Ford Motor Company

Ford Racing Powertrain Simulation Engineer

Ford Motor Company • $65K — $166K *
Allen Park, MI 48101In-Person
Manufacturing & Automotive
Less than 5 years of experience
Today
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Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Physics, or related technical field.
  • 2 years' experience in dynamic system modeling for simulation and control design.
  • 2 years of experience with real-time control systems in modeling and prototype hardware.
  • Understanding of automotive powertrain systems, including ICE, hybrid, and electric vehicles.
  • 2 years of experience using Matlab/Simulink for system modeling and embedded control software.

Responsibilities

  • Develop vehicle and powertrain models using Matlab/Simulink to analyze performance and system interactions.
  • Integrate powertrain models with multidisciplinary models for cohesive simulation environments.
  • Collaborate with engineering teams to design vehicle simulation studies and develop hardware recommendations.
  • Conduct hardware testing to validate and parameterize plant models using various methods.
  • Implement analytical software tools to optimize model parameters and enhance model correlation.

Benefits

  • Immediate medical, dental, vision and prescription drug coverage.
  • Flexible family care days and paid parental leave.
  • Tuition assistance and family building benefits including reproductive health support.
  • Vehicle discount program for employees and family members.
  • Paid time off for community service and a generous schedule of holidays.
Full Job Description
Job Description

In this position...

You will build the powertrain plant models and simulation tools that power key decisions across Ford Racing's production and motorsports programs. That means supporting concept exploration for future vehicles, helping program teams size and select powertrain hardware, and providing plant models that enable controls and calibration development, lap time prediction, drive cycle evaluation, and more.

This role is hybrid and requires at least 4 days per week onsite in Allen Park, MI.

Responsibilities

What you'll do...
  • Use Matlab/Simulink (and other programs) to develop vehicle, powertrain, and component-level CAE models to analyze dynamic system performance and complex system interactions. Models will span the entire vehicle, including ICE (internal combustion engines), batteries, electric machines, transmissions, driveline, and tires.
  • Manage integration of powertrain plant models with other multidisciplinary models - including vehicle dynamics, aerodynamics, vehicle controls, and external partner models - to create cohesive simulation environments. Model applications include desktop simulation, model-in-the-loop, software-in-the-loop, hardware-in-the-loop, and driver-in-the-loop testing to develop controls and calibrations for future and existing racing and road vehicles.
  • Work cross-functionally with controls, calibration, test, and program engineers. Design and perform concept vehicle simulation studies to develop hardware and vehicle requirements recommendations for program and systems engineering teams. Design and implement plant models with sufficient fidelity to support controls and calibration development. Use driver and car feedback to develop driver-in-the-loop and dyno control plant models that replicate behaviors observed from track driving. Design models and tools to optimize powertrain hardware and control parameters to meet targets.
  • Plan and perform hardware testing using test vehicles, dynamometers, labs, or external supplier services to develop, parameterize, and validate plant models. Develop analytical data processing software tools to estimate and optimize model parameters to improve and maintain the correlation between models and development hardware. Deploy trackside tools to analyze on-track powertrain performance and identify performance deltas relative to the model. Utilize machine learning, AI, and optimization techniques to characterize complex systems and reduce model calibration effort.


Qualifications

You'll have...
  • Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Physics, or an equivalent technical degree.
  • 2 years' experience developing dynamic system models for simulation and control design.
  • 2 years' experience in the design, development, and validation of real-time control systems in both modeling environments and prototype hardware.
  • Understanding of automotive powertrain (including conventional, hybrid electric vehicle, and battery electric vehicle) systems and controls, general physics, thermos and fluid dynamics, heat transfer, and vehicle dynamics, with fundamental knowledge of general dynamics, hydraulics, electric machines, batteries, internal combustion engines, and mechatronic actuators.
  • 2 years of demonstrated experience using Matlab/Simulink for system modeling, simulation, data analysis, and embedded control software implementation.

Even better, you may have...
  • M.S. or Ph.D. in Mechanical, Aerospace, or Electrical Engineering, or a similar field, with emphasis on simulation, combustion engines, or control system design.
  • Deep knowledge of combustion engine operation to assist with high-fidelity engine simulation plant model development and correlation to test data.
  • Experience integrating multidisciplinary vehicle subsystem models into simulation environments.
  • Experience using industry-standard modeling and simulation packages such as AMESim, GT-POWER, Dymola, CarSim, CarMaker, etc. Experience with Python and C++. Experience with racing tools, telemetry systems, and vehicle dynamics software.
  • Experience implementing AI-based and machine learning engineering solutions or developing advanced analytical tools (i.e., random forest regressor, neural network, model-based calibration, parameter optimization and estimation, etc.).
  • Dyno, track, vehicle, and hardware-in-the-loop test experience. Experience with vehicle module setup and integration, vehicle sensors, CAN / Ethernet / LIN / UDP communication.
  • Excellent problem-solving skills with a passion for new technology development.
  • Excellent written/oral communication skills.
  • Proven ability to work well with others as part of a fast-paced, diverse global team.


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 5 - 8 and ranges from $65,100-$166,200.
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.

Internal applicants: moving into this role may result in an adjustment to your current compensation based on the posted pay range for this role, taking into consideration your qualifications and other relevant factors.

For more information on salary and benefits, click here.

Visa sponsorship is not available for this position.

This position is hybrid with a requirement to be onsite four or more days per week. #LI-Hybrid #FR1 #LI-LC2

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.

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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.

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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.

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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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