Sr Safety Investigations Engineer

Lincoln Motor Company; Dearborn (MI); Hybrid; USD 116,000 - 218,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Immediate medical, dental, vision and药

Flexible family care days

Family building benefits

Vehicle discount program

Tuition assistance

Employee resource groups

Paid time off for community service

Paid holidays including Christmas week

Vacation time purchase option

Job summary

Lincoln Motor Company in Dearborn, MI seeks a senior engineer investigator to lead safety defect and regulatory investigations across Ford/ Lincoln platforms. You will analyze data, coordinate tests, and prepare executive-level reports and demonstrations.

You will collaborate with Product Development, Manufacturing, Customer Service and suppliers, interface with government agencies, and translate complex engineering findings into clear, defensible arguments for leadership and legal teams.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of engineering, quality assurance, systems safety, or defect investigation in complex hardware/software environments.
• Strong knowledge of modern vehicle systems, ECUs, and system architecture.
• Excellent root-cause analysis and problem-solving skills.
• Outstanding communication, translating data into defensible executive arguments.
• Ability to interface with all levels of management.

Responsibilities

• Prepare presentations and reports for technical and non-technical leadership.
• Coordinate investigations with NHTSA and TC on regulatory matters.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to assess safety and compliance risks.
• Document investigations per retention guidelines and regulatory needs.
• Identify lessons learned to prevent recalls and drive design updates.

Skills

Technical investigation

Cross-functional collaboration

Data analysis

Executive reporting

Regulatory liaison

Lessons learned

Global collaboration

Documentation

Analytical thinking

Communication

Stakeholder management

Emotional intelligence

Software/ADAS exposure

Regulatory experience

Product development lifecycle

Legal support

ISO 26262 familiarity

Education

Bachelor of Science in Engineering

Job description

The Ford Motor 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.

What You'll Do

Prepare presentations and reports, including engineering analysis and the coordination of special vehicle/component demonstrations, to be used in both technical and non-technical discussions with all levels of leadership. Work proactively with NHTSA and TC on government investigations and compliance audits. Collaborate with facing organizations in the development of service solutions for potential field issues. Create and 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.

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.
• 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.

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 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.