Software Engineering Manager

We are seeking an expert technical leader to drive the Ford Container-as-a-Service (CaaS) platform, hosting OpenShift Virtualization (OSV), responsible for building, operating, and evolving secure, scalable, and automated Kubernetes infrastructure primarily on-premise. In this role, you will lead the design and delivery of a unified, self-service Kubernetes platform that empowers Ford development teams to efficiently deploy and manage production-grade container clusters hosting a combination of containers and virtualized machines. You will shape the future of Ford’s cloud-native infrastructure strategy, fostering innovation, optimizing operational excellence, and enabling seamless developer experience through industry‑leading container orchestration and automation practices. You will work hand‑in‑hand with the GCP focused Container as a Service group. Responsibilities Leadership and Team Management – Lead and inspire the Kubernetes Platform Services team focused on delivering secure, scalable, and automated container orchestration at Ford. Develop and execute strategic initiatives to optimize Kubernetes cluster deployment and operational efficiency. Drive the team to consistently achieve performance goals and high‑quality service delivery. Technical Architecture and Oversight – Own the end‑to‑end design, deployment, and lifecycle management of Kubernetes clusters, ensuring seamless integration across Ford’s on‑premise environments. Guarantee the clusters meet stringent requirements for availability, scalability, security, and resource efficiency. Cross‑Functional Collaboration and Enablement – Partner deeply with application developers, platform engineers, and infrastructure teams to understand needs and provide expert Kubernetes guidance and troubleshooting support. Foster a culture of collaboration, knowledge sharing, and continuous learning within the team and across Ford’s technical organization. Innovation, Standardization, and Continuous Improvement – Stay abreast of cutting‑edge Kubernetes developments and cloud‑native best practices. Lead the adoption of innovations that improve deployment automation, cluster lifecycle management, security compliance, and observability. Establish and enforce standardized processes to ensure consistent, reliable, and secure Kubernetes operations organization‑wide. Developer Experience – Focus on developer/consumption experience as a first‑class citizen through simplification of environment provisioning and application deployment. Qualifications 8+ years of overall Software Engineering / IT experience. Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Information Technology, or a closely related technical discipline. Extensive Kubernetes expertise: Proven experience managing, deploying, and scaling Kubernetes clusters in production environments, ideally across hybrid cloud and on‑premises data centers. Cloud Platform Proficiency: Strong working knowledge of one or more public cloud platforms (preferably Google Cloud Platform, AWS, or Azure) including container native services, networking, IAM, and storage integrations. Experience with Service Mesh Technologies: Hands‑on experience with Istio, Linkerd, or other service mesh platforms to enhance security, observability, and traffic management. Strong Background in Monitoring & Observability Tools: Experience with Prometheus, Grafana, Jaeger, Dynatrace/Datadog, ELK stack, or Google Stackdriver for end‑to‑end observability and proactive incident detection. Experience Leading Large‑Scale Automation Initiatives: Past success automating infrastructure provisioning, deployments, and operational tasks using advanced CI/CD tooling integrated with Kubernetes platforms. Infrastructure Automation and CI/CD: Hands‑on experience with Infrastructure as Code tools (e.g., Terraform, Kustomize), Kubernetes operators, and continuous integration/deployment pipelines for containerized applications. Security and Compliance: Solid understanding of cloud‑native security best practices, container security, and compliance frameworks relevant to enterprise IT environments. Strong Stakeholder Engagement: Demonstrated ability influencing at senior management levels and driving enterprise‑wide adoption of platform standards and best practices. Benefits Immediate medical, dental, and prescription drug coverage Flexible family care, parental leave, new parent ramp‑up programs, subsidized backup child care 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 salary grade LL6. This position is leadership level 6 and ranges from $132,800-$250,800. Visa Sponsorship is not provided for this role. 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 committed to a culturally diverse workforce. 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 View phone number on click.appcast.io. #J-18808-Ljbffr Ford Motor Company