Ford Motor Company

Director, Strategy & Operations

Ford Motor Company • $130K — $180K *
Dearborn, MI 48126In-Person
Manufacturing & Automotive
Less than 5 years of experience
Today
Be an Early Applicant
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • 5-7 years of experience in high-stakes operational environments, preferably with Lean or Six Sigma methodologies.
  • Deep understanding of software delivery, DevOps, and CI/CD transformation practices.
  • Proven ability to create business cases linking engineering investments to financial benefits.
  • Experience in managing vendor relationships and accountability via SLAs.
  • Strong change management skills, with a history of standardizing and automating processes.
  • Cross-functional collaboration experience with engineering, product, and executive teams.
  • Strong analytical skills, utilizing metrics and dashboards for performance enhancement.

Responsibilities

  • Establish a structured software release operating model with clear go/no-go processes.
  • Lead activities for release preparation, deployment readiness, and initial support post-release.
  • Define standards for reliability, security, and scalability across software development.
  • Align delivery capacity and roadmap with engineering and product management teams.
  • Communicate technical issues and delivery risks to executive stakeholders clearly.
  • Develop strategies for infrastructure investments and assess ROI on tooling and vendor partnerships.
  • Monitor software factory performance metrics and implement improvements based on data analysis.

Benefits

  • Hybrid work model with onsite requirements four days a week.
  • Opportunity to work with a dynamic leadership team at Ford Motor Company.
  • Potential for professional growth and skills development in a rapidly evolving industry.
  • Access to a broad range of health and wellness benefits.
Full Job Description
Job Description

In this position...

The Director, Strategy & Operations will act as a business strategist for the Software Factory, defining how software is built, deployed, and maintained at scale. This leader bridges engineering, product, and business stakeholders to ensure technical operations translate into business value. The position combines strategic planning, operational governance, and analytics accountability-establishing release rhythms, guiding investment decisions, improving delivery health, and identifying bottlenecks across the software value stream. Over time, the role is expected to build and lead a small team spanning release management, operations, and analytics.

Responsibilities

What you'll do...
  • Establish and govern a predictable software release operating model, including go/no-go processes, release calendars, and delivery rituals.
  • Lead release preparation, deployment readiness activities, and early warranty/hyper-care support while driving long-term automation of these workflows.
  • Define operational standards for reliability, security, scalability, and delivery consistency across engineering teams.
  • Partner with engineering leaders and product managers to align delivery capacity, roadmap timing, and market commitments.
  • Translate technical issues, delivery risks, and environment instability into clear business impacts for executive stakeholders.
  • Develop investment strategies for infrastructure, tooling, and vendor partnerships, including buy-versus-build decisions and ROI cases.
  • Monitor and improve software factory performance through metrics such as deployment health, uptime, cost efficiency, and DORA performance.
  • Identify bottlenecks and sources of manual toil across the delivery lifecycle, then drive process improvement and automation.
  • Lead operational reviews using data to assess system health, release performance, and budget adherence.
  • Build and scale a high-performing team to support release operations, operational governance, and analytics.


Qualifications

You'll have...
  • Experience leading operational excellence in a high-stakes delivery or production environment, ideally using Lean, Six Sigma, or similar frameworks.
  • Strong understanding of software delivery operations, release management, DevOps practices, and CI/CD transformation.
  • Demonstrated ability to build business cases and connect engineering investments to financial outcomes such as productivity, speed, and cost efficiency.
  • Experience managing vendor, SaaS, cloud, or managed service relationships, including performance accountability through SLAs.
  • Strong change management capability, with the ability to move organizations from manual, hero-based processes to standardized, automated operating models.
  • Ability to work cross-functionally with engineering, product, finance, procurement, and executive leadership.
  • Strong analytical skills with experience using operational metrics and dashboards to drive performance improvement.
  • Familiarity with cloud infrastructure, developer tooling, and modern software delivery environments.
  • Automotive industry experience is helpful but not required; candidates can learn domain-specific complexities such as OTA, telematics, and hardware/software integration on the job.
  • Prior experience building or scaling teams in release operations, platform operations, or engineering business operations is preferred.


