Global Vehicle Virtual Validation Manager

Job Category: PD Operations and Quality
Degree Level: Master’s Degree or equivalent

Job Description:

We are the movers of the world and the makers of the future. We get up every day, roll up our sleeves and build a better world together. At Ford, we’re all a part of something bigger than ourselves. Are you ready to change the way the world moves? 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… Do you want to change the world? The Ford Motor Company has endured and thrived for more than 118 years, using vision to imagine the future and courage to change.

Ford is redefining how it will build a better world for the future by creating a culture and opportunities where employees capitalize on Ford’s excellence in designing and building the most iconic products while also helping develop the future of world‑class connected vehicles. Ford is transforming our global automotive business, strengthening operations, and unlocking value. We will deliver the speed of a startup with the deep expertise of high‑volume production.

This is the opportunity of a lifetime. We are excited to lay the foundation for Ford’s push toward a new automotive future. We aim to create digital products that improve over time, amplify mobility for all, and create a thrilling driving experience for our customers.

Our Ford Product Development Digital Transformation team is searching for an experienced and dynamic Global Vehicle Virtual Validation Manager that will shape our future strategy and then deliver next‑generation digital engineering solutions for our designers, engineers, and functional partners. Digital transformation is reshaping Ford at an unprecedented pace. This leader will enable integrating next‑generation technology innovations, new business process solutions, and organization workforce development toward rapidly improving engineering efficiency, vehicle quality, and program delivery.

• Experience in developing and delivering Global Vehicle Virtual Validation (Digital Pre Assembly (DPA)) business processes, methods, and capabilities for the following objectives and outcomes.
• Development, execution, and enhancement of Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) Product Structures for architectures into Subsystems, Systems Engineering Teams (SETs), and/or Zones.
• Joint development, execution, and enhancement (with PD Program Management) next‑generation Configuration Management based on Vehicle Marketing Catalog of Features, Options, Packages, and Usage, to enable Virtual Validation of all saleable vehicle variants.
• Development, execution, and enhancement of CAD/PLM Vehicle Variants in CAD/PLM, commonly known as Control Models and/or Product Data Models (Digital Twins) for designers, engineers, program management, finance, manufacturing engineering, and service consumption.
• Development, execution, and enhancement of next‑generation Design Quality Checks.
• Development, execution, and enhancement of Vehicle Virtual Validation for Fit, Form, Function, Clearance, Interference, and Motion Analysis across Parts, Subsystems, System Integrations, Studio Class‑A Surfaces, Serviceability, and Manufacturability. Advanced development in Virtual Validation with next‑generation integrations, automations, and ML/AI technologies.
• Deliver business value and outcomes by
  1) Improving the productivity and efficiency of Product Development (designers, engineers, program teams, and finance),
  2) Shifting left the Vehicle Development Process (compressing overall PD engineering cycle time), and
  3) Reducing the number of post‑production release engineering changes.
• Experience with core Digital Engineering business processes, tools, and capabilities including:
  Vehicle Assumptions, Vehicle Technical Specifications, Vehicle Requirements, Product Lifecycle Management (PLM), Materials Engineering, Bill of Materials Management (BOM),…