Vehicle Software Updates Engineering Manager

Jobtailor; Dearborn (MO); On-site; USD 180,000 - 250,000; Full time

Job summary

Ford Motor Company seeks a senior leader to drive the architectural design of the Software Factory release and deploy pipeline across the vehicle lifecycle, from plant assembly to OTA updates.

You'll recruit and mentor a diverse team of Systems Engineers, establishing quality gates and standardized system-level requirements for Plant, Service, and OTA delivery. You will coordinate cross-team efforts to ensure seamless toolchain integration and address critical path blockers for launches.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in electrical engineering, systems engineering, computer science, or a related technical field.
• 10+ years in Software/Systems/Embedded engineering or related fields.
• 5+ years in leadership or management of cross-functional teams.

Responsibilities

• Lead the architectural design and evolution of Ford's Software Factory release and deploy pipeline.
• Recruit, mentor, and develop a diverse Systems Engineering team with focus on high-integrity software release practices.
• Oversee creation and standardization of system-level requirements and rigorous quality gates for Plant, Service, and OTA delivery.
• Drive automation and optimization of release and deployment processes; handle complex integration and field issues.

Skills

Software Engineering

Systems Engineering

Embedded Systems Development

Technical Architecture

Cybersecurity Principles

Quality Assurance Standards

CAN and Ethernet/SomeIP

Leadership

Cross-Functional Collaboration

Education

Bachelor's degree in electrical engineering, systems engineering, computer science, or related field

Tools

GitHub

GCP

Jenkins

IVS/SWCM/SRP/VRP Systems

Cloud Operations

Job description

• Lead the architectural design and evolution of Ford's next-generation Software Factory release and deploy pipeline. Define the strategy for how software is released and deployed across the entire vehicle lifecycle from initial assembly in the plant to service diagnostics and over-the-air (OTA) updates.


• Recruit, mentor, and develop a diverse team of Systems Engineers. Foster a culture of technical excellence, continuous improvement, and agile delivery, specifically focused on high-integrity software release practices.


• Oversee the creation and standardization of system-level requirements and specifications. Establish rigorous quality gates and validation standards to ensure software integrity across all delivery channels (Plant, Service, and OTA).


• Optimize and automate processes for software release and deployment activities. Lead triaging and resolution efforts for complex integration and field issues.


• Serve as the primary point of contact for Software Release and Deploy transformation at Ford (including SRP/VRP transformation) for senior leadership and global stakeholders across Manufacturing/Plant Operations, Service Engineering, Embedded ECU Development, and Cloud Operations.


• Coordinate between multiple teams to ensure the \"Software Factory\" toolchain seamlessly integrates with vehicle hardware, ensuring a consistent and reliable pipeline to release high-quality Software Release Packages and Vehicle Release Packages while managing migration of legacy systems to the modernized systems.


• Drive \"War Room\" sessions and executive reviews to resolve critical path blockers for vehicle launches (Job 1) and major software feature rollouts, ensuring zero-defect delivery.

Requirements

• Minimum: Bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering, systems engineering, computer science, or a related technical field.


• Minimum 10 years of experience in Software Engineering, Systems Engineering, or Embedded Systems Development or related fields.


• Minimum 5 years of experience in a formal or informal leadership or management role, leading cross-functional technical teams through complex product lifecycles.


• Deep understanding of the Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) and Software Factory toolchains (e.g., GitHub, GCP, Jenkins).


• Proven ability to translate complex business requirements into technical system-level architectures for both Embedded and Cloud domains.


• Direct experience in Automotive OTA (Over-the-Air) update technology or large-scale distributed systems.


• Familiarity with the Ford in-house IVS/SWCM/SRP/VRP systems to drive Software Release transformation


• Technical mastery of automotive communication protocols (CAN, Ethernet/SomeIP) and cybersecurity principles for software deployment.


• Exceptional communication skills, with a demonstrated ability to abstract technical material for executive-level presentations (LL5+).


• Experience creating and managing big picture roadmaps across complex projects and multiple development teams to drive Macro-level project progress across cross-functional domains.


• Background in the Aerospace, Defense, or Automotive industries with a focus on safety-critical software integration.


• Demonstrated \"Product Mindset\" with ownership of the end-to-end product lifecycle (strategy, development, launch, and post-launch support).

Core Competencies

Demonstrates expertise in Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) and Software Factory toolchains, with a strong focus on Automotive OTA update technology and system-level architecture. Proven leadership in managing cross-functional teams and driving software release transformation in safety-critical environments.

Highest-signal resume keywords

• Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC)


• Automotive OTA Update Technology


• Software Factory Toolchains


• Leadership in Cross-Functional Teams


• Automotive Communication Protocols

ATS Optimization Keywords

Hard Skills

• Software Engineering


• Systems Engineering


• Embedded Systems Development


• Technical Architecture


• Cybersecurity Principles


• Process Automation


• Quality Assurance Standards


• System-Level Requirements


• Integration and Field Issue Resolution


• Technical Mastery of CAN and Ethernet/SomeIP

Soft Skills

• Exceptional Communication Skills


• Mentoring and Team Development


• Continuous Improvement Mindset


• Abstracting Technical Material


• Collaboration Across Teams

Industry Keywords

• Automotive Industry


• Safety-Critical Software


• Aerospace


• Defense


• Software Release Transformation

Tools & Technologies

• GitHub


• GCP


• Jenkins


• IVS/SWCM/SRP/VRP Systems


• Cloud Operations