Senior Yocto Build Engineer Job Northern Kentucky USA,Software Development

Location: Northern

What you'll do

Design, implement, and maintain Yocto/Open Embedded build systems for automotive and embedded Linux platforms.
Create and optimize layer stacks, recipes, machine configurations, distro policies, and image definitions for production targets.
Develop and maintain BSP integrations, SDK generation, and cross-toolchain setups for multiple hardware architectures and target boards.
Collaborate with stakeholders to gather requirements and translate them into scalable embedded build system improvements that support quality, security, and delivery speed.
Drive architectural decisions for build reproducibility, layered customization, dependency management, and image composition strategies.
Develop and maintain automation tools, scripts, and internal build frameworks to streamline image builds, testing, and release workflows.
Manage build infrastructure, including local and CI-based Yocto builds, sstate caching, shared downloads, and artifact retention strategies.
Implement security practices for embedded builds, including signed artifacts, vulnerability scanning, SBOM generation, and compliance with manufacturing requirements.
Ensure compliance with automotive industry standards and regulatory requirements while supporting embedded software development across multiple target platforms.
Document build architecture, layer structure, image definitions, and operational procedures for engineering teams and release stakeholders.
Provide support for build-related incidents, performance issues, recipe failures, and release blockers across development and validation environments.
Establish build metrics, KPIs, and dashboards to monitor build health, throughput, and developer productivity.
Optimize Yocto build performance through layer cleanup, incremental build tuning, cache strategy adjustments, and dependency pruning.
Work with third-party vendors, silicon partners, and platform teams to integrate BSPs, tool chains, and software modules into the release pipeline.
Drive adoption of Yocto best practices across development teams and mentor engineers on embedded Linux build workflows, automation, and debugging.
Provide technical leadership as a senior IC, helping shape the roadmap for embedded Linux build infrastructure, toolchain evolution, and software delivery.

You’ll have

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, STEM, or equivalent professional experience.
5+ years of hands-on experience with Yocto Project and Open Embedded build systems.
Strong experience developing and maintaining layers, recipes, machine files, distro configurations, and image builds for Linux-based embedded systems.
Expert-level understanding of Git and version control strategies, including branching, release management, and layered software integration.
Deep knowledge of Linux internals, cross-compilation, tool chains, and embedded software packaging workflows.
Experience with C/C++ development and toolchain customization for embedded systems.
Scripting experience in Python and Bash.
Experience with containerization technologies and tools such as Docker, Podman, and Buildah.
Strong understanding of build security practices, artifact signing, reproducibility, and vulnerability scanning for embedded systems.
Experience with build performance optimization, observability, and metrics collection for large-scale Yocto environments.

Even better, you may have

Master's degree in Computer Science or other STEM focus areas with prior experience as an embedded software developer.
Experience with AOSP build system and Android repo workflows.
Experience with Bazel, CMake, or other build systems in a mixed-language embedded environment.
Experience with automotive ECUs, Linux-based compute platforms, or multiple target architectures.
Programming experience in Rust and Cargo, including integrating Rust components into embedded Linux product stacks.
Experience with BSP maintenance, kernel customization, boot loader integration, and device tree updates.
Knowledge of automotive industry standards, including ISO 26262 and ASPICE.
Familiarity with regulatory compliance requirements for embedded systems.
Experience with vulnerability scanning and security tooling in software supply chains.
Experience with artifact management, release pipelines, and software factory automation.

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…