Vehicle Systems Development Engineer

Ford; Dearborn, Northern (MI, KY); Hybrid; USD 100,000 - 167,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, vision coverage

Vehicle discount program

Tuition assistance

Job summary

Ford Motor Company in Dearborn seeks a Systems Integration Engineer to work across embedded hardware, sensors and software interfaces, spanning Linux, QNX, and automotive tech. You will help drive ADAS and Autonomy development with a cross-functional team.

You will analyze, prototype, test, and optimize hardware-software integration, collaborate with suppliers, and document learnings while expanding your expertise across domains.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering or related field.
• 5+ years hands-on experience in embedded systems, robotic systems, and/or automotive sensor technologies, including systems integration.
• Experience with Linux, Embedded Linux, QNX or similar UNIX-like OS.
• Experience writing C, C++, and/or Python code in a production environment.
• Working knowledge of basic circuitry and electrical tooling.

Responsibilities

• Learn and maintain a high-level understanding of hardware and software platforms.
• Perform both high- and low-level systems analysis, evaluation, integration, documentation, and implementation of complex applications.
• Work with embedded hardware and automotive sensors for rapid prototyping, testing and validation.
• Profile performance and resource utilization on embedded compute platforms.
• Develop hardware and software requirements and collaborate with suppliers to develop hardware.
• Collaborate with suppliers to evaluate, test, and integrate new hardware and sensors.
• Present complex technology to technical and non-technical audiences.

Skills

Embedded systems

Robotic systems

Automotive sensors

C/C++

Python

Linux

QNX

Networking

Documentation

Education

Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering or related field

Tools

Git

Jira

Docker

CMake

Bazel

GCC/G++

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.

In this position...

At Ford Motor Company, we believe freedom of movement drives human progress. We also believe in providing you with the freedom to define and realize your dreams. With our incredible plans for the future of mobility, we have a wide variety of opportunities for you to accelerate your career potential as you help us define tomorrow’s transportation.

The Systems Integration position involves working, hands‑on, with embedded hardware, automotive & robotics sensors, and industrial networking equipment as well as working with the software interfaces between these components. This is a highly cross‑functional role that has responsibilities spanning embedded hardware, sensors, electronics, and software. You will be working with a tight‑knit, cross‑functional team to help drive the development of Ford ADAS & Autonomy Technology. As this role spans a vast range of skills and knowledge, we are seeking a highly motivated, learning‑minded, and self‑starting individual with the desire to grow their skill set as they work across multiple domains.

The Systems Integration team’s responsibilities span multiple platforms that we are working on in both the hardware and software domains. In this role, you will work with, configure, troubleshoot, and test embedded hardware, networking hardware, sensors (camera, RADAR, LiDAR, etc.) and power systems. You will also work within Linux, Embedded Linux, and/or QNX environments to configure devices, and profile software performance & resource utilization on embedded compute platforms. You will gain high level familiarity with our entire software stack and use that understanding to help troubleshoot systems, generate hardware requirements and develop software to interface between different devices. You will also generate requirements to drive the development of new hardware and help architect complex systems. With work spanning multiple domains, you will interface with every functional group and be a key enabler for developing complex and robust ADAS features.

What you'll do...

• Learn and maintain a high‑level understanding of our hardware and software platform(s).
• Perform both high‑ and low‑level systems analysis, evaluation, integration, documentation, and implementation of very complex applications that require a thorough knowledge of the hardware and software platforms we are working with.
• Work with embedded hardware and automotive sensors to perform rapid prototyping, breadboarding, experimentation, testing, debugging, and validation.
• Use and/or develop tools on Linux/Embedded Linux/QNX to profile the performance, resource utilization and latency of our software.
• Develop hardware and software requirements based on your understanding of physical, environmental, power, and software constraints.
• Work with suppliers to develop new and/or custom hardware to meet our requirements.
• Work with suppliers to evaluate, test, and integrate new hardware and sensors. This typically involves gaining an understanding of the supplier’s APIs/SDKs and developing software in C/C++/Python to interface with the hardware.
• Quickly become the local expert on hardware you are working with and document your learnings and processes to share your knowledge with the team.
• Present complex technology and procedures to both technical and non‑technical audiences.

You’ll have...

• Bachelor's degree in electrical engineering, computer engineering or related fields
• 5+ years of hands‑on experience in embedded systems, robotic systems, and/or automotive sensor technologies (camera, RADAR, LiDAR), including systems integration of complex hardware and software platforms.
• Experience working with Linux, Embedded Linux, QNX or similar UNIX-like OS
• Experience writing C, C++, and/or Python code in a production environment
• Working knowledge of basic circuitry and experience with electrical tooling (soldering, multimeters, cable testers, power supplies, oscilloscopes)

Even better, you may have...

• Advanced degree in electrical engineering, computer engineering or related fields
• Exceptional communication skills and the ability to concisely communicate complex ideas.
• Proven ability to work effectively across hardware, software, validation and systems engineering teams.
• Experience breadboarding, rapid‑prototyping, and working with electrical components
• Experience working with external APIs/SDKs and writing software to interface with them
• Working knowledge of software development tools, build systems, and compilers like Git, Jira, Docker, CMake, Bazel, and GCC/G++
• Working knowledge of computer architecture, components, and local area networking (LAN)
• Working knowledge of communication interfaces and protocols including UART, SPI, I2C, RS-232, CAN/CAN-FD, automotive Ethernet, and SerDes (e.g., FPD-Link, GMSL), as well as GPS/GNSS and time synchronization protocols (NTP, PTP, PPS, NMEA).
• Strong Linux skills, including CLI‑only interfacing, debugging and root‑causing faults via kernel/system logs, configuring system services and udev rules, and writing bash scripts to automate repeatable processes — along with experience across x86 and ARM architectures and working knowledge of computer architecture, components, and local area networking (LAN).

You may not check every box, or your experience may look a little different from what we've outlined, but if you think you can bring value to Ford Motor Company, we encourage you to apply!

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 $99,600-$166,600.

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 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.