Principal Systems Engineer

At Ford Motor Company, we believe freedom of movement drives human progress. We also believe in providing you with the freedom to define and realize your dreams. With our incredible plans for the future of mobility, we have a wide variety of opportunities for you to accelerate your career potential as you help us define tomorrow’s transportation.

Ford’s Research and Advanced Engineering team explores new vehicle and societal innovations that require some level of invention before they can be applied to our products and services. We deliver ways to make smarter vehicles and innovate using sustainable, environmentally, and socially responsible methods and materials. Since 2000, we have used twelve industry- and world-first plant-based materials in our production vehicles. We also are researching the possible use of tomato skin, bamboo, agave fiber, dandelion roots, algae, and coffee chaff as part of our ambitious goal of making our vehicles with up to 20 percent sustainable material by 2025.

What you’ll be able to do: 

Principal Systems Engineer - positions offered by Ford Motor Company (Palo Alto, California). Note, this is a hybrid position whereby the employee will work both from home and from the Palo Alto office. Hence, the employee must live within a reasonable commuting distance from Palo Alto, CA.  Design and implement cutting-edge integrations from Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) solutions to external platforms providing optimized solution for complex manufacturing processes. The PLM integrations are implemented by extracting massive, complex engineering data from the central PLM system, then transforming and optimizing it into lightweight, universally accessible formats. The transformed data is then applied directly to manufacturing processes, enabling tools that allow technicians to visually pinpoint defects, troubleshoot electronics, or diagnose issues on interactive 3D models, thereby significantly improving the speed and accuracy of their work. Automate workflows using C++/C# and in platform programming languages, as well as develop robust internal data models. Enhance design workflows by developing solutions that facilitate seamless CAD file conversion and integration. Create responsive web applications with advanced 3D rendering capabilities using WebGL/WebGPU to support user facing application development. Web application development duties involve building user-facing tools with advanced 3D rendering capabilities using technologies like WebGL and WebGPU. This function translates complex back-end data integrations into interactive, visual applications that factory personnel use to improve their work. Collaborate effectively with cross-functional teams (engineering, manufacturing, IT) to gather requirements, provide technical guidance, and ensure seamless integration of solutions across different departments. Present technical information clearly and concisely to both technical and non-technical audiences. Conduct thorough code reviews for the department to ensure code quality, adherence to coding standards, and the prevention of bugs. Actively participate in code review processes, providing constructive feedback and suggestions for improvement. Utilize and maintain source code repositories (e.g., Git, SVN) effectively. Commit code changes frequently, Draft commit messages, manage branches, resolve merge conflicts, and participate in pull request workflows. Work within the automotive manufacturing industry, utilizing advanced systems like Siemens PLM and Google Cloud to develop projects such as 3D diagnostic visualizers and defect capture tools. This role directly impacts the production quality of Ford vehicles by applying specialized skills in software engineering and 3D computer graphics to solve complex manufacturing challenges. Domestic and International Travel Required 10%.

You'll have... 

Bachelor's degree or foreign equivalent in Computer Science, Physics, Aerospace Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering or related field and 8 years of experience in the job offered or related occupation.  3 years of experience with each of the following skills is required:  1. C++ and platform-specific programming languages for developing PLM automation solutions. 2. Integrating PLM platforms (Siemens NX/Teamcenter or Dassault Systèmes 3DEXPERIENCE) with external systems. 3. Designing and implementing RESTful APIs for internal and external data and service access. 4. Engineering cloud-based backend services for the ingestion and processing of diverse CAD file formats (2D, 3D). 5. Developing responsive and interactive web front-end applications using modern JavaScript frameworks (React or Angular). 6. WebGL/WebGPU for developing web applications with advanced 3D rendering capabilities. 7. Source code management using Git.

We are offering a salary of $264,514.00 - $285,000.00/yr. 

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