Power Electronics Design Engineer

Ford; Palo Alto (CA); Hybrid; USD 118,700 - 232,700; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical coverage

Parental leave

Fertility benefits

Vehicle discount

Tuition assistance

Paid time off

Holidays

Job summary

Ford is seeking a Power Electronics Design Engineer in California to own inverter sub-components from concept through production, including design release and manufacturing process development. You will plan and execute design verification tests, optimize costs, and collaborate with manufacturing teams to deliver durable, high-performance inverter systems.

The role requires a mechanical engineering background, strong CAD skills, and hands-on prototyping/test experience, with hybrid work options

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering is required or equivalent experience.
• Strong CAD skills (Catia / 3DX) or similar.
• Hands-on hardware development and lab testing experience.
• Excellent written/verbal communication and cross-functional collaboration.

Responsibilities

• Own inverter mechanical parts from concept through production, including design release.
• Develop manufacturing processes including DOEs and process validation.
• Design and execute physical tests in a lab environment with fixtures/test equipment.
• Plan and execute test campaigns for design verification of inverter sub-components and system.
• Optimize costs from design to manufacturing and ensure durable, high-performance designs.
• Own mechanical parts for inverters and drive durability, efficiency, performance improvements.

Job description

We made history and now we work to transform the future - for our customers, our communities and our families. You'll see your work on the road every day, helping people move freely and pursue their dreams. At Ford, you can build more than vehicles. Come build what matters.

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 Power Electronics Design Engineer will own complex drive unit inverter sub-components from concept through production, including development of related assembly and manufacturing processes. You will be responsible for driving the development of parts and processes with substantial impact on vehicle-level cost and performance.

What you'll do...

• Own inverter mechanical parts from concept through production including part design and release.
• Develop manufacturing processes including running DOEs and executing process validation.
• Design and execute physical tests in a lab environment, including designing fixtures / test equipment.
• Plan, coordinate, and execute test campaigns for design verification of inverter sub-components and the inverter system.
• Optimize costs from design to manufacturing and create robust designs for automotive application.
• Own mechanical parts for inverters, driving optimization for durability, efficiency, and performance.

You'll have...

• Bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering or equivalent combination of relevant education and experience.
• Robust foundation in engineering first principles with good engineering judgement.
• Intellectual honesty, curiosity, and humility.
• Mechanical Engineering or similar degree.
• Strong CAD skills (Catia / 3DX preferred).
• Hands-on experience building and testing hardware in a prototype / lab environment (strong workshop skills preferred).

Even better, you may have...

• 5+ years of experience designing, developing, and releasing products (power electronics or similar devices brought to production preferred)
• Passionate and curious about deep technical problems and driven to deliver engineering excellence.
• Experience releasing prototype and production parts including drafting, GD&T, tolerance analysis, and DFM.
• Experience managing or working closely with manufacturing partners, contract manufacturers, and in-house manufacturing teams to bring parts to production.
• Experience using finite element methods for optimizing and validating structural, thermal, and electrical systems.
• Experience designing and executing durability and design verification campaigns.
• Experience leading design / process FMEAs for electronics and/or automotive systems.
• Experience designing parts, fixtures, and tools for prototype manufacturing processes including CNC milling / turning / EDM, 3D printing, press-brake sheet metal, and low volume tooled processes.
• Experience designing parts for high volume manufacturing processes including casting, forging, stamping, extruding, injection molding, overmolding, and machining.
• Experience troubleshooting / triaging prototype and production build issues.
• Strong written and verbal communication / presentation / story-telling skills.
• Strong cross-functional collaboration and project leadership skills.

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 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 7-8 and ranges from $118,700-$232,700.

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 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. Candidates who are in commuting distance to a Ford hub location may be required to be onsite four or more days per week.