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!

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

This position is hybrid (onsite four days per week) for candidates who are in commuting distance to a Ford hub location or remote for non-local candidates.

#LI-Hybrid #LI-WC2

About Ford Motor Company

Ford Motor Company manufactures or distributes automobiles in addition to offering financial services. The company sells to dealerships for retail sales, and for sale to fleet customers, including commercial fleet customers, daily rental car companies, and governments. Ford’s vehicle portfolio includes automobiles, buses, tractors, and trucks. Retail financing includes retail installment sale contracts for new and used vehicles, and direct financing leases for new vehicles to retail customers, government entities, daily rental car companies, and fleet customers. Finance receivables in the non-consumer portfolio include products offered to automotive dealers. Ford’s environmental initiatives include compressed natural gas, flexible fuel vehicles, electric drive vehicles, Hydrogen, PC power management, and so on. Ford Motor Company was founded by Henry Ford in 1903 and is headquartered in Dearborn, Michigan.

Ford Motor Company Careers

Join the dynamic team at Ford Motor Company, a global leader in automotive innovation and manufacturing. At Ford, we are committed to driving human progress by providing outstanding vehicles and mobility solutions. This is an exciting time to become part of our inclusive team, where job opportunities abound and growth is not just a possibility, but a promise.

Work You’ll Do

At Ford Motor Company, you will collaborate with some of the brightest minds in the industry. Our professionals are at the forefront of automotive technology, leading projects that redefine transportation and sustainability. With a culture rooted in continuous improvement and respect for all, Ford offers a workplace where leadership, diversity training, and innovation are part of everyday life.

Join Our Market-Leading Team

Ford’s commitment to excellence is why we are a leader in the automotive sector. We offer a variety of career paths, from engineering to marketing, all designed to foster professional and personal growth. Our team benefits from Ford’s commitment to professional development and networking opportunities, ensuring that every team member can reach their full potential.

Innovative Work

Engage in work that makes a difference. Ford Motor Company is pioneering developments in electrification, autonomous vehicles, and smart mobility solutions. Our team of over 190,000 employees worldwide is dedicated to crafting experiences that improve the way the world moves.

Be Part of a Great Team

Working at Ford means more than just having a job; it means being part of a global family. Our culture promotes teamwork, integrity, and respect—values that underpin everything we do. We believe in nurturing a diverse and inclusive environment where every employee can thrive.

Future-Proof Your Career

Ford Motor Company is not just a great place to work; it’s a place to build a lasting career. Our employees enjoy competitive benefits, comprehensive health care, and retirement plans that rank among the best in the industry. We support career advancement through extensive training programs and hands-on experience in the latest automotive technologies.

Explore Job Opportunities and Internships

Whether you’re a seasoned professional looking for your next challenge or a student interested in an internship, Ford has opportunities that will harness your skills and ignite your ambition. Our hiring process is straightforward and respectful, designed to match your skills and passions with the right position.

Stay Connected

Join Our Team Search open positions that match your skills and interests. We look for passionate, curious, creative, and solution-driven team players. Ready to start your journey with Ford? Prepare your resume, sharpen your interview skills, and become part of a company that’s building the future of transportation.

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Personalize your subscription to receive job alerts, latest news, and insider tips tailored to your preferences. Discover the exciting and rewarding career opportunities awaiting you at Ford Motor Company. Join us at Ford, where we go further so you can go farther in your career.
Learn more about Ford Motor Company
Size
183,000 employees
Market Cap
$44.8 billion
Industry
Manufacturing & Automotive
Net Income
-$1.2 billion
Founded
1903
5 Year Trend
-2.1%
Revenue
$127.1 billion
NASDAQ
F
* Ladders Estimates

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