Plant Floor Mobile Device Engineer

In this role, you will collaborate with diverse technology partners and stakeholders across the global enterprise—including Site IT Management, Manufacturing Technology Development, EPEO, Manufacturing IT Product Development Teams, and external vendors—to shape product strategy and define the platform roadmaps.

As the Integration Lead, you will be recognized as the Subject Matter Expert (SME) on these device platforms, providing the strategic and tactical support necessary to deploy global manufacturing solutions. The ideal candidate is naturally curious, forward-thinking, comfortable navigating a dynamically changing environment, and capable of driving positive organizational change.

The Manufacturing IT Advanced Technology team is responsible for providing modern, secure, and usable Information Technology/Operational Technology (IT/OT) data exchange solutions, enabling our manufacturing business partners to maintain and improve Ford’s manufacturing capabilities.

Responsibilities Include:

• Technology Evaluation: Identify and test emerging mobile and plant-floor device technologies (e.g., iOS, Android, Windows, handheld scanners, Microsoft Intune, Microsoft SCCM, Cloud) and investigate industry trends that have the potential to innovate, disrupt, or modernize our manufacturing platforms.
• Stakeholder Collaboration: Partner closely with business teams (e.g., Manufacturing, Product Development), technology partners (e.g., Apple, Zebra, Microsoft), and hardware/software vendors (e.g., SHI, Peak).
• Strategic Alignment: Understand Ford's business strategy to ensure mobile and plant-floor device products align with the broader technology landscape and accelerate the Ford+ vision.
• Platform Modernization: Work alongside internal service teams, product teams, industry experts, and suppliers to accelerate Ford’s adoption of modern infrastructure platforms.
• Testing & Validation: Lead Proof of Concept (PoC) projects and pilot programs as final validation stages within the larger ecosystem, evaluating business applications prior to service commitments.
• Backlog Management: Own the technical roadmap for manufacturing mobile devices (such as DWT iPads and Zebra Android scanners) and maintain the mobile device advanced technology backlog.
• Technical Consulting: Serve as the technical consultant across multiple areas, including mobile/plant-floor devices, wireless/wired networking, and manufacturing cybersecurity, assisting in the resolution of escalated issues.
• Cybersecurity Compliance: Perform cybersecurity vulnerability assessments for manufacturing mobile devices and spearhead remediation efforts.
• Standards & Compliance: Establish and document standard operating procedures (SOPs) for device deployment and use, and monitor compliance for OS security patches and firmware upgrades.
• Mobile Device Management (MDM): Act as the gatekeeper for manufacturing mobile device profiles in coordination with the EPEO MDM team, and leverage automation/dashboards to report on wireless device management via Intune.
• Global Support: Provide tier-3 technical support to global manufacturing sites for specialized devices like DWT iPads and Zebra Android scanners.

 Qualifications:

• Education/Experience: Bachelor’s degree (or equivalent experience) in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or a related technical field.
• Manufacturing Acumen: Strong understanding of manufacturing processes, plant-floor environments, and the associated IT processes integrated within the plant floor.
• Network Infrastructure: Solid understanding of IT network architectures and associated networking hardware.
• Innovation Mindset: A research-driven and innovative mentality, with the ability to rapidly learn, evaluate, and adopt emerging technologies.
• Autonomy: A self-motivated, independent starter who excels in less-structured environments where requirements and next steps are still evolving.
• Communication: Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, with a demonstrated ability to actively listen, understand customer perspectives, and collaborate within global, cross-functional teams.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Technical Leadership: Strong technical background with the ability to quickly master a specific technology domain, communicate effectively with all levels of management, and influence key partners' decision-making.
• IT/OT Integration: Dee