You'll collaborate with software engineers and product owners, translate business problems into analytical formulations, and own full lifecycle from data sourcing through deployment.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in a technical field is required.
• At least 3+ years with Python, SQL and ML/Optimization techniques.
• Ability to translate business problems into analytical solutions.
• Experience delivering analytics software to production.

Responsibilities

• Develop demand forecasting and predictive models for supply-chain efficiency.
• Collaborate with software engineers and product owners to deploy analytics.
• Own end-to-end data products from data sourcing to deployment.
• Build and monitor ML pipelines, data drift and model health.
• Create visualizations to communicate market trends and constraints.
• Continuously explore new analytics methods and tooling.

Skills

Python

SQL

Machine Learning

Optimization

Education

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Data Science, or related

Master's degree (advantage)

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.

Enterprise Technology plays a critical part in shaping the future of mobility. If you're looking for the chance to leverage advanced technology to redefine the transportation landscape, enhance the customer experience and improve people's lives, this is the opportunity for you. Join us and challenge your IT expertise and analytical skills to help create vehicles that are as smart as you are.

In this position:

The Order Fulfillment Technology team is seeking a Data Scientist to design and deliver production-grade solutions that power our global supply-demand matching systems. This is a cross-disciplinary role where you will sit at the intersection of Data Science and Software Engineering. You will go beyond theoretical modeling to build scalable, end-to-end data products that directly influence Ford's strategic direction.

The primary focus of this role is high-accuracy demand forecasting and predictive modeling. You will be expected to translate business problems into analytical formulations. A key part of your success will be your ability to collaborate closely with software engineers and product owners, translating complex ML concepts into actionable solutions.

What you'll do...

• Demand Forecasting & Predictive Modeling: Develop, implement, and validate algorithms (e.g., Time-Series, Causal Inference, Optimization) tailored to demand forecasting and supply-chain efficiency.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Partner actively within a cross-disciplinary team to deliver analytics software. Contribute to technical specifications, participate in code reviews, and socialize results with non-technical business partners to foster data-driven decision-making.
• Full-Lifecycle Ownership: Co-own the end-to-end development process, from data sourcing and exploration to deployment.
• MLOps, Reliability & Monitoring: Build and maintain robust pipelines for scalable deployment and retraining. You will be responsible for the health of your models in production, including setting up proactive alerting and monitoring for data drift, bias, and accuracy.
• Visualization & Insights: Create visualizations to connect disparate data, find patterns, and tell engaging stories regarding market trends and supply constraints.
• Continuous Innovation: Research and stay updated on the latest developments in data science, machine learning, and analytics tools. Continuously identify and implement avenues for enhancing the efficiency, accuracy, and robustness of the team's analytical output.

You'll have...

• Education: Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Data Science, or a related technical field.
• Technical Experience: 3+ years of hands-on experience with Python, SQL, and Machine Learning/Optimization techniques.
• Collaborative Delivery: Proven ability to collaborate with software engineering teams to move models into production.
• Communication: Proven ability to translate real-world business problems into analytical formulations and interpret results for non-analytics partners.

Even better, you may have...

• Advanced Degree: Master's degree in a quantitative or technical field.
• Technical Domain Expertise: Expertise in Predictive Analytical Methods (e.g., Neural Networks, Ensemble Methods, Support Vector Machines) with experience in demand forecasting or market trend analysis.
• Production Experience: 2+ years of experience applying advanced statistical methods (e.g., Multivariate Analysis, Regressions, Cluster Analysis) within production-grade software.
• Quality Focus: Experience with testing strategies for ML, including bias detection and robustness checks.
• Optimization Expertise: Experience with optimization methods (e.g., linear programming, mixed-integer programming, heuristics) applied to supply chain or resource allocation problems.
• Software Engineering: Experience deploying and maintaining production software.
• Cloud Deployment: Experience deploying solutions in a cloud environment (GCP preferred).
• Industry Context: Familiarity with Automotive OEM data, dealer relationships, order fulfillment, or large-scale supply chain logistics.

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, inc