IVI Hardware Architecture - Technical Specialist

Ford-Motor-Company; Dearborn (MI); Hybrid; USD 116,000 - 240,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Vehicle discount program

Tuition assistance

Paid holidays

Paid time off

Job summary

Ford Motor Company is seeking an IVI Hardware Architecture – Technical Specialist to own hardware architecture for IVI ECUs and interfaces to displays and vehicle networks. You will sign off hardware releases, define requirements, and lead design reviews to ensure production-ready hardware.

You will apply comprehensive knowledge of ECU hardware, high-speed interfaces, and power/thermal management, guiding suppliers and internal teams through validation and issue resolution.

Qualifications

• ,Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering or related field is required.
• >10 years in automotive electronic hardware design with hardware release experience.
• Strong ability to read schematics, PCB layouts, data sheets and validate hardware; deep ECU hardware knowledge.
• Experience with structured problem-solving methods (8D, fishbone, FMEA) for hardware issues.
• Knowledge of ISO 21434, ISO 26262 and APQP/PPAP processes; Ford processes are a plus.

Responsibilities

• Own hardware architecture and technical direction for IVI ECU platforms and interfaces.
• Serve as final technical sign-off for IVI ECU hardware release and validation.
• Define hardware/system requirements, interface specs, and validation methods.
• Lead technical reviews of schematics, PCB layouts, components, power, and thermal designs.
• Evaluate hardware capability and margins for processors, memory, storage, and networks.
• Provide guidance on ECU boot, wake/sleep, power sequencing, and network management.
• Lead or support lab investigations of hardware, ECU, and vehicle-level issues.

Skills

ECU hardware

Schematic review

Automotive Ethernet

CAN/CAN FD

EMC/EMI

Debugging lab tools

Python scripting

Education

Bachelor's in Electrical Engineering

Master's in Electrical Engineering

Tools

Oscilloscopes

Logic analyzers

Power analyzers

Thermal cameras

Environmental chambers

CAN/Ethernet analysis tools

LTspice

MATLAB/Simulink

Job description

Ford’s Electric Vehicles, Digital and Design (EVDD) team is charged with delivering the company’s vision of a fully electric transportation future. EVDD is customer-obsessed, entrepreneurial, and data-driven and is dedicated to delivering industry-leading customer experience for electric vehicle buyers and owners. You’ll join an agile team of doers pioneering our EV future by working collaboratively, staying focused on only what matters, and delivering excellence day in and day out. Join us to make positive change by helping build a better world where every person is free to move and pursue their dreams.

In this position...

The IVI Hardware Architecture - Technical Specialist is a senior, hands-on individual-contributor role responsible for the hardware architecture, technical direction, and engineering maturity of Ford in-vehicle infotainment electronic control units and their key electrical interfaces. The Technical Specialist provides deep expertise in high-performance automotive compute hardware, including power delivery, processing, memory, storage, display, connectivity, thermal, and high-speed vehicle-network interfaces.

The role defines and governs hardware requirements, architecture decisions, design reviews, validation expectations, and technical issue resolution for IVI hardware programs. Working with Ford engineering teams, suppliers, systems engineering, software, validation, quality, and vehicle electrical architecture teams, this individual ensures IVI hardware designs are robust, manufacturable, validated, and ready for production, and serves as the final technical sign-off for hardware design and pre-and post-test validation before release.

The Technical Specialist is expected to interpret schematics and PCB layouts, evaluate circuit and system behavior, support hands-on laboratory investigation when needed, and lead resolution of complex hardware and cross-domain issues from concept through launch and post-launch quality support.

What you'll do...

