Exterior Lighting 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...The Ford Exterior Lighting Engineer role is intended for a recent college graduate or early-career engineer who is ready to develop into an automotive lighting Design & Release engineer. In this role, you will learn how exterior lighting systems are designed, packaged, validated, released, and launched while working with experienced engineers, suppliers, studio, software, electrical, purchasing, manufacturing, supplier technical assistance, and quality teams.

Our ideal candidate is a motivated early-career engineer with strong CAD fundamentals, good problem-solving skills, and a demonstrated interest in vehicle development. Prior exposure to automotive engineering through a co-op, internship, senior design project, Formula SAE, Baja SAE, vehicle systems project, or similar hands-on experience is strongly preferred. Lighting-specific experience is not required, but the candidate should be eager to learn product development, component design, validation, release processes, and supplier collaboration.

This role is structured for an engineer who can build technical depth over time with coaching and hands-on program experience.

The right candidate will bring curiosity, accountability, strong communication, and the ability to apply engineering fundamentals to real-world automotive design challenges.

You'll have...

Minimum Requirements:

Bachelor of Science Degree in Mechanical, Electrical, or related field0–2 years of engineering experience, with interest in automotive product developmentCAD design skills for preliminary design work, package studies, section development, or similar engineering design activities

Automotive background through a co-op, internship, Formula SAE, Baja SAE, senior design project, or other hands-on vehicle-related experience

Basic understanding of engineering design, testing, problem solving, and documentation

Ability to work with suppliers and cross-functional teams with coaching and guidance

Strong communication, ownership, curiosity, and willingness to learn in a fast-paced engineering environment

Self-starter who can work independently, seek guidance when needed, and follow through on assigned responsibilities

Ability to apply engineering fundamentals to design tradeoffs and technical issue resolution

Even better, if you have …Preferred Bachelor of Science Degree in Mechanical, Electrical, Optical, or Software Engineering Master’s Degree or other Advanced Degree Exposure to exterior lighting, vehicle hardware, body systems, electrical systems, or similar automotive components

Familiarity with Design For Six Sigma process

Experience with DFMEA (Design Failure Mode and Effect Analysis), GD&T (Geometric Dimensioning and Tolerancing), and ISO standards

Experience with CATIA, Teamcenter/TCE, 3DX, WERS, FEDEBOM, or similar CAD, release, or BOM management systems

Knowledge of plastic materials, plastic injection molding, optics, basic electrical/electronic circuitry, software, lamp manufacturing processes, tooling, fixture design and product validation

Interest in learning exterior lighting attributes such as photometry, lit appearance, condensation,…