Forward Deployed Engineer, Ford Energy

In this position...
While we leverage industry-standard platforms for our core ERP, CRM, and MES capabilities, our hardest and high-value problems live at the edge — where customers, operations, physical assets, and data meet software. These are not generic applications for generic business functions. They are custom-built solutions to real operational problems for real customers, built where buying a platform doesn't make sense and where we can move faster and smarter by building ourselves, accelerated by AI.

We are seeking Forward Deployed Engineers to sit at the intersection of engineering and business impact. This is a hands-on individual contributor role for engineers who want to own outcomes, not tickets. Engineers will be directly embedded with internal stakeholders and external customers to understand real operational problems, then designing, building and deploying the software that solves them. You'll work across the full stack: application development, cloud infrastructure on GCP, enterprise data platform for AI scale, integrations with manufacturing and warehousing technology, and automation and tooling that take an idea to a production deploying.

This role is built for engineers who thrive in ambiguity, want direct exposure to the business and customer problems they're solving, and want outsized ownership and accountability over what they ship. You will not be handed a fully specified spec, instead you will be in the room helping define the problem, and then you'll build and deploy the answer.

We are building Ford Energy's engineering organization to be AI-native from day one, not an organization that bolts AI onto existing process, but one where intelligent automation, orchestration and applied AI/ML are simply how work gets done.

This is an onsite role reporting to the Software Engineering Manager.

Responsibilities

What you'll do...

• Build an AI-Native Organization: Help define what “AI-native” actually means for Ford Energy engineering, not as a slogan but as daily practice. Using generative AI tools and AI-assisted development across the SDLC (design, implementation, testing, infrastructure, delivery), building practical AI/ML capabilities and intelligent automation that solve real operational problems, and setting the example and standards that shape how the team works as it scales. Every use of AI should tie to a clear, measurable case for the value it creates versus its cost; we use AI because it wins on merit, not because it's expected.
• Embed and Solve: Work directly with internal operations, product, and where applicable, customer teams to understand real business and operational problems firsthand, rather than working from a handed-down spec. Translate what you learn into shipped software.
• Own Delivery End to End: Wear multiple hats across the stack: writing application code (Go and related services), designing and operating cloud infrastructure on GCP, and owning the automation, environments, and pipelines that reliably get solutions into production. Success means a deployed solution driving a real outcome, not a handoff between specialized roles.
• Build the Custom Edge: Design, develop, and secure applications, API integrations, and edge systems that fill the gaps around our core ERP, CRM, and MES platforms. Engineer tools purpose-built for Ford Energy's business model and customers rather than generic off-the-shelf capability.
• Architect and Build, Fast: Move fluidly between architecture and hands-on implementation: systems design, API integrations, cloud-native services, IoT/edge workflows, infrastructure-as-code, and production-ready software with a bias toward simple, secure, and reliable solutions deployed quickly.
• Turn Ambiguity into Deployed Software: Convert evolving, sometimes loosely-defined operational and business needs into working systems in the field, using sound engineering judgment and AI-assisted development to move fast without cutting corners on security or reliability.
• Partner Relentlessly: Build direct working relationships with product, operations, and business stakeholders, and customers where relevant, to ensure what gets built actually solves the problem in front of it, not just the problem as originally described.
• Uphold the Standard: Contribute to engineering standards through high-quality design and code, participate in architecture and code reviews (including AI/ML integration patterns and cloud/infrastructure approaches), and share technical knowledge with peers as the team scales.

Qualifications

You'll have...

• Technical Depth: 5+ years of experience as a software engineer with a strong background in hands-on development, systems architecture, and integrating production systems. Comfortable wearing multiple hats (application engineering, cloud infrastructure, and production delivery automation) rather than specializing in only one layer. Experience spanning both greenfield development and enterprise platform integrations is highly valued.
• Bias for Deployed Outcomes: A track record of taking ambiguous, high-stakes problems from first conversation to working software in production and comfortable being judged on outcomes delivered, not just code written. Prior forward-deployed, field engineering, solutions engineering, or startup founding-engineer experience is a strong plus.
• AI & Velocity Mindset: Demonstrated experience with AI/ML in production or applied business contexts, combined with a strong practice of using generative AI tools to accelerate development velocity across the SDLC. Focused on building smart, automated systems that solve business problems, not just traditional static software.
• Modern Stack Experience: Experience with Go, Python, TypeScript, API design, GCP, and modern cloud architectures. Experience with infrastructure-as-code, cloud environments, and delivery automation is expected. Experience with MQTT, IoT, edge computing, manufacturing technologies, and enterprise platform integrations (ERP, CRM, MES) is highly valued. Familiarity with AI engineering frameworks and intelligent automation patterns is a plus.
• Adaptability: Ability to navigate ambiguous, fast-changing environments and deliver simple, secure solutions under tight timelines.
• Communication: Excellent communication and relationship-building skills, with the ability to partner effectively across diverse technical and business teams as an individual contributor.
• High Autonomy, High Accountability: Comfortable operating with minimal process and significant latitude and comfortable owning the consequences of what you ship. Thrives without a fully-built playbook and builds the playbook as you go.

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 child care 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 salary grade 8 and ranges from $115,000-$192,900.

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:

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 View phone number on aiapply.co.

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

Company: As Ford establishes a wholly owned subsidiary focused on Battery Energy Storage Systems, this role will initially be employed by Ford and is expected to transition to the subsidiary within one year.

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#FordEnergy