Ford Motor Company

Senior Embedded Controls Engineer, Body Controls

Ford Motor Company$138K — $232K *
Manufacturing & Automotive
5 - 7 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • Master's or Bachelor's degree in a relevant engineering field or equivalent experience.
  • 5+ years of embedded software development experience, particularly in production-grade C code for real-time systems.
  • Hands-on experience with Real-Time Operating Systems (RTOS) and bare-metal embedded environments.
  • Strong low-level debugging and hardware bring-up skills with experience optimizing code for performance.
  • 5+ years of experience with vehicle communication protocols like CAN, LIN, and Automotive Ethernet.

Responsibilities

  • Design and implement software architecture for body controls firmware from prototype to production.
  • Develop algorithms for vehicle body control features, including lighting and actuator functions.
  • Lead testing and integration of body controls hardware in various vehicle settings.
  • Collaborate to translate software requirements into hardware specifications.
  • Apply functional safety principles and conduct safety analyses for vehicle systems.
  • Create and execute detailed test plans validating firmware functionality across conditions.
  • Conduct subsystem reviews during all vehicle program phases.

Benefits

  • Immediate medical, dental, vision, and prescription coverage.
  • Flexible family care and paid parental leave; subsidized backup child care.
  • Family building benefits, including adoption and fertility assistance.
  • Employee vehicle discount program and management lease options.
  • Tuition assistance and support for community service activities.
  • Generous paid time off and additional vacation purchasing options.
Full Job Description
Job Description

Body systems play a critical role in delivering the customer experience across a wide range of vehicle features, hardware, and software. Our team develops and integrates controls for seats, tailgates, windows, latches, wipers, mirrors, sensing systems, interior and exterior lighting, and other low-voltage motor-driven systems across vehicle domains.

We work closely with Interior, Exterior, Low-Voltage Electrical Architecture, UI/UX, Systems, Hardware, and Software teams to deliver seamless, reliable, and intuitive end-to-end vehicle experiences.

We are seeking a highly skilled Embedded Controls Software Engineer to join our Body Controls team. The ideal candidate has a strong background in embedded software development for complex, distributed, safety-critical systems, with hands-on experience developing device drivers and control strategies for low-voltage motors, actuators, sensors, and lighting systems.

Responsibilities

What you'll do...
  • Specify, design, and implement software architecture for body controls firmware, taking ownership of the software codebase from initial prototype bring-up to high-volume production.
  • Develop control and estimation algorithms for body control features such as window systems, closure systems, lighting, and other actuator-based functions.
  • Lead the design, integration, and validation of body controls hardware components on electrical test assets, including benches, bucks, lab cars, and vehicles.
  • Collaborate with software integration teams to bring up core functions and translate software-level requirements into electrical hardware and system requirements.
  • Apply functional safety principles and participate in safety analyses for complex vehicle subsystems.
  • Develop and execute comprehensive test plans to validate firmware functionality, stability, robustness, and performance across operating conditions, including low-power modes.
  • Drive body controls feature development cross-functionally with hardware, software, architecture, systems, validation, and program teams.
  • Author feature boundary diagrams, subsystem block diagrams, validation strategies, and technical documentation.
  • Lead subsystem reviews across all phases of vehicle program development.
  • Support early firmware development activities, including hardware validation, lab car testing, and automation framework development for unit, SIL, and HIL testing.


Qualifications

You'll have...
  • Master's or Bachelor's degree in Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Mechatronics, Computer Science, or equivalent experience with evidence of exceptional ability.
  • 5+ years of experience writing clean, efficient, and robust production-grade C code for real-time embedded systems, with a strong understanding of coding standards like MISRA C.
  • Hands-on experience developing with Real-Time Operating Systems (RTOS) (e.g., FreeRTOS, SafeRTOS, OSEK/AUTOSAR) as well as bare-metal embedded software environments.
  • Strong experience in low-level debugging, hardware bring-up, and optimizing code for timing constraints, memory (RAM/Flash) footprint, and low-power modes.
  • 5+ years of experience in electrical hardware applications, prototype bring-up, and systems development.
  • 5+ years of experience with vehicle network protocols such as CAN, LIN, and Automotive Ethernet.
  • Strong electrical engineering fundamentals and hands-on experience with electrical test equipment, including oscilloscopes, digital multimeters, signal generators, power supplies, and related tools.
  • 5+ years of experience using embedded networking interface tools in automotive, aerospace, or a similar embedded systems environment.
  • Working knowledge of systems development, vehicle architecture, battery technologies, software and hardware tool development, motor calibration, OBD calibration, functional safety, networks, and diagnostics processes.
  • Experience creating and executing component-level test procedures and owning test results.


Even better, you may have...
  • Highly collaborative mindset with strong written and verbal communication skills.
  • Experience with driver development and RTOS integration.
  • Experience with software build tools such as Bazel, SCons, CMake, or similar tools.
  • Experience with fundamental PCB hardware components and related analysis tools.
  • Ability to develop test scripts using scripting languages such as Python.
  • Strong software fundamentals, including software design, maintainability, and code quality.
  • Hands-on experience with hardware bring-up, system debugging, and code optimization.
  • Knowledge of electrical engineering fundamentals, including circuit analysis and design.


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 $138,800-$232,700.
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/GSR

Visa sponsorship is available for this position.

This position is hybrid. Candidates who are in commuting distance to a Ford hub location may be required to be onsite four or more days per week. #LI-Hybrid

#LI-MZ1 #UEV

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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Learn more about Ford Motor Company
Size
183,000 employees
Market Cap
$44.8 billion
Industry
Net Income
-$1.2 billion
Founded
1903
5 Year Trend
-2.1%
Revenue
$127.1 billion
NASDAQ

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