Safety Investigations Engineer

Ford Model e U.S.; Dearborn (MI); Hybrid; USD 116,000 - 218,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical coverage

Dental coverage

Vision coverage

Prescription drugs

Parental leave

Vehicle discount

Tuition assistance

Paid time off

Holiday schedule

Job summary

Ford Motor Credit Company is seeking a leadership-level engineer to lead technical investigations of safety defects and regulatory compliance. You will partner with Product Development, Manufacturing, Customer Service, and Suppliers to design tests, run field surveys, and gather facts for risk evaluation.

You will establish Ford’s engineering positions with rigorous data analysis and present reports to executive audiences.

Qualifications

• Bachelor of Science Degree in Mechanical, Electrical Engineering, Software Engineering, Systems Engineering, or a related technical field.
• 5+ years of experience in engineering, quality assurance, systems safety, or defect investigation within complex hardware/software environments.
• Strong working knowledge of modern vehicle systems, ECUs, and system architecture.
• Exceptional analytical and problem-solving skills; capable of rigorous root-cause analysis.
• Outstanding communication skills; translate dense engineering data for executive and legal audiences.
• Ability to interface effectively with all levels of management.

Responsibilities

• Act as the lead technical investigator for internal and external safety defect and compliance investigations.
• Partner with cross-functional teams to design tests, conduct field surveys, and gather facts to evaluate safety and compliance risks.
• Establish and document Ford’s engineering positions with rigorous data analysis; prepare reports and presentations for leadership.
• Work with government agencies on investigations and compliance audits; provide technical assistance to OGC and outside law firms.
• Identify trends and lessons learned; inject insights into product development to prevent recalls.
• Collaborate with regional and global teams to resolve complex vehicle concerns.
• Create and maintain investigation documentation; submit regulatory documentation as necessary.
• Identify lessons-learned opportunities in stop ships and related initiatives.

Skills

Analytical skills

Problem-solving

Executive communication

Management liaison

Education

Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering

Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering

Bachelor of Science in Software Engineering

Bachelor of Science in Systems Engineering

Job description

The Ford Motor Credit Company team helps put people behind the wheels of great Ford and Lincoln vehicles. By partnering with dealerships, we provide financing, personalized service and professional expertise to thousands of dealers and millions of customers in over one hundred countries around the world.

You'll have:

• Act as the lead technical investigator for internal and external safety defect and compliance investigations.
• Partner with cross-functional teams (Product Development, Manufacturing, Customer Service, Suppliers) to design special tests, conduct field surveys, and gather the facts necessary to evaluate potential safety and compliance risks.
• Establish and document Ford’s engineering positions using rigorous data analysis. Prepare comprehensive reports, presentations, and vehicle demonstrations for technical and non-technical audiences, including executive leadership.
• Work proactively with government agencies (e.g., NHTSA, Transport Canada) on investigations and compliance audits. Provide crucial technical assistance to the Office of General Counsel (OGC) and outside law firms.
• Identify global trends and "lessons learned" from field issues. Inject these insights back into the product development cycle (via stop ships, Task Forces, and design updates) to proactively prevent future recalls.
• Work seamlessly with regional peers and global teams to resolve complex, worldwide vehicle concerns.
• Create & maintain investigation documentation in accordance with document retention guidelines and submit regulatory documentation as necessary.
• Identify potential lessons-learned opportunities in support of the company’s efforts to prevent future potential recalls through involvement in stop ships, Prevent Action Closures, Campaign Trends Task Force meetings, SDS development, and other initiatives.
• Provide technical assistance to the OGC, Design Analysis, PD activities, and outside law firms as appropriate.

Qualifications and experience

• Bachelor of Science Degree in Mechanical, Electrical Engineering, Software Engineering, Systems Engineering, or a related technical field.
• 5+ years of experience in engineering, quality assurance, systems safety, or defect investigation within complex hardware/software environments.
• Strong working knowledge of modern vehicle systems, electronic control units (ECUs), and system architecture.
• Exceptional analytical and problem-solving skills, with a proven ability to conduct rigorous root-cause analysis on highly complex technical issues.
• Outstanding communication skills; you must be able to translate dense engineering data into clear, defensible, and articulate arguments for executive and legal audiences.
• Ability to interface effectively with all levels of management.

Even better, you may have...

• High emotional intelligence and interpersonal skills to effectively navigate high-pressure situations with diverse, cross-functional global teams.

Even better:

• Hands-on experience in Software Development, Software Quality, or Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) engineering.
• Prior experience interacting directly with regulatory bodies (NHTSA, Transport Canada, FAA, FDA) or managing government compliance audits.
• A strong understanding of automotive OEM product development lifecycles and manufacturing processes (Ford-specific experience is a plus, but not required).
• Experience providing technical assistance to legal teams, participating in legal investigations, or drafting regulatory documentation.
• Familiarity with functional safety standards such as ISO 26262.

Benefits

• 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. 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.

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. #LI-Hybrid #LI-FordCredit # LI-RZ1