HIL Engineer

Ford-Motor-Company; Dearborn (MI); Hybrid; USD 74,000 - 166,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

401(k) plan

Tuition assistance

Paid time off

Job summary

Ford Motor Company is seeking a highly skilled HIL Engineer to support product development and system integration within our validation teams. You will design and maintain test strategies, develop software-based test automation, and contribute to CI/CD pipelines for efficient validation.

The role requires 5+ years with dSPACE HIL, CAN/LIN diagnostics, and hands‑on software development in Python/C++, in a hybrid on-site environment in Dearborn, MI.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of hands-on experience commissioning, operating, and supporting dSPACE HIL simulators.
• 5+ years with dSPACE ControlDesk and AutomationDesk suites.
• 5+ years with automotive diagnostics tools and ECU software flashing procedures.
• 4+ years building reusable test automation libraries for System HIL environments.
• 4+ years integrating hardware/I/O interfaces on dSPACE platforms.
• 4+ years of software development in Python/C++/MATLAB/Simulink.

Responsibilities

• Document, review, and evaluate automation requirements; select hardware/software tools to support validation objectives.
• Design, implement, validate, and maintain software-based test automation frameworks.
• Procure, configure, and maintain hardware/software test assets; integrate automated test tools into HIL benches.
• Establish and implement configuration management architectures for test artifacts and data.
• Identify bottlenecks in testing lifecycle and drive CI/CD and automation strategies to improve efficiency and coverage.
• Author technical docs, SOPs, and deliver training to validation teams.

Skills

Python

C++

MATLAB/Simulink

Software testing

CI/CD

ECU flashing

Configuration management

HIL testing

CAN/LIN

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Electrical/Electronics Engineering or related field

Master’s degree (preferred)

Tools

dSPACE ControlDesk

dSPACE AutomationDesk

CANalyzer

Vector CANoe

Job description

If good is just never good enough for you, Ford Quality shares your passion for striving for perfection. We’re responsible for driving the continuous improvement efforts that enable Ford to deliver the highest quality products and services. Help us drive operational excellence through such innovative, proprietary initiatives as our Global Product Development System, Quality Operating System and New Model Launch. Work cross-functionally and closely with integrated teams in Manufacturing, Product Development, Purchasing, Marketing, Sales and Service.

In this position...

HIL Engineer to support the product development and system integration processes by designing/selecting, developing and maintaining test strategies and test setups. Test generation, setup and solution design, test definition, execution and reporting, adaptation, configuration management and project management. The test solutions can be designed and developed inhouse or purchased and configured. Many of process automation solutions are software based, therefore strong analytical skills and software development experience are required. Eg: software configuration management or software issue management tools. Test solutions integration are software and hardware so electronics designs, basic micro level programming is a plus. CAN diagnostic tools, Ethernet logging and analysis.

What you'll do...

• Requirements & Solution Architecture: Document, review, and evaluate automation requirements; identify and select appropriate hardware and software tools to support validation objectives.
• Automation Development: Design, implement, validate, and maintain software-based test automation frameworks using best practices in software design and quality assurance (simple, modular, testable, and maintainable code).
• HIL Integration: Procure, configure, and maintain hardware and software test assets; integrate automated test tools into unified, functional HIL simulation benches.
• Configuration Management: Establish and implement configuration management architectures and pipelines to manage test artifacts, test data, and versioning across projects.
• Continuous Improvement: Identify bottlenecks in the testing lifecycle and drive CI/CD and automation strategies to enhance test efficiency, test coverage, and execution speed.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration & Training: Author technical documentation, user guides, and standard operating procedures (SOPs); deliver technical training and support to validation engineering teams.

You'll have...

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Electronics Engineering, Mechatronics, Computer Science, or a related field.
• 5+ years of hands‑on experience commissioning, operating, and supporting dSPACE HIL simulators.
• 5+ years of experience with dSPACE ControlDesk and AutomationDesk software suites.
• 5+ years of experience working with automotive diagnostics engineering tools and ECU software flashing/download procedures.
• 5+ years of experience designing, implementing, and maintaining reusable test automation libraries for System HIL environments.
• 4+ years of experience integrating and validating new hardware/I/O interface solutions on dSPACE platforms.
• 4+ years of software development experience with compiled and interpreted languages (e.g., Python, C++, MATLAB/Simulink, Visual Basic) and associated IDEs (e.g., MS Visual Studio).
• 4+ years of experience with in-vehicle networks (CAN, LIN) and vehicle network analysis/troubleshooting tools (e.g., Vector CANoe, CANalyzer).
• 2+ years of experience applying formal software testing and quality assurance (QA) methodologies.
• 2+ years of experience implementing software configuration management (SCM) systems and workflows (e.g., Git, SVN, PTC Integrity/Windchill).
• Domain experience with any or more areas like High voltage / ADAS / chassis powertrain / cybersecurity is required

Even better, you may have...

• Master’s degree in Electrical/Electronics Engineering, Computer Science, or Engineering Management.
• Demonstrated experience developing and executing functional system test procedures within an automotive OEM or Tier‑1 software validation team.
• Deep experience in electrical bench integration, system‑level debugging, signal measurement/instrumentation, defect reporting, and root‑cause analysis (8D/Fishbone).
• Working knowledge of vehicle electrical schematics, power distribution, and distributed vehicle electronic architectures.

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 salary grade 6-8 and ranges from $74,300-$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.

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, https://fordcareers.co/GSR

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.