Technician Success Program Innovation Manager

Ford; Allen Park (MI); On-site; USD 95,000 - 135,000; Full time

Job summary

Ford is seeking a Technician Success Program Innovation Manager in Michigan to drive the innovation engine for technician-pipeline growth, exploring new sources of talent and partnerships across education, industry, government, and communities.

The role leads strategy, pilots, and executive-level recommendations, with cross-functional collaboration to scale bold concepts while maintaining accountability and financial discipline.

Responsibilities

• Lead, coach, and inspire a high-performing team and network of project contributors, vendors, agencies, and cross-functional partners
• Create a culture that rewards curiosity, imagination, experimentation, calculated risk-taking, accountability, and results
• Challenge traditional assumptions about where technician talent comes from, how individuals enter the profession, and how Ford engages them
• Encourage the organization to think beyond existing programs and conventional recruiting channels to identify new talent populations, partnerships, technologies, and engagement models
• Create space for bold ideas while establishing the discipline required to evaluate, test, refine, and responsibly scale them
• Serve as a visible champion for innovation and early engagement, inspiring internal and external stakeholders to reimagine the future automotive technician pipeline
• Build organizational capability by developing repeatable approaches for innovation, program incubation, pilot execution, project management, and scalable implementation
• Develop and lead a comprehensive early-engagement strategy designed to increase awareness of automotive careers and expand the number and diversity of individuals entering the technician pipeline
• Identify critical points at which students, families, educators, career changers, and other potential talent populations make decisions about education and employment
• Design strategies that engage potential technicians earlier, create meaningful exposure to the profession, and establish clear pathways into Ford and Lincoln dealerships
• Explore new approaches for reaching elementary, middle school, high school, postsecondary, military, community-based, career-transition, and other nontraditional talent populations
• Develop innovative concepts that address barriers to entering automotive careers, including awareness, perception, access, cost, tools, transportation, training availability, and clarity of career pathways
• Partner with Ford and Lincoln dealers to understand local workforce needs and develop pipeline solutions that connect potential talent with meaningful dealership opportunities
• Use labor-market data, demographic trends, industry research, dealer feedback, and participant insights to identify emerging talent opportunities and pipeline risks
• Ensure new strategies complement established early-career programs while exploring opportunities beyond the organization’s current program portfolio
• Partner closely with the Early Career Entry Programs leader to ensure alignment

Job description

Technician Success Program Innovation Manager

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.

In this position...

The Technician Success Program Innovation Manager role serves as the innovation engine for technician-pipeline growth-exploring what is possible, taking calculated risks, testing unconventional ideas, and transforming the strongest concepts into scalable programs. The leader will develop and incubate initiatives from initial concept through research, business-case development, pilot execution, measurement, refinement, and broader deployment. Successful programs will ultimately be transitioned to the appropriate operational team with clear processes, governance, resources, and performance expectations.

The Technician Success Program Innovation Manager will work across education, industry, government, community, technology, media, and workforce-development channels to reach new and often untapped sources of technician talent. This includes identifying opportunities to engage students before they make career decisions, reintroduce the skilled trades to new audiences, reach career changers and underserved populations, and create innovative partnerships that make automotive careers more visible, accessible, and desirable.

The ideal candidate is a visionary strategist, creative problem-solver, and disciplined executor who is energized by possibilities and unafraid to break the mold. This individual must be willing to think big, lead the charge, challenge conventional thinking, and pursue ideas that have not been attempted before-while maintaining strong operational discipline, financial responsibility, and accountability for measurable results.

In addition to leading early-engagement innovation, this role will manage strategic initiatives, pilot scaling, special projects, executive leadership requests, project-management activities, and the development of executive-level presentations and recommendations. The position may also oversee Forward Tech media, marketing, and promotional strategy to strengthen awareness of automotive careers and connect potential talent with Ford and Lincoln opportunities.

What you’ll do...

Leadership & Innovation

• Lead, coach, and inspire a high-performing team and network of project contributors, vendors, agencies, and cross-functional partners
• Create a culture that rewards curiosity, imagination, experimentation, calculated risk-taking, accountability, and results
• Challenge traditional assumptions about where technician talent comes from, how individuals enter the profession, and how Ford engages them
• Encourage the organization to think beyond existing programs and conventional recruiting channels to identify new talent populations, partnerships, technologies, and engagement models
• Create space for bold ideas while establishing the discipline required to evaluate, test, refine, and responsibly scale them
• Serve as a visible champion for innovation and early engagement, inspiring internal and external stakeholders to reimagine the future automotive technician pipeline
• Build organizational capability by developing repeatable approaches for innovation, program incubation, pilot execution, project management, and scalable implementation

Technician-Pipeline Strategy & Early Engagement

• Develop and lead a comprehensive early-engagement strategy designed to increase awareness of automotive careers and expand the number and diversity of individuals entering the technician pipeline
• Identify critical points at which students, families, educators, career changers, and other potential talent populations make decisions about education and employment
• Design strategies that engage potential technicians earlier, create meaningful exposure to the profession, and establish clear pathways into Ford and Lincoln dealerships
• Explore new approaches for reaching elementary, middle school, high school, postsecondary, military, community-based, career-transition, and other nontraditional talent populations
• Develop innovative concepts that address barriers to entering automotive careers, including awareness, perception, access, cost, tools, transportation, training availability, and clarity of career pathways
• Partner with Ford and Lincoln dealers to understand local workforce needs and develop pipeline solutions that connect potential talent with meaningful dealership opportunities
• Use labor-market data, demographic trends, industry research, dealer feedback, and participant insights to identify emerging talent opportunities and pipeline risks
• Ensure new strategies complement established early-career programs while exploring opportunities beyond the organization’s current program portfolio
• Partner closely with the Early Career Entry Programs leader to ensure alignment, elimina