Mechatronics Systems Engineer

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.

Product Development uses design thinking & user experience methods to deliver breakthrough products and services that delight our customers. We bring innovative, exciting, and sustainable ideas to life. We have opportunities around the world for you to contribute to advancements in autonomy, electrification, smart mobility technologies, and more!

In this position...

We are seeking a highly capable and rigorous Core Architect to serve as the senior technical lead and primary authority for mechatronic feature definition, from initial concept definition through logical requirements handoff, and as the accountable Core SE representative through cross-validation, system/subsystem sign-off, and physical prototype direction.

In this role, you will own the front end of the feature lifecycle - driving stakeholder and use-case elicitation, system architecture and behavior definition, functional safety/DFMEA analysis, and formal requirements development - while engaging with a Modeling Engineer and Testing Engineer to execute the modeling, simulation, and verification/validation work needed to bring the feature to a fully signed-off, physically realized system.

The Systems Engineering team provides end-to-end, industrialized solutions encompassing the entire lifecycle of complex mechatronic vehicle systems. From initial feature intake and concept definition through architecture design, requirements derivation, sign-off, and physical realization, we ensure seamless coordination across multidisciplinary teams to deliver highly optimized, innovative, and safe vehicles.

What you'll do...

• Feature Intake Gate: Lead completion and submission of the conceptual intake form (Impacted Teams, Business Case, Scoping) on behalf of the requesting program, and drive the feature through the applicable gate reviews to secure formal Feature Owner assignment.
• Concept of Operations: Engage program, customer experience, and vehicle architecture stakeholders to define problem statements, identify and map stakeholders, define lifecycle contexts, elicit INCOSE/EARS-compliant needs, collect use cases, and establish measurable success criteria (MoE/MoP), driving stakeholder validation and sign-off.
• System Architecture Definition: Define system boundary, external interfaces, internal architecture (plant vs. controller partitioning), behavioral models (e.g., state machines), and interface specifications, establishing full structure-behavior-interface-use case traceability.
• System Analysis Requirements Engineering: Lead system-level analyses (functional safety, DFMEA prioritized by severity, cybersecurity/physical safety as applicable), define prevention controls for critical failure modes, and formalize INCOSE/EARS-compliant system requirements with full traceability and defined verification methods.
• Requirements Validation Handoff: Validate that requirements satisfy stakeholder needs and MoE/MoP thresholds, resolve gaps via iteration, and finalize and formally transmit the logical requirements package to the Mechatronics application team, establishing the ongoing support channel for cascade-phase clarifications.
• Cross-Validation Sign-off: Lead the functional safety-to-DFMEA cross-validation checkpoint, ensuring every hazard and high-severity failure mode is reconciled with a control or documented rationale, and serve as the primary Core SE stakeholder in joint system/subsystem sign-off with the Mechatronics team.
• Physical Realization Oversight: Engage in the proposition of the physical prototype strategy (mockup, fixture, 3D print, or hybrid) and approve builds against signed-off design intent, and provide technical guidance during test plan development and execution, reviewing failed/at-risk requirement dispositions that affect sign-off validity.
• Cross-Functional Leadership: Act as the technical authority and escalation point for architecture, requirements, and DFMEA decisions; direct and prioritize modeling and testing support requests to the Modeling Engineer and Testing Engineer; and represent Core SE at design reviews, program gateways, sign-off boards, and DFMEA workshops.

What you'll do...

• Feature Intake Gate: Lead completion and submission of the conceptual intake form (Impacted Teams, Business Case, Scoping) on behalf of the requesting program, and drive the feature through the applicable gate reviews to secure formal Feature Owner assignment.
• Concept of Operations: Engage program, customer experience, and vehicle architecture stakeholders to define problem statements, identify and map stakeholders, define lifecycle contexts, elicit INCOSE/EARS-compliant needs, collect use cases, and establish measurable success criteria (MoE/MoP), driving stakeholder validation and sign-off.
• System Architecture Definition: Define system boundary, external interfaces, internal architecture (plant vs. controller partitioning), behavioral models (e.g., state machines), and interface specifications, establishing full structure-behavior-interface-use case traceability.
• System Analysis Requirements Engineering: Lead system-level analyses (functional safety, DFMEA prioritized by severity, cybersecurity/physical safety as applicable), define prevention controls for critical failure modes, and formalize INCOSE/EARS-compliant system requirements with full traceability and defined verification methods.
• Requirements Validation Handoff: Validate that requirements satisfy stakeholder needs and MoE/MoP thresholds, resolve gaps via iteration, and finalize and formally transmit the logical requirements package to the Mechatronics application team, establishing the ongoing support channel for cascade-phase clarifications.
• Cross-Validation Sign-off: Lead the functional safety-to-DFMEA cross-validation checkpoint, ensuring every hazard and high-severity failure mode is reconciled with a control or documented rationale, and serve as the primary Core SE stakeholder in joint system/subsystem sign-off with the Mechatronics team.
• Physical Realization Oversight: Engage in the proposition of the physical prototype strategy (mockup, fixture, 3D print, or hybrid) and approve builds against signed-off design intent, and provide technical guidance during test plan development and execution, reviewing failed/at-risk requirement dispositions that affect sign-off validity.
• Cross-Functional Leadership: Act as the technical authority and escalation point for architecture, requirements, and DFMEA decisions; direct and prioritize modeling and testing support requests to the Modeling Engineer and Testing Engineer; and represent Core SE at design reviews, program gateways, sign-off boards, and DFMEA workshops.