Ford Racing Engine Performance Development Engineer

Ford Motor Company; Allen Park (MI); On-site; USD 65,000 - 166,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical/dental/vision coverage

Parental leave

Tuition assistance

Vehicle discount program

Paid holidays and time off

Job summary

Ford Racing's Global Powertrain department seeks an Engine Performance Development Engineer to develop and execute engine test plans validating fuel economy, performance, durability, combustion strategy, and system architecture for cutting-edge racing powertrains.

The role requires 5 days per week onsite in Allen Park, MI, and involves coordinating cross-functional teams, data analysis, and developing post-processing tools using MATLAB and AVL software.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering or equivalent technical degree.
• Minimum 3+ years of powertrain testing experience.
• Minimum 3+ years of experience with AVL Puma, AVL Concerto, AVL Indicom or equivalent testing software.

Responsibilities

• Develop engine testing plans to validate fuel economy, performance, durability, and combustion strategy.
• Coordinate cross-functional engineering teams to facilitate test execution and scheduling.
• Ensure test compliance with engineering standards, regulatory requirements, and safety protocols.
• Post-process and analyze test results using MATLAB, AVL tools, and company software.
• Identify trends in combustion, fuel economy, performance, and emissions data.
• Prepare technical reports and present findings to engineering and management teams.
• Develop post-processing tools and bespoke scripts to improve efficiency.

Skills

Powertrain testing

Test planning

Data analysis

Python programming

MATLAB

C# programming

CAN bus basics

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering

Tools

AVL Puma

AVL Concerto

AVL Indicom

Job description

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.

That fighting spirit lives on in Ford Racing today. We're the engineers, strategists, and competitors who bring Ford's track-tested edge into every vehicle we build. Every track, every stage, every proving ground—that's where we prove ourselves.

The result: one of the world's most iconic brands, legendary nameplates, and a team unmatched in the industry.

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...

This role is for an Engine Performance Development Engineer within Ford Racing's Global Powertrain department, responsible for developing and executing engine test plans to validate fuel economy, performance, durability, combustion strategy, and system architecture for cutting-edge racing powertrains.

This position requires 5 days per week onsite in Allen Park, MI.

What You'll Do...

• Develop engine testing plans required for validation of fuel economy, performance, durability, combustion strategy, and engine system architecture. This involves defining test objectives, selecting experimental methodologies, and specifying equipment and instrumentation.
• Coordinate cross-functional engineering teams to facilitate test execution, including directing resources, guiding test preparation, scheduling test activities, and troubleshooting technical issues to ensure efficient test progress.
• Ensure test compliance with engineering standards, regulatory requirements, and safety protocols, including performing regular quality checks to verify data integrity and accuracy.
• Post-process and conduct in-depth analysis of test results using company-specific and industry-standard analysis and visualization tools (e.g., MATLAB, AVL Concerto).
• Identify trends and anomalies in combustion, fuel economy, performance, and emissions data, and perform further analysis to define optimal engine designs and calibrations.
• Prepare technical reports and present findings at data summary meetings for engineering and management teams.
• Develop post-processing tools and methodologies to enhance efficiency and capability, including creating bespoke scripts, algorithms, and software, as well as refining existing tools.

You’ll have...

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Physics, or an equivalent technical degree
• Minimum 3+ years of powertrain testing experience
• Minimum 3+ years of experience with AVL Puma, AVL Concerto, AVL Indicom or equivalent testing software

Even better, you may have...

• Experience using ATI Vision, ETAS INCA, or equivalent calibration software
• Strong understanding of basic data acquisition principles, sensor types, CAN bus architecture, and general automotive electronics
• Proficiency in C#, Python, MATLAB, VBA, or an equivalent programming language

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 5 - 8 and ranges from $65,100-$166,200.

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.