Ford New Model Launch Engineer

Lincoln Motor Company; Ann Arbor (MI); Hybrid; USD 65,000 - 166,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, vision coverage

Paid time off and holidays

Vehicle discount program

Parental leave and family care support

Job summary

Ford Motor Company is seeking a Model Program Engineer to lead the successful launch of new vehicle and powertrain models in North America manufacturing. The role drives program management, risk reporting, and cross-functional collaboration to ensure on-time, on-budget delivery across multiple launch phases.

Travel is extensive, with long-term assignments to support vehicle and powertrain launches. The position requires a strong background in manufacturing programs, problem solving, and launch

Qualifications

• 4+ years with Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Microsoft Project.
• 2+ years solving problems with statistical approaches.
• 1+ years in Powertrain/Vehicle Operations manufacturing or program management, including launches.

Responsibilities

• Serve as gatekeeper for New Model Programs and ensure process adherence.
• Oversee pre-production build events to meet quality and efficiency goals.
• Manage vehicle fleet and drive Pre-Production Drive Fleet Evaluation Plan.
• Approve Product Development changes and validate them before prototypes.
• Lead cross-functional issue resolution and closure timing for launches.
• Co-chair launch meetings and drive part support issue resolutions.
• Manage launch budget approval and execution within the program scope.
• Prepare and present weekly New Model Program status and risks.
• Communicate status and solutions to senior leadership.
• Support smooth integration of launch teams into plants.

Skills

Word

Excel

PowerPoint

Microsoft Project

Problem solving

Statistics

Powertrain/Vehicle Ops

Launch management

Travel readiness

Education

Bachelor’s degree in engineering

Job description

The New Model Program Engineer plays a critical role in the successful launch of new vehicle and powertrain models within North America manufacturing plants. This position is responsible for the overall program management and delivery of new vehicle programs, ensuring successful execution across various phases including issue resolution, quality and status assessments, vehicle fleet management, and adherence to established budgets and timing.

This individual contributor role is essential for driving launch excellence for new vehicle and powertrain models across Ford's North America Manufacturing Plants. The Engineer will contribute to success by actively managing and executing critical launch processes, collaborating with diverse skill teams, and ensuring timely communication on launch status and risks.

Responsibilities

What you'll do...

• Program Governance: Serve as a key gatekeeper for New Model Programs, ensuring adherence to established processes and standards throughout the launch lifecycle.
• Pre-Production Build Management: Manage and oversee all activities related to pre-production build events, ensuring they meet program objectives for quality and efficiency.
• Vehicle Fleet Management: Manage the ordering, building, testing, and ultimate disposition of pre-production vehicles. This includes the execution of the Pre-Production Drive Fleet Evaluation Plan.
• Design Change Oversight: Manage the approval process for Product Development changes, ensuring these are integrated and proven out ahead of prototype builds.
• Issue Resolution Leadership: Lead the build issues management process for the cross-functional program team, driving issues to resolution and ensuring timely closure of problems that could impact launch.
• Meeting Coordination & Issue Driving: Co-chair relevant launch meetings and proactively drive resolution of part support issues for each pre-production build event.
• Budget Execution: Manage launch budget approval processes and execute elements specifically controlled by New Model Programs within the overall launch budget.
• Reporting & Assessment: Prepare and present comprehensive New Model Program weekly assessment reports, providing clear status updates and highlighting potential risks.
• Senior Management Communication: Champion senior management presentations, effectively communicating program status, challenges, and proposed solutions.
• Team Integration Support: Facilitate the smooth transition and integration of launch teams into the manufacturing plants.

Travel Requirement: This position requires frequent and extensive long-term travel (up to 9-12 months at a time) to support vehicle and powertrain assembly plants during new model launches.

Qualifications

You’ll have...

• 4+ years of experience in Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Microsoft Project.
• 2+ years of experience with problem solving disciplines using statistical mindsets
• 1+ years of experience in Powertrain/Vehicle Operations manufacturing, design, and/or program management, with Project management or launch experience.
• Travel Requirement: This position requires frequent and extensive long-term travel (up to 9-12 months at a time) to support vehicle and powertrain assembly plants during new model launches.

Even better, you may have...

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering or a related technical field.
• Manufacturing experience.
• Strong communication skills, both written and verbal.
• Demonstrated ability to be detail-oriented and highly organized.
• Experience demonstrating a strong understanding of the processes and methodologies involved in bringing new vehicle models from development into full-scale production.
• Experience with Engineering Change Management and Issue Management

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
• 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 5 to salary grade 8 and ranges from $65,100-$166,200.

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 not 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.