Director of Hardware Engineering & System Integration

Ford Motor Company; Dearborn (MI); On-site; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Generous PTO

Retirement benefits

Stock incentives

Incentive compensation

Job summary

Ford is seeking a Director of Hardware Engineering & Integration to lead the ATP-owned hardware, integration, and deployment strategy across Ford plants. You will own end effectors, tooling, edge compute, RoboGym test cells, and safety documentation while driving a standardized commissioning approach.

You will build and lead a multidisciplinary team, scale ATP hardware from prototype to production, and partner with Ford’s Forge and Global Operations leadership to deliver fast, safe, and

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical, Electrical, Mechatronics, or Controls Engineering, or a related field.
• 12+ years in automation, robotics, or industrial equipment engineering, including 5+ years leading engineering teams.
• Hands-on experience designing robot cells and end-of-arm tooling and commissioning them in production.
• PLC and controls integration experience with Rockwell and Siemens; knowledge of PROFINET and EtherNet/IP.
• Working knowledge of robot functional safety (ISO 10218, ISO 13849) and risk assessment.
• Design for manufacture experience; translating prototypes to production.
• Experience leading teams on the plant floor and coordinating with plant leadership during launches.

Responsibilities

• Lead design and validation of ATP hardware including end effectors, tooling, edge compute, and RoboGym cells.
• Own the integration and commissioning method: virtual commissioning, factory and site acceptance testing, controls integration, standard work.
• Lead ATP's integration and build team, installing and commissioning robots, AMRs, and vision cells.
• Own the device readiness standard: drivers, manifests, data interfaces, safety documentation.
• Hand designs to Ford's TDM ready for manufacture, scaling from prototype to production.
• Partner with the Forge-X humanoid program lead, Core controls engineering, and the Forge, Sight, and Print verticals.

Skills

Automation leadership

Robotics experience

Plant floor leadership

End-of-arm tooling design

Industrial networks

Education

Bachelor's degree in Mechanical, Electrical, Mechatronics, or Controls Engineering

Tools

Rockwell Automation

Siemens PLC

Virtual commissioning tools (Process Simulate)

AMR deployment

OPC UA

VDA 5050

Edge computing hardware

Job description

Ford is seeking a Director of Hardware Engineering & Integration to lead the ATP-owned hardware, integration, and deployment strategy across Ford plants. You will own end effectors, tooling, edge compute, RoboGym test cells, and safety documentation while driving a standardized commissioning approach.

You will build and lead a multidisciplinary team, scale ATP hardware from prototype to production, and partner with Ford’s Forge and Global Operations leadership to deliver fast, safe, and