Staff Diagnostics Engineer- Automotive

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. 

What you'll do…

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. 

You'll have…

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or a related technical field; or equivalent experience and education demonstrating comparable software-architecture expertise. 
• 15+ years of experience in software development and delivery, with a strong emphasis on hands-on project execution and successful software deployment. 
• Demonstrated leadership and mentorship capabilities within a technical team environment, fostering growth, collaboration, and high-performing engineering practices. 
• A proven track record of successfully architecting, designing and delivering highly complex, large-scale software systems into production environments.  
• Exceptional ability to lead and drive cross-functional engineering initiatives, providing strategic technical direction and guidance.  
• Excellent communication skills with a record of presenting technical strategies and roadmaps to both technical and business stakeholders.

 

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 da