Sr. Staff IVI Product Strategy Lead

Lincoln Motor Company; Palo Alto (CA); Hybrid; USD 167,000 - 317,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, vision coverage

Parental leave and family care support

Vehicle discount for employees and fam

Tuition assistance

Job summary

Ford Motor Company in the United States, within the EVDD team, is seeking a senior leader to orchestrate Digital Experience roadmaps and strategic partnerships spanning IVI, digital cockpit, and connected services. You will partner with product, engineering, and design to shape near-term priorities and long-term investments.

The role requires 12+ years in automotive or consumer tech and a strong track record in cross-functional leadership and executive communication.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, CS, EE or Business.
• MBA or related field preferred.
• 12+ years in automotive, consumer tech, or software product development.

Responsibilities

• Develop a roadmap for Digital Experience deliverables with near-term priorities, launches, and longer-term goals.
• Interface with executive leadership and program managers to review strategy and maintain priority clarity.
• Develop and lead strategic technology partnerships, defining scope, business models, and commercial frameworks.
• Lead partnerships through negotiation and execution, aligning internal teams and partners for integration and launch readiness.
• Drive cross-functional coordination and communication, maintaining visibility into priorities, decisions, and dependencies.
• Identify gaps and opportunities across the product roadmap to support priority capabilities and overall strategy.
• Provide leadership with clear visibility into near-term priorities and long-term roadmap considerations.

Skills

Cross-functional leadership

Strategic partnerships

Roadmap development

Executive communication

Analytical thinking

Education

Bachelor's degree in Engineering, CS, EE, or Business

MBA

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 everyday, 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.

What you’ll do

• Partner with product, engineering, design, go-to-market and vehicle program teams to develop a roadmap for Digital Experience deliverables, incorporating both near term priorities and launch plans and with longer-term goals.
• Interface regularly with executive leadership and program managers to review strategy and maintain a clear and up-to-date understanding of program priorities if or when they may change over time.
• Develop and lead strategic technology partnerships, working with internal teams to identify and prioritize partners, define product scope and business models, and structure commercial frameworks aligned with Ford’s objectives.
• Lead partnerships through negotiation and execution, bringing internal teams and partners together to drive integration, launch readiness, and ongoing strategic management.
• Drive cross functional coordination and communication across teams, maintaining visibility into key priorities, decisions, and dependencies across the roadmap.
• Identify gaps and opportunities across the product roadmap and assess where external technologies and partnerships could support priority capabilities and the broader product strategy.
• Provide leadership with clear visibility into near term priorities, longer term roadmap considerations, strategic opportunities, and key decisions requiring executive alignment.

You’ll have

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Business, Product Management or equivalent combination of relevant education and experience.
• Master's degree in Business Administration (MBA), Engineering, Computer Science, or a related field.
• 12+ years of experience in automotive, consumer technology, connected vehicle, digital platform, or software product development organizations.
• 8+ years of experience defining and executing product strategy, product roadmaps, or portfolio planning for complex software and technology products.
• Proven experience delivering end-to-end In-Vehicle Infotainment (IVI), digital cockpit, connected services, or software-defined vehicle solutions from concept through launch.
• Demonstrated ability to influence cross-functional organizations, including product, engineering, design, program management, commercial, and executive leadership teams.
• Experience driving strategic decisions across multiple time horizons, balancing immediate product needs with long-term platform investments.
• Strong analytical and business acumen with the ability to evaluate market opportunities, competitive trends, customer needs, and technology investments.
• Experience presenting complex product strategies, business cases, and recommendations to executive leadership.

Even better, you may have

• 15+ years of experience in automotive technology, consumer electronics, mobile ecosystems, cloud platforms, or digital experience products.
• Deep understanding of modern IVI architectures, vehicle operating systems, cloud-connected services, OTA updates, app ecosystems, AI-enabled experiences, and software-defined vehicle platforms.
• Experience establishing and managing strategic partnerships with technology companies, platform providers, content providers, telecommunications companies, or software suppliers.
• Demonstrated success leading commercial negotiations, partnership agreements, business model development, and executive-level stakeholder alignment.
• Experience creating multi-year product roadmaps and investment strategies that span several vehicle programs and product generations.
• Strong understanding of automotive development processes, vehicle launch cycles, systems engineering, and regulatory considerations affecting digital vehicle experiences.
• Proven ability to identify emerging technology trends and translate them into differentiated customer-facing products and business opportunities.
• Track record of influencing senior executives and driving alignment across large, matrixed organizations.
• Recognized thought leader with a history of shaping product vision, technology strategy, and industry partnerships.

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 leadership level 5 and ranges from $167,200-$316,600.

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 with a requirement to be onsite four or more days per week.