Staff Technical Program Manager, Software Verification & Validation

Ford; Palo Alto (CA); Hybrid; USD 150,000 - 284,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, vision coverage

Vehicle discount program

Tuition assistance

Paid time off

Job summary

Ford is seeking a Program Manager for hardware and software integration planning, defect management, and release governance in automotive software space.

Responsibilities include leading V&V activities, developing detailed program plans, and coordinating with cross-functional teams to align testing with project milestones, risks, and budgets.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or Master’s in a technical field (CS/SE/EE) or equivalent experience.
• Minimum 5 years in program management with software focus (verification/validation or QA).
• Automotive/EV software experience preferred; aerospace acceptable.
• Proven track record managing complex projects in fast-paced settings.

Responsibilities

• Lead validation and verification activities with timely delivery.
• Develop plans, schedules, and budgets for programs.
• Align testing with milestones and manage engineering dependencies.
• Lead V&V team and coordinate with development, product, and operations.
• Drive program risk mitigation and reporting to leadership.

Skills

V&V methodologies

Agile/SCRUM

Communication

Project management

Issue tracking

Education

B.S./M.S. in CS/SE/EE

Tools

JIRA

Confluence

Microsoft Project

Job description

In this role, you will be supporting hardware & software Integration planning, vehicle software integration defect management, and release management for Ford Motor Company.

What you'll do...

1. Program Management

• Lead and manage multiple validation and verification activities, ensuring timely delivery and adherence to project plans.
• Develop and maintain detailed program plans, schedules, and budgets.
• Ensure alignment between testing activities and project timelines, milestones, and resource allocation.
• Manage dependencies for the engineering team including procurement of test platforms and equipment in support of test execution.
• Manage program risks, identify dependencies, and develop mitigation strategies to ensure timely execution of milestones.

2. Team Leadership

• Provide guidance to the V&V team, fostering a culture of quality and continuous improvement.
• Lead internal bug triage meetings where next steps of all open issues are identified and assigned.
• Coordinate with other teams, including development, product management, and operations, to align V&V activities with overall project goals.

3. Stakeholder Management

• Communicate program status, progress, and issues to stakeholders, including senior management.
• Manage go/no-go meetings where technical merits of all open issues will be reviewed to make a release decision.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to gather and analyze requirements for testing.
• Drive closure to key issues by working with development teams and other TPMs.

4. Continuous Improvement

• Analyze defect trends and patterns and recommend process improvements.
• Drive continuous improvement of V&V processes and methodologies, leveraging industry best practices and emerging technologies to optimize efficiency and effectiveness.

5. Program Tracking & Reporting

• Track and report program status, KPIs, and deliverables to leadership and stakeholders.
• Identify risks to program and work cross-functionally though organization to resolve conflicts.
• Triage defects resulting from Software integration and lab car testing.
• Triage defects from testing outside of Software organization such as various vehicle tests, driver mileage accumulation, etc.

You'll have...

Requirements

• B.S. or M.S in computer science, software engineering, electrical engineering or relevant work experience as a technical program manager in automotive software space.
• Minimum of 5 years of experience in program management, with a focus on software development, verification and validation or quality assurance.
• Direct experience with automotive and electric vehicles experience preferred. Will consider candidates with experience in similar domains such as aerospace.
• Proven track record of successfully managing complex projects in a fast-paced environment.

Skills

• Strong understanding of V&V methodologies, tools, and best practices.
• Knowledge of Electric Vehicles and basics on EV architecture. Experience validating software on HILs or other test platforms is a big plus.
• Knowledge of software development lifecycle (SDLC) and quality assurance practices.
• Excellent project management skills, including the ability to create and manage detailed project plans.
• Strong understanding of Agile/SCRUM methodologies, and related tools
• Exceptional communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to work effectively with cross-functional teams and stakeholders.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities.
• Proficiency in project management tools and software (e.g., Microsoft Project, Confluence, JIRA).
• PMP or other Project Management certifications preferred.
• Experience in Defect Management
• Experience in Release Management

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:

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 a leadership level 6 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. #LI-Hybrid