Embedded Controls Engineer, Body Controls

Ford; Palo Alto (CA); Hybrid; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical coverage

Dental coverage

Vision coverage

Parental leave

Vehicle discount

Tuition assistance

Paid time off

Holiday pay

Job summary

Ford Motor Company seeks an Embedded Controls Software Engineer in Palo Alto, CA to advance body controls firmware for seats, lighting, and windows. You will develop real‑time C code, implement RTOS features, and ensure safety‑critical performance in low‑voltage vehicle systems.

You will own software architecture from prototype bring‑up to production, design control algorithms, lead hardware bring‑up on test assets, and collaborate with hardware, software, and validation teams to deliver robust,

Qualifications

• Master’s or Bachelor’s degree in Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Mechatronics, Computer Science, or equivalent experience.
• 3+ years of experience writing clean, efficient, and robust production-grade C code for real-time embedded systems.
• Hands‑on RTOS experience and low-level debugging for timing constraints and low‑power modes.
• Experience with vehicle networks and test equipment, and familiarity with safety standards.

Responsibilities

• Specify, design, and implement software architecture for body controls firmware.
• Create control/estimation algorithms for body control features like window control and lighting.
• Lead design and integration of body controls hardware on test assets.
• Collaborate with software integration to align core functions with hardware and systems.
• Understand functional safety principles and participate in safety analyses.
• Develop test plans and validate firmware across conditions, including low power modes.
• Spearhead feature development and document validation strategies.
• Author subsystem diagrams and lead subsystem reviews.
• Early firmware phases focus on hardware validation, labcar testing, and automation setup.

Skills

C programming

RTOS development

CAN/LIN/Auto Ethernet

Electrical hardware bring-up

Functional safety awareness

Education

Master’s or Bachelor’s in Electrical/Computer Engineering or equivalent

Tools

FreeRTOS

SafeRTOS

AUTOSAR

Oscilloscopes

DMMs

Job description

We are seeking a highly skilled and experienced Embedded Controls Software Engineer to join our team. The ideal candidate will have a strong background in embedded development supporting complex, distributed, safety critical embedded systems. Has hands‑on experience developing drivers and controlling actuators for low‑voltage motors and lighting control.

Body systems span a diverse range of critical customer‑facing attributes, hardware, and software. The team is responsible for controls of seats, tailgate, windows, latches, wipers, mirrors, various sensing systems, interior and exterior lighting, and control of other small motors in the vehicle domains. We work very closely with the interiors team, exteriors teams, low voltage electrical architects, and UI/UX team to deliver the best end‑to‑end user experience.

What you'll do

• Specify, design, and implement software architecture for body controls firmware, taking ownership of the software codebase from initial prototype bring-up to high-volume production.
• Create control/estimation algorithms for various body control features like window control, closure system, and lighting.
• Lead the design and integration of various body controls hardware components on electrical test assets such as benches, bucks, labcars, and vehicles.
• Collaborate with software integration teams to bring up core functions and broadcast software level requirements to electrical hardware and systems teams.
• Understand functional safety principles and participate in functional safety analyses of complex vehicle subsystems.
• Develop comprehensive test plans and perform thorough testing to validate firmware functionality, stability, and performance under various conditions, including low power modes.
• Spearhead body controls feature development, working cross-functionally with hardware, software, architecture, and many other teams to author feature boundary diagrams and validation strategies.
• Author subsystem block diagrams and lead subsystem reviews through all vehicle program development phases
• Early phases of firmware development will focus on hardware validation, labcar testing, and setting up the automation framework for unit, SIL and HIL testing.

You'll have

• Master’s or Bachelor’s degree in Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Mechatronics, Computer Science, or equivalent experience with evidence of exceptional ability.
• 3+ years of experience writing clean, efficient, and robust production-grade C code for real-time embedded systems, with a strong understanding of coding standards like MISRA C.
• Hands‑on experience developing with Real-Time Operating Systems (RTOS) (e.g., FreeRTOS, SafeRTOS, OSEK/AUTOSAR) as well as bare‑metal embedded software environments.
• Strong experience in low‑level debugging, hardware bring‑up, and optimizing code for timing constraints, memory (RAM/Flash) footprint, and low‑power modes.
• 3+ years of experience on electrical hardware applications, prototype bring‑up, and systems development.
• 3+ years of experience with Vehicle Network Protocols such as CAN, LIN & Automotive Ethernet.
• Strong EE fundamentals and hands‑on experience with electrical test equipment (oscilloscopes, DMMs, signal generators, power supplies, etc.).
• 3+ years of experience using embedded networking interface tools for automotive, aerospace, or similar fields.
• Experience and working knowledge of systems development, vehicle architecture, battery technologies, software/hardware tool development, motor calibration technologies, OBD calibration, functional safety, network, and diagnostics processes.
• Experience with creating and executing component‑level test procedures and owning all test results.

Even better, you may have

• Highly collaborative mindset and strong communication skills
• Experience in driver development and RTOS integration.
• Experience with software build tools like Bazel, Scons, Cmake etc.
• Experience with fundamental hardware components on PCB and their analysis tools.
• Ability to write testing scripts for using scripting languages (Python)
• Fluent in software fundamentals including software design and maintainability.
• Hands‑on experience in hardware bring‑up, system debugging, and codeoptimization.
• Knowledgeofelectrical engineering fundamentals including circuit analysis and design

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!

Benefits

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, vision and prescription drug coverage
• Flexible family care days, 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
• 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.

This position is a salary grade 7.

For more information on salary and benefits, click here: https://fordcareers.co/gsrSP4

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. Candidates who are in commuting distance to a Ford hub location may be required to be onsite four or more days per week. #LI-Hybrid #LI-MZ1 #UEV