Product Development Engineer- Battery Cell/System Modeling Engineer

Ford Motor; Dearborn (MI); Hybrid; USD 68,000 - 193,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Vehicle discount program

Tuition assistance

Paid time off

Family-friendly benefits

Job summary

Ford Motor is seeking engineers for the Electrified Systems Engineering organization to advance battery, EV, and hybrid technology. Join a dynamic team delivering hybrid, plug-in hybrid, and BEV solutions with emphasis on performance, efficiency, and customer value.

You will develop and validate battery models, collaborate across battery, thermal, controls, and software teams, and support program milestones in a hybrid onsite setting.

Qualifications

• Master’s degree in engineering, applied mathematics, physics, chemistry, or a related technical field.
• 5+ years of academic or industry experience in electric vehicles, lithium-ion batteries, or battery modeling, including development, implementation, calibration, and validation of battery performance and degradation models.
• Deep understanding of lithium-ion battery principles, including electrochemical, electrical, thermal, performance, and degradation behavior.
• Strong technical background in mathematical modeling, numerical methods, data analysis, statistics, and interpretation of experimental data.
• Strong proficiency in at least one programming language or technical computing environment, including MATLAB, Python, or C++.
• Experience applying battery models to support engineering, research, product-development, or program decisions.
• Excellent teamwork and communication skills.
• Self-motivation and the ability to manage multiple tasks.

Responsibilities

• Develop, implement, deploy, and maintain advanced battery cell performance and degradation models across battery, system, and vehicle simulations.
• Develop and integrate battery models within simulation environments to support energy analyses and program milestones.
• Calibrate and validate battery models using laboratory and vehicle data to ensure model accuracy and robustness.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to resolve technical issues and support program decisions.
• Support battery and cell specification development through model-based analysis of usage and life requirements.
• Improve battery-modeling tools, methodologies, and processes for quality and efficiency.
• Maintain model calibration updates and proper configuration across simulation environments.

Skills

Battery modeling

Data analysis

MATLAB/Python/C++

Teamwork & communication

Education

Master’s degree in engineering, applied mathematics, physics, chemistry, or related field

Tools

COMSOL

PyBaMM

MATLAB/Simulink

Modelica

Job description

Description

Do you have what it takes to make smart vehicles for a smart world? Join the Ford Product Development team. We are seeking forward-thinking, laser-focused professionals with a passion for bringing innovative, exciting and sustainable ideas to life. We have opportunities around the world for you to contribute to such advancements as autonomy, electrification, smart mobility technologies and more!

Responsibilities

What you'll do...

The Electrified Systems Engineering (ESE) organization is responsible for delivering hybrid, plug-in hybrid, and battery electric vehicles that provide outstanding fuel economy, refinement, customer value, profitability, performance, and smoothness of operation. Take advantage of this opportunity to work in one of Ford’s most dynamic and growing organizations. Your duties will include:

• Develop, implement, deploy, and maintain advanced battery cell performance and degradation models, including semi-physical, single-particle, and electrochemical models, for battery, system, and vehicle simulation initiatives across the company.
• Develop and integrate battery electrical, thermal, and control models within battery, system, and vehicle simulation environments to support vehicle attribute assessments, energy analysis, controls development, and program milestones.
• Calibrate and validate battery models using laboratory, supplier, vehicle, and field-representative data to ensure model accuracy, robustness, and suitability for program applications.
• Apply models and battery expertise to address internal customer questions and support engineering decision-making.
• Support battery and cell specification development through model-based analysis of usage, performance, reliability, and life requirements.
• Improve existing battery-modeling tools, methodologies, and processes with a focus on model quality, repeatability, computational efficiency, automation, and usability.
• Maintain model calibration updates, documentation, and appropriate model configuration practices within various simulation environments, aligned with unit and program cadence.
• Collaborate with battery cell engineering, battery systems, thermal, controls, test, software, vehicle attribute, and supplier teams to resolve technical issues and support program decisions.
• Collaborate with BMS and controls teams, as needed, on model-based controls development, model requirements, and control-algorithm evaluation.

Qualifications

You’ll have...

• Master’s degree in engineering, applied mathematics, physics, chemistry, or a related technical field.
• 5+ years of academic or industry experience in electric vehicles, lithium-ion batteries, or battery modeling, including development, implementation, calibration, and validation of battery performance and degradation models.
• Deep understanding of lithium-ion battery principles, including electrochemical, electrical, thermal, performance, and degradation behavior.
• Strong technical background in mathematical modeling, numerical methods, data analysis, statistics, and interpretation of experimental data.
• Strong proficiency in at least one programming language or technical computing environment, including MATLAB, Python, or C++.
• Experience applying battery models to support engineering, research, product-development, or program decisions.
• Excellent teamwork and communication skills.
• Self-motivation and the ability to manage multiple tasks.

Even better, you may have...

• 5+ years of extensive experience in developing, validating, and applying battery cell, pack, system, or controls models for electrified-vehicle applications.
• 2+ years of experience integrating battery electrical, thermal, and control models within system or vehicle simulation environments.
• 3+ years of engineering experience developing or deploying semi-physical, single-particle, P2D, P4D, or other physics-based lithium-ion battery electrochemical models using computational tools such as COMSOL, PyBaMM, or comparable platforms.
• 3+ years of experience developing or applying coupled electrical, electrochemical, thermal, mechanical, or other multiphysics battery models, including integration with system CAE or co-simulation tools such as MATLAB/Simulink, Simscape, Modelica, Dymola, AMESIM, GT-SUITE, or similar platforms.
• Experience with battery thermal CAE, including 1D and/or 3D thermal modeling.
• Experience in battery or powertrain system design, usage, controls, or testing for electrified vehicles.
• Experience developing, calibrating, or applying battery durability and degradation/life models.
• Experience with software development practices that support model quality and efficiency, such as automated testing, code review, version control, data management, and workflow automation.
• Experience with laboratory-scale battery cell fabrication, electrochemical characterization methods, and interpretation of cell-test data.

Benefits

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.

Salary

This position is a salary grade 5 to salary grade 8 and ranges from $68,300-$192,900. 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

Visa sponsorship is not available for this position.

Legal Authorization

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.

Equal Opportunity

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.

Hybrid

This position is hybrid with a requirement to be onsite four or more days per week.