Staff Digital Key Software Engineer

Lincoln Motor Company; Palo Alto (CA); Hybrid; USD 150,000 - 284,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, vision coverage

Parental leave

Tuition assistance

Vehicle discount program

Paid time off

Job summary

Ford's Advanced EV and Software organization is seeking a Staff Software Engineer to own the vehicle access authentication path and related Digital Key/Key Card technology, spanning Bluetooth, UWB, NFC, and RF.

You will lead embedded software on ECUs, collaborate with systems, hardware, validation, cybersecurity, and mobile teams, and use AI-assisted tools to accelerate development while upholding MISRA and automotive safety standards.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's or Master's in Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, or related field.
• 8+ years of professional embedded software development experience.
• Strong Embedded C and Python scripting proficiency.
• Experience with automotive ECUs and real-time embedded systems.

Responsibilities

• Own components of the vehicle access authentication path and related functions.
• Architect and develop embedded software for Vehicle Access systems running on ECUs.
• Design Digital Key functionality per CCC standards and Key Card flows.
• Develop software for Bluetooth, UWB, NFC, and RF in vehicle access.
• Lead collaboration with systems, hardware, validation, cybersecurity, and mobile teams.
• Write embedded C and use Python for automation, testing, validation.
• Define software architecture and interfaces between vehicle systems and credentials.
• Support vehicle integration, debugging, bring-up on prototypes and production.
• Diagnose complex software and RF-related issues across vehicle/mobile ecosystems.
• Use AI-assisted tools to accelerate coding while validating AI outputs for safety.

Skills

Embedded C

Python scripting

Automotive ECUs

CCC standards

Wireless tech

AI-assisted tooling

Vehicle Access

Education

Bachelor's or Master's in CS/EE/CE

Tools

VS Code Copilot

GitHub Copilot

Claude Code

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 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...

Ford's Advanced EV and Software organization is looking for a Staff Software Engineer to take full functional ownership of the vehicle access authentication path and the customer‑facing vehicle functions built on top of it. This is the software that every single customer access event passes through — transaction authorization, lock/unlock, start authorization, and remote functions — spanning Digital Key and Key Card credentials. You will help drive this stack from architecture through vehicle bring‑up and post‑launch support, working with wireless and embedded technologies including Bluetooth, UWB, NFC, and RF connectivity.

• Own implementation of one or more components of the vehicle access authentication path, including transaction authorization, lock/unlock, start authorization, and/or remote functions across Digital Key and Key Card.
• Architect and develop embedded software for Vehicle Access systems running on ECUs and real‑time embedded platforms.
• Design, implement, and maintain Digital Key functionality based on Car Connectivity Consortium (CCC) standards, alongside Key Card authentication flows.
• Develop software supporting vehicle access features utilizing Bluetooth, Ultra‑Wideband (UWB), NFC, and RF communication technologies.
• Lead collaboration with systems, hardware, validation, cybersecurity, and mobile application teams to deliver end‑to‑end vehicle access and vehicle function solutions.
• Write and enhance embedded software in C, leveraging Python for automation, testing, and validation activities.
• Define software architecture, interfaces, and communication frameworks between vehicle systems, key credentials (Digital Key and Key Card), and external devices.
• Support vehicle integration, debugging, and bring‑up activities on prototype and production vehicles.
• Diagnose complex software, connectivity, and RF‑related issues across vehicle and mobile ecosystems.
• Use AI‑assisted development tools (such as VS Code with GitHub Copilot or other Ford‑approved AI coding assistants) to accelerate coding, code review, debugging, documentation, and test‑case generation, while critically validating all AI‑suggested code against automotive safety, security, and coding standards (e.g., MISRA).

You’ll have...

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, or related field.
• 8+ years of professional experience developing embedded software.
• Strong proficiency in Embedded C programming.
• Strong Python scripting and automation experience.
• Hands‑on experience with complex embedded software projects, such as Vehicle Access systems, Digital Key, or Key Card technologies.
• Experience working with complex industry standards, e.g., Car Connectivity Consortium (CCC) standards.
• Understanding of Bluetooth, UWB, NFC, RF communication, and wireless connectivity architectures.
• Experience developing software for automotive ECUs and embedded real‑time systems.
• Demonstrated ability to own a system end‑to‑end, from architecture through post‑launch support, with minimal supervision.
• Practical experience using modern AI‑assisted development tools (e.g., VS Code Copilot, Claude Code, or similar) to improve coding efficiency, accelerate debugging, and support test/documentation generation, paired with sound judgment on responsible use of AI‑generated output.

Even better, you may have...

• Automotive experience implementing CCC Digital Key vehicle access technology, and/or Key Card authentication systems.
• Experience developing software for Body Control Modules (BCM) or Vehicle Access ECUs.
• Knowledge of cybersecurity concepts related to vehicle access, transaction authorization, and secure authentication.
• Familiarity with CAN, Automotive Ethernet, diagnostics, and vehicle communication protocols.
• Experience with vehicle integration, validation, and launch activities.
• Understanding of embedded Linux and RTOS‑based systems.
• Familiarity with ISO26262, ASPICE, MISRA, or automotive software development processes.
• Experience establishing or contributing to team guidelines for the safe and efficient use of AI coding assistants in safety‑critical or regulated software environments.

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 level6 and ranges from $150,200-$283,500.

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.