Product Development Engineer - Hatches, Locks & Mechanisms

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, the HLM (Handles, Locks, and Mechanisms) Design and Release Engineer leads the design, validation, release, and production implementation of closure hardware systems - handles, latches, locks, strikers, hinges, door checks, and the manual and powered mechanisms used in hoods, front trunks (frunks), side doors, tailgates, liftgates, and decklids. These are safety-critical, high-cycle systems: they restrain occupants in a crash, resist theft and environmental attack, and must operate cleanly hundreds of thousands of times over a vehicle's life.

• Lead HLM system design, development, and integration with cross-functional teams and suppliers, delivering closure hardware that meets program targets for quality, performance, safety, cost, mass, and timing.
• Apply the Global Product Development System (GPDS) to plan, schedule, and execute engineering deliverables and milestone commitments across every phase of the product development lifecycle.
• Evaluate, package, and validate all HLM component and vehicle-level interfaces, including mechatronic content such as powered and flush handles, e-latches, cinching latches, and power liftgate and frunk systems.
• Perform, review, and approve technical analyses including GD&T stack-ups, dimensional studies, packaging assessments, mechanism kinematics, load and effort calculations, and CAE evaluations of strength and durability.
• Review and approve CAD models, drawings, and supplier design data for compliance with Ford design standards, corporate specifications, craftsmanship targets, and program-specific requirements prior to release.
• Identify and drive functionality, reliability, cost, and mass optimization opportunities through competitive benchmarking, teardown analysis, VAVE studies, and application of lessons learned from prior programs.

• Release and manage engineering parts, Bills of Material (BOMs), and engineering changes through Ford release systems (WERS, FEDEBOM, Teamcenter/3DX), maintaining accurate structure and mass properties throughout the lifecycle.
• Develop and maintain core engineering documentation including DFMEAs, SCCAFs, Boundary Diagrams, P-Diagrams, DVP&Rs, Engineering Statements of Work (ESOW), and verification records supporting program milestone deliverables.
• Compile, document, approve, and present evidence of compliance to applicable engineering requirements, corporate design rules, and safety and regulatory standards, supporting certification and homologation reviews.
• Assess Product Development Letter (PDL) revisions and other program direction changes, determining technical impact, cost and timing implications, and the actions required to maintain program commitments.

• Define validation, durability, and functional test requirements per System Design Specifications (SDS), Engineering Specifications (ES), and DVP, covering slam durability, environmental exposure, closing efforts, security, and emergency-release performance.
• Define, procure, and validate engineering prototype requirements at the component and system level, supporting build events, vehicle-level evaluations, and design confirmation ahead of formal validation gateways.
• Lead Technical Design Reviews and Failure Mode Avoidance activities, driving design robustness, manufacturing readiness, and closure of open technical risks ahead of each program gateway.
• Apply structured problem-solving methods including Global 8D, 3x5 Why, and Six…