Forward Model Quality Chief, Underbody Systems Engineering, Vehicle Engineering and Design Assurance

We are seeking a senior engineering and quality leader to join Global Forward Model Quality as the Forward Model Quality Chief. You will be accountable for forward-model quality strategy and outcomes across a global vehicle program portfolio, leading a global team of GSR and LL6 engineers, including team members in Brazil and Germany.

In this position...

You will define the operating model for Prevent Action Closure (PAC), Failure Mode Avoidance (FMA), DFMEA, reliability confirmation, program assessments, deliverable recovery and compliance assurance. You will anticipate emerging risks, shape critical program quality decisions, and influence Director-level and executive leaders on trade-offs among quality, cost, timing and compliance. You will also build the leadership bench and capability needed for future vehicle architectures and technologies.

What you'll do...

Strategy and Organizational Leadership

• Set the multi-year forward-model quality strategy and roadmap, aligned with Global Product Development, Quality and enterprise priorities.
• Lead a global organization of GSR and LL6 engineers. Set its structure, resourcing, objectives and performance expectations.
• Lead talent reviews and succession planning, coach leaders, and build a diverse leadership pipeline.
• Foster a culture of accountability, inclusion, open communication and continuous improvement.

Quality Transformation

• Lead the shift from reactive to predictive, data-driven quality. Define the target-state operating model, standard work and governance routines that scale across programs and regions.
• Set the digital and AI-enabled quality strategy (analytics, automation, decision support) and drive adoption across functions to improve productivity and decision quality.
• Define the metrics and management systems (JIRA, executive dashboards) that give leaders real-time visibility of quality risk and execution.
• Sponsor process redesign and enterprise improvements that remove systemic barriers and are adopted beyond the organization.

Quality Governance and Risk Management

• Own PAC governance and the quality escalation framework across forward-model programs.
• Anticipate product and process risks and escalate strategic risks to executive leadership with clear recommendations.
• Sponsor cross-functional resolution of the highest-impact issues. Ensure corrective actions are systemic and sustained and hold owners accountable through closure.
• Represent forward-model quality in senior forums and report performance, trends and strategic risks to executives.

Reliability and Design Quality

• Set the reliability and robustness strategy through Program Quality Roadmaps so quality is designed in early.
• Own enterprise standards for DFMEA, reliability confirmation and the Robustness and Reliability Checklist, and evolve them for new technologies.
• Use field, warranty, teardown and test data to prioritize reliability investments and set B10 improvement strategies with functional leaders.
• Direct the high-mileage teardown program to find root causes of unexpected wear and feed lessons into design standards and future programs.

Program Assessment, Planning and Recovery

• Provide independent, executive-level assessment of program quality readiness and milestone deliverables and advise on gateway declarations.
• Own and evolve the Forward Model Assessment (FMA) process and risk-based audits, including AI-enabled tools, to cover emerging technologies and high-risk areas.
• Influence program targets, roadmaps, hardware change levels and new-unit quality selection. Communicate risk through Red/Yellow/Green assessments and recommendations.
• Own governance for recovery of late or at-risk deliverables. Decide on Moderate-3 plans, screen Major-5 plans for Director review, and address root causes to prevent repeat issues.

Engineering Excellence

• Partner with Functional Directors and Chiefs on Engineering Excellence actions and drive follow-up that lifts capability.
• Lead consistent deployment of engineering standards and sponsor strategic projects that improve quality effectiveness, efficiency and FMA adherence.
• Build mechanisms to capture and reuse lessons learned across programs and functions.

Design Assurance and Regulatory Compliance

• Lead compliance planning, reporting and milestone readiness across vehicle programs. Ensure deliverables meet regulatory and business requirements and anticipate the impact of changing regulations.
• Resolve compliance gaps, escalate readiness risks, and lead internal compliance audits with owned, root-cause follow-up.
• Represent Ford in NHTSA vehicle assessments and other regulatory reviews, as required.

Key Skills...

• Strategic leadership and organizational transformation
• Global people leadership and succession planning
• Automotive product development, quality and manufacturing
• Failure Mode Avoidance, DFMEA, reliability and robustness
• Design assurance and regulatory compliance
• Enterprise risk management and quality governance
• Systemic problem solving and corrective action
• Executive communication and influence
• Data analytics, metrics and reporting (JIRA, Power BI)
• AI-enabled engineering tools and change management

You'll have...

• Bachelor's degree in engineering or a related technical discipline.
• Significant automotive experience in engineering, product development, quality, reliability or design assurance, with increasing leadership responsibility.
• Experience leading and developing large technical teams or multiple levels of leaders.
• Experience setting strategy or leading transformation that improved quality, process or capability at organizational level.
• Strong knowledge of automotive product-development processes and milestone requirements.
• Experience applying and setting standards for DFMEA, reliability planning, Failure Mode Avoidance and structured problem solving.
• Experience managing quality risks, corrective actions, audits and compliance reviews with senior leaders.
• Ability to influence and align engineering, quality and program organizations at Director level and above.
• Strong analytical skills and excellent executive-level communication, turning complex technical information into clear recommendations.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities across complex global vehicle programs.

Even better, you may have...

• Advanced engineering degree or MBA.
• Experience leading a global engineering or quality organization.
• Experience with transmission, driveline, steering, brakes and tire systems.
• Experience with vehicle regulatory compliance, certification or design-assurance processes.
• Experience with advanced technologies or complex systems integration.
• Experience leading adoption of AI tools, analytics and executive dashboards.

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 that works for you, including:
• Immediate medical, dental, vision and prescription drug coverage
• Flexible family care days, paid parental leave, new parent ramp-up programs, subsidized back-up childcare and more
• Family building benefits including adoption and surrogacy expense reimbursement, fertility treatments, and more
• Vehicle discount program for employees and family members and management leases
• Tuition assistance
• Established and active employee resource groups
• Paid time off for individual and team community service
• A generous schedule of paid holidays, including the week between Christmas and New Year’s Day
• Paid time off and the option to purchase additional vacation time.

This position is a leadership level 4.

Final determination of salary grade will be based on candidate's skills and experience, and base salary will be set within the applicable range according to job scope, responsibility and competitive market value.
For more information on salary and benefits, click here: https://fordcareers.co/LL4Benefits

Visa sponsorship is not available for this position.

Candidates for positions with Ford Motor Company must be legally authorized to work in the United States. Verification of employment eligibility will be required at the time of hire.

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, color, age, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability status or protected veteran status. In the United States, if you need a reasonable accommodation for the online application process due to a disability, please call 1-888-336-0660.

This position is hybrid with a requirement to be onsite four or more days per week.

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