Plant Floor Mobile Device Engineer

Jobtailor; Dearborn (MO); On-site; USD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

Ford Motor Company is seeking a tech-savvy professional to drive evaluation and modernization of mobile and plant-floor devices. You will collaborate with manufacturing, product teams, and hardware/software partners to align devices with Ford’s strategy and accelerate the Ford+ vision.

You will lead PoCs, manage the device tech backlog, and advise on cybersecurity, networking, and deployment SOPs across global sites.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in computer science, electrical engineering or related field.
• A strong manufacturing IT background and understanding of plant-floor environments.
• Experience with IT networking and device management ecosystems.
• Ability to rapidly evaluate, learn, and adopt emerging technologies.

Responsibilities

• Technology Evaluation: Identify and test emerging mobile and plant-floor device technologies and investigate industry trends.
• Stakeholder Collaboration: Partner with manufacturing teams, product development, and hardware/software partners.
• Strategic Alignment: Ensure mobile device products align with Ford’s technology strategy.
• Platform Modernization: Accelerate adoption of modern infrastructure platforms.
• Testing & Validation: Lead PoCs and pilot programs as final validation stages.
• Backlog Management: Own the technical roadmap for manufacturing mobile devices and OS updates.
• Technical Consulting: Serve as advisor for mobile devices, networking, and cybersecurity.
• Cybersecurity Compliance: Perform vulnerability assessments and remediation efforts.
• Standards & Compliance: Create SOPs for device deployment and monitor OS/firmware updates.
• MDM: Gatekeep device profiles and report on wireless device management via Intune.
• Global Support: Provide tier-3 support to global manufacturing sites.

Skills

Autonomy

Communication

Innovation mindset

Stakeholder collaboration

Manufacturing IT understanding

Tech evaluation

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or related technical field

Tools

Intune

SCCM

Windows Update for Business

MDM platforms

Networking hardware

Ford device platforms (iOS/Android/Windows)

Job description

• Technology Evaluation: Identify and test emerging mobile and plant-floor device technologies (e.g., iOS, Android, Windows, handheld scanners, Microsoft Intune, Microsoft SCCM, Cloud) and investigate industry trends that have the potential to innovate, disrupt, or modernize our manufacturing platforms.
• Stakeholder Collaboration: Partner closely with business teams (e.g., Manufacturing, Product Development), technology partners (e.g., Apple, Zebra, Microsoft), and hardware/software vendors (e.g., SHI, Peak).
• Strategic Alignment: Understand Ford’s business strategy to ensure mobile and plant-floor device products align with the broader technology landscape and accelerate the Ford+ vision.
• Platform Modernization: Work alongside internal service teams, product teams, industry experts, and suppliers to accelerate Ford’s adoption of modern infrastructure platforms.
• Testing & Validation: Lead Proof of Concept (PoC) projects and pilot programs as final validation stages within the larger ecosystem, evaluating business applications prior to service commitments.
• Backlog Management: Own the technical roadmap for manufacturing mobile devices (such as DWT iPads and Zebra Android scanners) and maintain the mobile device advanced technology backlog.
• Technical Consulting: Serve as the technical consultant across multiple areas, including mobile/plant-floor devices, wireless/wired networking, and manufacturing cybersecurity, assisting in the resolution of escalated issues.
• Cybersecurity Compliance: Perform cybersecurity vulnerability assessments for manufacturing mobile devices and spearhead remediation efforts.
• Standards & Compliance: Establish and document standard operating procedures (SOPs) for device deployment and use, and monitor compliance for OS security patches and firmware upgrades.
• Mobile Device Management (MDM): Act as the gatekeeper for manufacturing mobile device profiles in coordination with the EPEO MDM team, and leverage automation/dashboards to report on wireless device management via Intune.
• Global Support: Provide tier-3 technical support to global manufacturing sites for specialized devices like DWT iPads and Zebra Android scanners.

Requirements

• Education/Experience: Bachelor’s degree (or equivalent experience) in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or a related technical field.
• Manufacturing Acumen: Strong understanding of manufacturing processes, plant-floor environments, and the associated IT processes integrated within the plant floor.
• Network Infrastructure: Solid understanding of IT network architectures and associated networking hardware.
• Innovation Mindset: A research-driven and innovative mentality, with the ability to rapidly learn, evaluate, and adopt emerging technologies.
• Autonomy: A self-motivated, independent starter who excels in less-structured environments where requirements and next steps are still evolving.
• Communication: Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, with a demonstrated ability to actively listen, understand customer perspectives, and collaborate within global, cross-functional teams.

Preferred Qualifications

• Technical Leadership: Strong technical background with the ability to quickly master a specific technology domain, communicate effectively with all levels of management, and influence key partners’ decision-making.
• IT/OT Integration: Deep understanding of IT/OT integration, including its unique challenges, security implications, and opportunities.
• Device Management Expertise: Hands-on experience configuring and supporting iOS, Android, and Ford Global client devices, as well as managing them through systems like Intune, SCCM, and Windows Update for Business.
• Prototyping Experience: Prior experience conducting technology proofs of concept, driving experimentation, and managing technical deliverables with external vendors.
• Hosting Environments: Solid understanding of Ford EPEO hosting and related technical service offerings.
• Data-Driven Decision Making: Expertise in using data to drive business decisions, including utilizing analytical tools such as Alteryx to generate reports, dashboards, and actionable insights.