Vehicle Dynamics CAE Engineer

Lincoln Motor Company; Allen Park (MI); Hybrid; USD 90,000 - 166,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, vision coverage

Paid parental leave

Vehicle discount program

Job summary

Ford Motor Company seeks a Vehicle Dynamics CAE Engineer to advance high-performance vehicle design. You will lead CAE modeling for full-vehicle suspension, drive the development process, and refine tools for improved handling, ride, and accuracy across on-site and off-site testing environments.

Qualifications include 10+ years in automotive CAE, ADAMS/CarSim experience, and programming skills in MATLAB and Python. A Master’s degree is preferred; a passion for track performance is a plus.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent work experience.
• 10+ years automotive CAE experience, with emphasis on performance/racing vehicle design and modeling.
• 10+ years using multi-body dynamics tools like ADAMS, ADAMS Car or similar.
• 5+ years using full vehicle parametric models like CarSim.
• Proficiency in programming languages for data processing and tool automation (MATLAB, C+, VisualBasic, Python).
• Experience using AI and LLM tools to accelerate model and tool development.
• Working knowledge of vehicle test methods such as K&C and standard vehicle dynamics tests.

Responsibilities

• Utilize CAE tools and test results to support the delivery of high-performance cars and trucks with full vehicle and suspension system modeling.
• Utilize CAE tools to support and direct efficient vehicle development and design processes.
• The CAE Group defines new product suspension and chassis designs within Advanced Systems Engineering.
• Implement and refine CAE modeling tools, and develop new tools to improve performance, steering, handling, ride, and load predictions.
• Inform planned vehicle tests and interpret test results as part of Vehicle Dynamics and Simulations team.
• Analyze full vehicle test data to create attribute targets and ensure hardware supports those targets.
• Support Full Vehicle Simulation Modeling and simulator tool development at FPTC and off-site locations.

Skills

CAE

Vehicle Dynamics

Multi-Body Dynamics

CarSim

ADAMS/ADAMS Car

MATLAB

Python

C++

AI tools

Education

Bachelor's degree or equivalent

Master's degree in Mechanical Engineering

Tools

ADAMS

ADAMS Car

CarSim

rFpro

Cruden

Vi-Grade

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.

Racing is where our story began.

In 1901, Henry Ford climbed into a car he built himself—"Sweepstakes"—and beat America's most famous driver. He wasn't a racer, but he had to win. He did. Ford Motor Company was born from that victory.

That fighting spirit lives on in Ford Racing today. We're the engineers, strategists, and competitors who bring Ford's track-tested edge into every vehicle we build. Every track, every stage, and every proving ground—that's where we prove ourselves.

The result: one of the world's most iconic brands, legendary nameplates, and a team unmatched in the industry.

Our mantra: Race to win, engineer to lead.

If you're a competitor, innovator, or performance obsessive, Ford Racing is where you belong. Help us write the next chapter.

In this position...

This position involves using CAE tools and developing new tools and methods to support program architecture decisions, full-vehicle handling, ride and lap-time analysis, and validation, testing, and performance predictions. If good is just never good enough for you, Ford Performance shares your passion for striving for perfection.

We're responsible for creating and developing high performance products and services which are best-in-class on road and off road. Help us drive excellence in capability, performance, and customer experiences on the track, in the dunes, on the rocks, and on road driving by architecting vehicle chassis capabilities that are first in the industry. Ford Motor Company continues to grow and modernize production and motorsports vehicles for our customers seeking the ultimate capability and performance.

In support of this effort, the Ford Performance team is looking for a Vehicle Dynamics CAE Engineer.

What You'll Do...

• Utilize CAE tools and test results to support the delivery of the company's high-performance cars and trucks with full vehicle and suspension system modeling
• Utilize the CAE tools to support and direct efficient vehicle development and design processes
• The CAE Group is a part of the Advanced Systems Engineering Group, defining new product suspension and chassis designs
• Implement and refine existing CAE modeling tools, and, where necessary, develop new tools to improve performance, steering, handling, ride, and load predictions
• Inform planned vehicle tests and interpret test results as part of the Vehicle Dynamics and Simulations team
• Analyze full vehicle test data to create specific attribute targets and ensure hardware choices support those targets
• Support the Full Vehicle Simulation Modeling work and simulator tool development at the FPTC full vehicle simulator and other off-site test locations as needed

You’ll Have...

• Bachelors degree or equivalent work experience
• 10+ years of automotive CAE experience, with an emphasis on performance or racing vehicle design and modeling
• 10+ years of experience using multi-body dynamics tools like ADAMS, ADAMS Car or similar software
• 5+ years of experience using full vehicle parametric models like CarSim
• Proficiency in programming languages for data processing and tool automation (MATLAB, C+, VisualBasic, Python).
• Experience using AI and LLM tools to accelerate model and tool development
• Working knowledge of vehicle test methods such as K&C and industry-standard vehicle dynamics tests

Even Better, If You Have...

• Master's or PhD in Mechanical Engineering with a focus on Vehicle Dynamics or Control Systems.
• Deep understanding of tire force and moment generation, including experience with Pacejka or MF-Tyre models.
• Participation in Formula SAE, Baja SAE, or professional motorsports engineering experience modeling active suspension systems, semi-active damping, or torque vectoring systems.
• Hands-on experience developing vehicle models specifically for real-time DIL simulators (e.g., rFpro, Cruden, Vi-Grade).
• A personal passion for track driving or off-roading, with an ability to subjectively evaluate vehicle handling limits

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 salary grade 7 and ranges from $86,600-$144,900 or This position is a salary grade 8 and ranges from $99,100-$166,200.

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.

For more information on salary and benefits, click here: https://fordcareers.co/GSR

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.