IN THIS POSITION…

The Staff Diagnostics Engineer role is essential to advancing the development of Manufacturing Diagnostics and Testing Tools for the next generation of Ford vehicles. In this role, you will lead the creation of the critical software pipeline that bridges Product Development and Manufacturing, ensuring every vehicle is built with the correct software and configuration. Success requires exceptional technical expertise in cloud architecture, a passion for high-performance systems, and the ability to lead in a fast-paced, collaborative environment.
The Digital Manufacturing Systems team is seeking a highly motivated Staff Diagnostics Engineer to play a key role in imagining, inventing, and implementing the technology that manufactures the next generation of Ford vehicles. Ford is transforming from a hardware-centric automaker to a software-defined, cloud-connected mobility company. Your work will directly enable that transformation.
This role is not just about writing code; it’s about pioneering a green-field platform that will serve as the single source of truth for all vehicle software and configuration. You will be the lead architect for the high-performance system that validates and delivers software to every vehicle we build, solving complex data and integration challenges at scale. If you are a visionary leader passionate about building resilient, cloud-native systems and want to be a key architect in shaping the future of automotive manufacturing, this role offers an extraordinary opportunity to make a lasting impact.

SOFTWARE ARCHITECTURE & CLOUD EXPERIENCE

• Deep expertise in at least one major public cloud platform ( GCP or AWS preferred), with the ability to design secure, scalable, and high-availability services.
• Strong proficiency in an object-oriented language such as Java , Python , or .NET .
• Proven experience designing and deploying containerized microservices using Docker and Kubernetes .
• Expertise in Infrastructure-as-Code (IaC) using tools like Terraform to automate cloud resource provisioning.
• Experience architecting real-time data processing pipelines using technologies like Kafka and Spark .
• Hands-on experience with both relational databases (e.g., PostgreSQL, Cloud SQL) and NoSQL databases (e.g., BigTable, DynamoDB, Cassandra).
  Strong knowledge of modern software development practices, including Test-Driven Development (TDD) and building robust CI/CD pipelines using tools like Jenkins, GitHub Actions, or GitLab.

DIAGNOSTICS & AUTOMOTIVE EXPERIENCE

• Working knowledge of automotive diagnostic protocols and standards such as UDS (Unified Diagnostic Services) , CAN , and ISO 14229 .
• Experience in the automotive, manufacturing, or a related industrial sector, with an understanding of the challenges in factory-floor environments.
  Familiarity with functional safety standards (e.g., ISO 26262) is a plus.

LEADERSHIP & METHODOLOGY EXPERIENCE

• Proven experience leading projects within an Agile (Scrum, Kanban) or SAFe framework.
• Demonstrated ability to champion and introduce design principles like Clean Architecture and Domain-Driven Design (DDD) to solve complex business problems.
  Prior experience leading or mentoring mixed on-site and offshore engineering teams is highly desirable.
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  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 leadership level 6.
For more information on salary and benefits, click here:
https://fordcareers.co/LL6SP1

As a Staff Diagnostics Engineer, you will serve as the lead architect and technical owner for a new diagnostics and configuration platform. You will be instrumental in shaping the systems that guarantee the integrity of our vehicle software from design to the factory floor.

• Lead the architecture and development of high-throughput, cloud-native services that ingest, validate, and publish hundreds of thousands of software and configuration instructions.
• Design and produce canonical “flash” packages and ensure their flawless execution in our North American assembly plants.
• Provide technical leadership and mentorship to a dedicated cross-functional squad of 4-6 engineers (software, diagnostics, DevOps); this role is positioned for future direct-report responsibility as the program scales.
• Champion modern software engineering practices, including Clean Architecture, Domain-Driven Design (DDD), automated testing, and robust CI/CD pipelines.
• Define the long-term strategy for software documentation and configuration management, influencing all upcoming vehicle programs.
• Lead technical collaboration with Product Development, Manufacturing Engineering, Quality, and Enterprise IT teams to drive solutions from concept to production.