Senior Technical Program Manager, Drive Unit

Ford Motor Company; Palo Alto (CA); On-site; USD 138,800 - 232,700; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical coverage

Vehicle discount

Tuition assistance

Paid time off

Job summary

Ford Motor Company seeks a Senior Technical Program Manager – Drive Unit to lead the Drive Unit program across design, build, test and validation, ensuring safety, performance, and seamless integration with vehicle systems.

You will coordinate cross-functional teams, manage risks and timelines, drive supplier collaboration and cost optimization, and oversee milestones and budgets to deliver a high‑quality drive unit for next‑gen vehicles.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in engineering (mechanical, electrical or related).
• 3+ years of program management experience.
• Experience launching high-volume products, cradle-to-grave preferred.
• Strong technical background in drive units: inverter, motor, gearbox.
• Experience using Confluence, Jira, Jama or similar PM tools.
• Excellent communication and leadership skills; service‑oriented leadership.

Responsibilities

• Lead the development and execution of the Drive Unit program in Product Development, ensuring safety and performance requirements are met.
• Manage design, build, test and validation activities and coordinate cross-functional integration.
• Own change control and cross-functional execution; identify risks and implement mitigation plans.
• Facilitate sourcing activities and identify cost reduction opportunities with part design optimizations.
• Collaborate with manufacturing, purchasing, finance and supply base to meet program milestones and budgets.

Skills

Drive unit knowledge

Cross-functional leadership

Project management

Risk management

Supplier collaboration

Communication skills

Scheduling & milestones

Cost reduction

PM tools (Jira/Confluence)

Education

Bachelor's degree in engineering

Tools

Confluence

Jira

Jama

Job description

Overview

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 Senior Technical Program Manager – Drive Unit will be responsible for leading the development and execution of the Drive Unit design. This includes managing the technical aspects of the project, ensuring that the drive unit meets all safety and performance requirements, and coordinating with cross‑functional teams to ensure successful integration with other vehicle systems.

What you’ll do

• Lead the development and execution of the Drive Unit program in Product Development, ensuring design meets all safety and performance requirements.
• Manage the technical aspects of the project including design, build, test, and validation.
• Manage change control and own cross functional execution.
• Using technical knowledge and engineering experience, identify risks and ensure problems are transparent. Help develop risk mitigation plans and execution of such.
• Facilitate sourcing activities and cost reduction opportunities with part design optimizations.
• Coordinate with cross‑functional teams to ensure successful integration with other vehicle systems such as powertrain, chassis, electronics, and software.
• Drive collaboration across cross‑functional groups such as manufacturing, purchasing, finance, and supply base.
• Develop and maintain project timelines, volumes, and budgets, and provide regular progress updates to senior management.
• Designate and manage key metrics for the team to be successful.
• Work closely with suppliers and partners to ensure manufacturing feasibility with design requirements, and ensure timely delivery of components and systems based on program milestones.
• Support key decisions working cross‑functionally across engineering, finance, and strategy to reach the right conclusions.
• Drive continuous improvement of the drive unit program and processes.

You’ll have

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering (mechanical, electrical, or related) or equivalent combination of relevant education and experience.
• 3+ years of experience in program management.
• Experience in launching high volume products, preferably cradle‑to‑grave experience.
• Strong technical background in drive units, including knowledge of sub‑systems, their components, and functionality: inverter, motor, gearbox.
• Experience using Confluence, Jira, Jama, or other project management tools.
• Experience managing cross‑functional teams and working with suppliers and partners.
• Excellent communication and leadership skills. Leadership through service mentality.
• Ability to work in a fast‑paced, dynamic environment and manage multiple priorities.
• Strong problem‑solving and analytical skills.

Even better, you may have

• 5+ years program management experience.
• Hands‑on experience building and launching automotive products.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• An eagerness to work cross‑functionally in a dynamic environment where you are part of a high performing team.
• A system approach to design and development with the desire and curiosity to strive for exceptional delivery execution and continuous improvement.

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!

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.

This position is a salary grade 8 and ranges from $138,800-$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.

For more information on salary and benefits, click here: https://fordcareers.co/GSR

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.