• Own the hardware architecture and technical direction for IVI ECU platforms and their interfaces to displays, vehicle networks, power modes, connectivity modules, and associated vehicle electronics.
• Serve as the final technical sign-off for IVI ECU hardware release, approving hardware design and pre-and post-test validation before production.
• Define hardware-level and system-level requirements, interface specifications, architecture principles, design constraints, and validation methods for internal teams and external suppliers.
• Lead technical reviews of schematics, PCB layouts, component selections, power architectures, thermal approaches, high-speed interfaces, and design-validation evidence.
• Evaluate hardware capability and margin for processor, memory, storage, display, connectivity, power, thermal, and network workloads.
• Provide expert technical guidance for ECU boot, wake/sleep, power sequencing, network management, reliability, performance, and hardware/software interaction.
• Lead or support hands-on lab investigations of complex board-, ECU-, and vehicle-level failures using appropriate electrical, thermal, network, and diagnostic tools.
• Review WCCA strategy and results, identify design risks, and drive mitigations with responsible design and supplier teams.
• Define and approve hardware validation, integration, robustness, EMC, environmental, and production-readiness expectations.
• Lead technical root-cause investigations and corrective actions for significant hardware and cross-functional issues using structured methods such as 8D, fishbone, fault-tree analysis, and FMEA.
• Provide technical leadership to suppliers and internal design teams; assess design maturity and provide technical recommendations for gateway, milestone, and release decisions.
• Ensure IVI hardware designs support applicable cybersecurity, functional-safety, EMC, environmental, regulatory, manufacturing, and service requirements.

You’ll have...

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Electronics Engineering, or a related technical discipline.
• 10+ years of experience in automotive electronic hardware design, design and release, or electrical/electronic architecture, including work on cockpit, infotainment, connectivity, modem, gateway, or other complex vehicle ECU hardware.
• Demonstrated experience defining hardware architecture, electrical and system requirements, interface specifications, and validation strategies for automotive ECUs, and leading technical design reviews through production.
• Strong ability to read, interpret, and technically review schematics, PCB layouts, data sheets, and validation reports, with deep knowledge of high-performance compute ECU hardware — processors/SoCs, memory and storage interfaces (LPDDR, eMMC/UFS), power delivery and sequencing, thermal management, signal/power integrity, and high-speed vehicle interfaces (Automotive Ethernet, CAN/CAN FD, LIN, USB, PCIe, display).
• Proven experience resolving complex hardware issues at board, module, and vehicle-system levels using structured problem-solving methods (8D, fishbone, fault-tree, FMEA), with strong communication skills across internal teams, suppliers, and cross-functional stakeholders.

Even better, you may have...

• Master's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a related discipline.
• 15+ years of relevant automotive electronics experience, including recognized technical leadership in ECU hardware architecture, design and release, or electronics development.
• Experience serving as the technical lead or technical authority for an automotive ECU from concept through production launch and post-launch quality support.
• Deep expertise in one or more IVI hardware domains, such as power management (PMICs, DC/DC converters, load switches, sequencing, low-power modes); high-speed digital design, signal integrity, power integrity, clocking, reset, and EMI/EMC mitigation; SoC and memory subsystem integration; or thermal design, characterization, and derating for high-performance compute ECUs.
• Deep expertise in one or more IVI interface domains, such as display, touch, camera, and video hardware interfaces; Automotive Ethernet, network switch, gateway, and diagnostic hardware; or wireless and connectivity-module integration, including cellular, GNSS, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, antenna, and RF coexistence considerations.
• Experience performing, reviewing, or driving closure of Worst-Case Circuit Analysis, tolerance analysis, derating analysis, and related electrical design-risk assessments, as well as automotive EMC/EMI design, test planning, test execution, and corrective-action development.
• Knowledge of automotive cybersecurity and functional-safety processes as applied to connected electronic modules (ISO/SAE 21434, ISO 26262), along with automotive product-development and quality processes such as APQP, PPAP, DFMEA, PFMEA, DV/PV, supplier technical reviews, and launch readiness; familiarity with Ford processes and tools such as GPDS is a plus.
• Proficiency with relevant lab and engineering tools (oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, spectrum/network/power analyzers, electronic loads, thermal cameras, environmental chambers, CAN/Ethernet analysis tools), electrical simulation tools (LTspice, MATLAB/Simulink, Mathcad, HyperLynx, SI/PI tools), PCB design, fabrication, assembly, manufacturing test, and DFT/DFT practices, and basic scripting or automation (Python, MATLAB, or similar) for lab automation, data reduction, and test reporting.

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.

California - This position is leadership level 6 and ranges from $127,100-$239,900.

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.