Global Sr. Manager, Advanced Seats Engineering, Structures, & Compliance
Ford
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Job summary
Ford Motor Company seeks a Sr. Global Manager – Advanced Seats Engineering, Structures, and Compliance to lead a global engineering organization for seat architecture, development, and regulatory compliance.
The role requires driving cross-functional, cross-regional teams to deliver safe, high-quality seating systems while advancing technology and innovation across programs. Hybrid onsite four days a week in Michigan area.
Qualifications
- Experience leading global engineering teams across multiple sites and time zones.
- Strong automotive seating systems, structures, or related components engineering expertise.
- Knowledge of regulatory and homologation requirements (FMVSS, ECE, or equivalent).
- Ability to navigate complex regulatory environments across markets.
- Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills.
Responsibilities
- Lead and develop a global team of engineers and managers across disciplines, sites and time zones.
- Drive advanced seating architecture strategy and technology roadmaps.
- Oversee seat structure development, validation, and industrialization.
- Guide seating compliance and homologation with cross-functional teams.
- Represent seating engineering in senior leadership reviews and program milestones.
Skills
Education
Tools
Job description
Ford is seeking a Sr. Global Manager – Advanced Seats Engineering, Structures, and Compliance to lead a global engineering organization responsible for early architecture and technology innovation, seat structure design and development, and seat system regulatory compliance. This leader will direct cross-functional, cross-regional teams to deliver seating systems that meet the highest standards of safety, quality, performance, and manufacturability, while driving advanced technology and innovation strategies.
This role requires a proven technical leader with deep automotive engineering expertise, a track record of managing and growing high-performing global teams, and the ability to navigate complex regulatory and homologation requirements across multiple markets.
- Lead, mentor, and develop a global team of engineers and managers across multiple disciplines, sites, and time zones.
- Build organizational capability by attracting, developing, and retaining top engineering talent
- Foster a collaborative, inclusive, and high-performance culture across globally distributed teams.
Advanced Seating Architecture & Technology Development
- Direct early-phase seating architecture strategy, concept development, and advanced technology roadmaps aligned with future vehicle programs.
- Partner with product planning, design, and innovation teams to identify and mature emerging seating technologies (e.g., comfort, packaging, materials, electrification-driven requirements).
- Guide feasibility studies, benchmarking, and technology readiness assessments to inform long-term seating strategy.
- Seat Structure Development & Industrialization
- Oversee structural design, engineering analysis, validation, and industrialization of seat systems from concept through ongoing product development
- Drive continuous improvement in structural performance, weight optimization, cost, and quality.
Seat System Compliance & Homologation
- Guide seating development priorities to meet emerging homologation and 3rd party targets.
- Serve as the technical escalation point for compliance risks and work cross-functionally to resolve regulatory issues.
- Ensure lessons-learned and best practices are fed into forward model development programs.
- Collaborate with Program Management, Purchasing, Manufacturing, Quality, and Supplier Technical Assistance teams to ensure integrated program delivery.
- Represent Seating Engineering in senior leadership reviews, program milestones, and executive-level technical discussions.
- Drive alignment of global engineering standards, processes, and best practices across regions.
- Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Physics, or a related technical field (required).
- Master's degree in Engineering or related field (preferred).
- 10+ years of progressive experience managing technical teams of increasing size and complexity.
- Strong automotive industry experience, with demonstrated expertise in seat systems, structures, or related vehicle component engineering.
- Proven experience leading global, cross-regional, and cross-cultural engineering teams.
- Solid understanding of automotive regulatory and homologation requirements (FMVSS, ECE, or equivalent global standards).
- Strong knowledge of structural engineering principles, CAE/CAD tools, and industrialization/manufacturing processes.
- Excellent communication, executive presentation, and stakeholder management skills.
- Demonstrated ability to manage budgets, resources, and strategic technology roadmaps.
- Master's degree in Engineering, Physics, or a related discipline.
- Experience with advanced materials, lightweighting, or next-generation seating technologies.
- Six Sigma, PMP, or other relevant process/technical certifications.
- Experience working within a global engineering organization.
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 childcare 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 leadership level 4.
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.
#LI-Hybrid #LI-WC2
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