Chief Engineer - Software Quality Assurance

In this position... 
Ford’s Quality, Warranty, Verification and Validation (QWVV) team is charged with delivering the company’s vision of a high performing Engineering organization. QWVV is customer-obsessed, data-driven and is dedicated to defect prevention. You’ll join a highly skilled and agile team of doers working collaboratively, staying focused on only what matters, and delivering Quality day in and day out. Join us to make positive change by helping build a better world where every person is free to move and pursue their dreams.
We are seeking a Chief Engineer to lead our Software Quality Organization. This individual will oversee a team of Senior Systems and Senior Software Engineers, driving early defect detection and prevention, process improvement, and engineering excellence. The ideal candidate will have a proven track record of leading teams, driving organizational initiatives, and improving engineering efficiency and effectiveness.
 

What you'll do...
• Lead and mentor a team of Senior Systems and Software Engineers, fostering a culture of technical excellence, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
• Define and drive strategic initiatives to enhance engineering efficiency and effectiveness.
• Develop and implement process improvements that improve software and system quality while optimizing development timelines.
• Champion early defect detection and prevention methodologies to improve product reliability and reduce warranty concerns.
• Oversee and participate in design reviews, quality reviews, and engineering joint reviews to ensure adherence to best practices and industry standards.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to improve verification and validation strategies for complex automotive software and systems.
• Support Failure Mode Analysis (FMA) and risk mitigation strategies for both software and systems engineering.
• Provide technical leadership in either systems engineering or software engineering, ensuring alignment with industry standards such as ISO 26262 and ASPICE.
• Engage with senior leadership and stakeholders to drive continuous improvement initiatives that enhance overall software and systems quality.
• Partner with suppliers and internal teams to ensure robust quality, warranty, and compliance processes.



 

You'll have... 
• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering or other related or foreign equivalency degree or combination of education and experience
• 15-20 years of engineering experience in the automotive industry, with a focus on software or systems engineering.
• Proven experience leading teams of engineers and driving organizational initiatives to improve processes, efficiency, and effectiveness.
• Strong expertise in either systems engineering or software engineering, with a deep understanding of verification and validation best practices.
• Experience in early defect detection and prevention strategies to improve product quality and reliability.
• Demonstrated ability to define and implement process improvements that lead to measurable business impact.
• Strong background in ISO 26262 Functional Safety, ASPICE compliance, and software or system quality standards.
• Excellent communication skills with the ability to engage with senior leadership, engineering teams, and external stakeholders.
• Experience with infotainment, connected gateways, or telematics is highly desired.

Even better, you may have...
• Master’s degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering or other related or foreign equivalency degree or combination of education and experience
• Knowledge of DevOps, continuous integration, and automated testing for software-driven systems.
• Experience working with third-party software suppliers to ensure compliance with engineering standards.
• Understanding of cybersecurity best practices and open-source software compliance.

This is an exciting leadership opportunity to shape the quality, reliability, and efficiency of next-generation automotive systems. If you are passionate about leading teams, driving process improvements, and ensuring engineering excellence, we encourage you to apply.

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 benefit of choice. You can choose what your Ford future will look like: will your story span the globe, or keep you close to home? Will your career be a deep dive into what you love, or a series of new teams and new skills? Will you be a leader, a changemaker, a technical expert, a culture builder…or all of the above? No matter what you choose, we offer a work life th