Embedded Software And Cybersecurity Engineer, Ford Energy

Ford Energy is a newly formed, wholly owned subsidiary of Ford Motor Company dedicated to accelerating US energy independence. Leveraging Ford's century of manufacturing excellence and world-class battery energy storage systems (BESS) technology, Ford Energy designs, manufactures, and services grid-scale and commercial DC battery energy storage systems (BESS). Ford Energy is uniquely positioned to capture the growing demand for reliable, US-built energy storage systems. We are not just building batteries; we are building the infrastructure for the next generation of the American grid.

Why Ford Energy?

At Ford Energy, you have the backing of an industrial manufacturing powerhouse with the agility of a dedicated energy startup offering industry leading technology. We offer a competitive compensation package including performance-based bonuses, Ford vehicle discounts, and the opportunity to shape the energy strategy of one of the world's most iconic brands.

In this position...

The Embedded Software & Cybersecurity Engineer will design, develop, and secure the embedded firmware that powers Ford Energy's battery management and monitoring systems. You will own the software architecture running on microcontrollers and embedded processors within the BESS environment - writing and hardening the low-level code that reads sensors, manages state-of-charge logic, communicates over vehicle- and grid-grade protocols, and defends against sophisticated threats. Working in close coordination with Ford Auto Engineering and Ford Energy technical teams, this is a hands-on engineering role at the intersection of firmware development and cybersecurity, ensuring safe, reliable, and secure operation of safety-critical infrastructure.

About Ford Energy Ford Energy is a newly formed, wholly owned subsidiary of Ford Motor Company dedicated to accelerating US energy independence. Leveraging Ford's century of manufacturing excellence and world-class battery energy storage systems (BESS) technology, Ford Energy designs, manufactures, and services grid-scale and commercial DC battery energy storage systems (BESS). Ford Energy is uniquely positioned to capture the growing demand for reliable, US-built energy storage systems. We are not just building batteries; we are building the infrastructure for the next generation of the American grid.

What you'll do...

• Embedded Firmware Development & Architecture

• Design, develop, and maintain embedded C/C++ firmware for BMS controllers and battery monitoring electronics, including drivers, RTOS tasks, and control logic. Develop and maintain higher level applications that utilize Python, C#, Java.

• Architect secure-by-design firmware structures, including memory partitioning, secure bootloaders, and modular software layers that support both functional and security requirements.

• Implement Hardware Root of Trust, secure boot chains, code signing pipelines, and cryptographic key lifecycle management directly within embedded software.

• Develop and maintain low-level drivers and middleware for microcontroller peripherals (ADC, UART, SPI, CAN controllers) used in battery sensing and monitoring.

• Cybersecurity Architecture & Risk Management

• Lead cybersecurity architecture and TARA (Threat Analysis and Risk Assessment) for battery monitoring electronics and their firmware.

• Focus on mitigating risks related to sensor spoofing, unauthorized SOC manipulation, malicious commands, remote access, and firmware compromise through robust software design.

• Define and maintain testable cybersecurity requirements for BMS and monitoring functions, ensuring traceability from concept to release, and implement them directly in embedded code.

• Communication Stack & Secure Update Software

• Develop and secure embedded communication stacks, including CAN, SPI, Ethernet, and Modbus TCP protocol implementations.

• Design and implement secure OTA (Over-the-Air) and field update firmware, including bootloader-level authentication, anti-rollback protection, and fail-safe recovery/rollback logic.

• Design and implement algorithms for state of charge (SOC) and state of health (SOH), thermal management, and fault detection.

• Build and integrate embedded intrusion/anomaly detection routines into firmware for real-time attack awareness at the edge.

• Validation, Testing & Response

• Write and execute unit, integration, and hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) tests for embedded firmware; support vulnerability analysis, penetration testing, and fuzz testing on battery monitoring and connected interfaces.

• Debug firmware issues using JTAG/SWD, logic analyzers, and oscilloscopes; lead issue remediation planning and establish response processes for product vulnerabilities and field issues.

• Develop technical security case materials and evidence for design gates, audits, and compliance reviews.

• Cross-Functional Co-Engineering

• Collaborate with software, controls, and safety teams to ensure embedded security controls are compatible with functional safety and safe-state behavior.

• Align with Ford Energy Engineering and global suppliers on shared firmware architecture, release, and implementation standards.

• Communicate technical security risks, tradeoffs, and firmware design decisions to executive-level stakeholders.

What you'll do...

• Embedded Firmware Development & Architecture

• Design, develop, and maintain embedded C/C++ firmware for BMS controllers and battery monitoring electronics, including drivers, RTOS tasks, and control logic. Develop and maintain higher level applications that utilize Python, C#, Java.

• Architect secure-by-design firmware structures, including memory partitioning, secure bootloaders, and modular software layers that support both functional and security requirements.

• Implement Hardware Root of Trust, secure boot chains, code signing pipelines, and cryptographic key lifecycle management directly within embedded software.

• Develop and maintain low-level drivers and middleware for microcontroller peripherals (ADC, UART, SPI, CAN controllers) used in battery sensing and monitoring.

• Cybersecurity Architecture & Risk Management

• Lead cybersecurity architecture and TARA (Threat Analysis and Risk Assessment) for battery monitoring electronics and their firmware.

• Focus on mitigating risks related to sensor spoofing, unauthorized SOC manipulation, malicious commands, remote access, and firmware compromise through robust software design.

• Define and maintain testable cybersecurity requirements for BMS and monitoring functions, ensuring traceability from concept to release, and implement them directly in embedded code.

• Communication Stack & Secure Update Software

• Develop and secure embedded communication stacks, including CAN, SPI, Ethernet, and Modbus TCP protocol implementations.

• Design and implement secure OTA (Over-the-Air) and field update firmware, including bootloader-level authentication, anti-rollback protection, and fail-safe recovery/rollback logic.

• Design and implement algorithms for state of charge (SOC) and state of health (SOH), thermal management, and fault detection.

• Build and integrate embedded intrusion/anomaly detection routines into firmware for real-time attack awareness at the edge.

• Validation, Testing & Response

• Write and execute unit, integration, and hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) tests for embedded firmware; support vulnerability analysis, penetration testing, and fuzz testing on battery monitoring and connected interfaces.

• Debug firmware issues using JTAG/SWD, logic analyzers, and oscilloscopes; lead issue remediation planning and establish response processes for product vulnerabilities and field issues.

• Develop technical security case materials and evidence for design gates, audits, and compliance reviews.

• Cross-Functional Co-Engineering

• Collaborate with software, controls, and safety teams to ensure embedded security controls are compatible with functional safety and safe-state behavior.

• Align with Ford Energy Engineering and global suppliers on shared firmware architecture, release, and implementation standards.

• Communicate technical security risks, tradeoffs, and firmware design decisions to executive-level stakeholders.