Ford Racing Body Exterior Supervisor

Socket.dev; Allen Park (MI); Hybrid; USD 116,000 - 218,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, vision coverage

Vehicle discount program

Tuition assistance

Paid time off & holidays

Parental leave

Job summary

Ford Motor Company seeks a seasoned Body Exterior Leader to drive design and release of exterior systems, including hoods, grilles, and fascias. You will lead a team of engineers, set technical direction, and ensure regulatory and quality compliance across programs.

Candidates should have 10+ years in Body Exterior design, strong leadership and mentoring skills, and experience across Pre-Program to Launch, including major programs. This hybrid role offers substantial growth and impact.

Qualifications

• B.S. in Materials Science, Mechanical Engineering, or related field (or equivalent).
• 10+ years as a Body Exterior Design & Release Engineer with 6+ years in Body Exterior/Ornamentation (stamping, exterior panels, grilles, etc.).
• Experience across all program phases (Pre-Program through Launch) including one major program (scale 4-6).
• Strong leadership, communication, problem-solving, and mentoring/coaching skills.
• Self-starter able to work effectively with minimal oversight.

Responsibilities

• Own development, sign-off, and maintenance of foundational Body Exterior engineering decisions.
• Build, guide, and mentor a team of engineers/SMEs to drive speed and innovation.
• Collaborate cross-functionally with design/studio teams to ideate new solutions.
• Lead innovative design development using CAE tools and competitive benchmarking.
• Partner with CAE teams to refine simulation and correlation methods.
• Optimize designs through analytical/physical assessment, ensuring regulatory compliance.
• Develop and implement novel construction techniques through to production feasibility.
• Create design verification plans and test methods.
• Liaise with Vehicle Architecture, Advanced Engineering, Manufacturing, and Suppliers.
• Present concepts and program status to senior management.
• Lead Body Exterior system integration and QCWFT program delivery.
• Manage FSS and other resources to deliver programs.
• Lead design of key systems (hood, fenders, bumper fascias, grilles, vents, splitters, spoilers, ducts, belly pan/diffusers).
• Ensure conformance to Ford Racing DNA and all regulatory requirements.

Skills

Leadership

Communication

Problem solving

Mentoring

Self-starter

Team leadership

Education

B.S. in Materials Science, Mechanical Engineering, or related field

M.S. in Mechanical Engineering, Automotive Engineering, or related field

Tools

FEDE

CAE/CATIA

TCE

3DX

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.

Racing is where our story began.

In 1901, Henry Ford climbed into a car he built himself—"Sweepstakes"—and beat America's most famous driver. He wasn't a racer, but he had to win. He did. Ford Motor Company was born from that victory.

Our mantra: Race to win, engineer to lead.

If you're a competitor, innovator, or performance obsessive, Ford Racing is where you belong. Help us write the next chapter.

In this position...

• You are a Body Vehicle Exterior Leader as a subject matter expert set to deliver the most cutting edge design and push the limits of innovation at Ford Racing to deliver our current & the next generation vehicles our customers love!
• You are expected to be a flexible leader who can balance multiple activities in rapidly changing environment to guide your team through the full engineering development cycle from Pre-program through Launch on an excited new program for Ford Racing!
• You and your team own the development, authorship, sign-off and maintenance of all foundational engineering decisions from a Body Exterior perspective
• You will be building a team to deliver high-quality, low-investment solutions leaning on and working with technical experts in the company to bring new technologies for this exciting new product for Ford Motor Company and Ford Racing to support future architectures.

What you will do...

• Own development, sign-off, and maintenance of foundational Body Exterior engineering decisions
• Build, guide, and mentor a team of engineers/SMEs to drive speed and innovation
• Collaborate cross-functionally with design/studio teams to ideate new solutions
• Lead innovative design development using CAE tools and competitive benchmarking
• Partner with CAE teams to refine simulation and correlation methods
• Optimize designs through analytical/physical assessment, ensuring regulatory compliance
• Develop and implement novel construction techniques through to production feasibility
• Create design verification plans and test methods
• Liaise with Vehicle Architecture, Advanced Engineering, Manufacturing, and Suppliers
• Present concepts and program status to senior management
• Lead Body Exterior system integration and QCWFT program delivery
• Manage FSS and other resources to deliver programs
• Lead design of key systems (hood, fenders, bumper fascias, grilles, vents, splitters, spoilers, ducts, belly pan/diffusers)
• Ensure conformance to Ford Racing DNA and all regulatory requirements

You'll have:

• B.S. in Materials Science, Mechanical Engineering, or related field
• 10+ years as a Body Exterior Design & Release Engineer (or similar), including 6+ years specific to Body Exterior/Ornamentation (stamping, exterior panels, grilles, etc.)
• Expert knowledge of products/supply base (stampings, assembly, extrusions, castings, joining, regulatory) and BIW attribute delivery (Safety, Durability, Corrosion, NVH, TASE, BIW Requirements)
• Experience across all program phases (Pre-Program through Launch), including one major (scale 4-6) program
• Working knowledge of Design, Analysis, Verification, Quality, Manufacturing, and Assembly methods, plus engineering tools (FEDE, CAE/CATIA, TCE, 3DX)
• Strong leadership, communication, problem-solving, and mentoring/coaching skills
• Self-starter able to work effectively with minimal oversight

Even Better, You May Have...

• M.S. in Mechanical Engineering, Automotive Engineering, or related field
• Experience presenting at technical conferences/publishing technical papers
  Patents, invention disclosures, trade secrets, or technical publications
• Advanced Technology (GTDS) experience, especially mixed material systems
• Experience with GPDS/GTDS processes, timing, and delivery requirements
• Experience writing DFMEAs, SCCAFs, engineering specs, requirements, or design rules
• Multiple automotive launches

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!

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 leadership level 6 and ranges from $115,500-$218,100.

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.
Internal applicants: moving into this role may result in an adjustment to your current compensation based on the posted pay range for this role, taking into consideration your qualifications and other relevant factors.

For more information on salary and benefits, click here: https://fordcareers.co/LL6

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.