Ford Motor Company

Suspension PD Engineer

Ford Motor Company • $65K — $166K *
Dearborn, MI 48126In-Person
Manufacturing & Automotive
Less than 5 years of experience
Today
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Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • BS in Engineering required.
  • Experience in Component Engineering or Design and Release, particularly in suspension or chassis components.
  • Direct experience with Leaf Spring design, including knowledge of material properties and fatigue life.
  • Proficient in DFMEA, PFMEA, Control Plans, and GD&T 2D drawings.
  • Understanding of GPDS deliverables and milestones.
  • Familiar with CAE tools and stress analysis interpretation.
  • Knowledge of supplier manufacturing processes for spring materials.

Responsibilities

  • Lead design and development of leaf spring components and assemblies.
  • Own engineering release processes including CAD data management.
  • Manage multiple suppliers and conduct site visits for quality assurance.
  • Develop and maintain engineering specifications and design documentation.
  • Lead technical design reviews with expert stakeholders.
  • Ensure completion of DV/PV testing on schedule and manage signoff processes.
  • Create and maintain documentation for Failure Mode Analysis.

Benefits

  • Hybrid work environment, requiring commuting to Ford hubs.
  • Encouragement to apply even if qualifications aren't fully met.
Full Job Description
Job Description

Responsibilities

In this position...

Design and Release (D&R) Engineer position responsible for the end-to-end mechanical design, development, and production release of Leaf Spring systems for Ford vehicles. This role ensures that leaf spring components meet all functional, weight, cost, and quality requirements through the Global Product Development System (GPDS) cycle.

What you'll do...
  • Lead the design, development, and release of leaf spring components and assemblies (including multi-leaf, mono-leaf, and composite applications).
  • Own the engineering release process, including CAD data management in Teamcenter and releasing components via WERS.
  • Manage multiple suppliers and support Supplier Technical Assistance engineers in delivering production parts with quality. This would entail on site visits with the suppliers to review their processes.
  • Develop and maintain leaf spring engineering specifications, design rules, and foundation documents (RQTs).
  • Lead technical design reviews with the Spring System Technical Expert and Component Supervisors.
  • Responsible for component-level signoff and ensuring all DV/PV (Design/Performance Verification) testing is completed on schedule.
  • Create and maintain leaf spring FMA (Failure Mode Analysis) documentation, including DFMEAs and SCCAFs.
  • Lead root-cause analysis and problem-solving for leaf spring issues related to Launch, Quality/Field (TGW), and durability testing.
  • Engage with Chassis Architecture, Chassis Systems Engineering, Vehicle Engineering (Vehicle Dynamics and NVH), Vehicle Evaluation and Verification, Vehicle Operations, and the Plant Vehicle Team to deliver robust suspension components and systems to final production that meet vehicle level performance requirements.
  • Conduct manufacturing process reviews (forming, heat treatment, shot peening, and assembly) with suppliers to ensure design for manufacturability.
  • Perform benchmarking studies to optimize leaf spring mass and cost for future vehicle programs.
  • Manage interfaces with boundary components, including shackles, bushings, axle attachments, U-bolts, and frame interfaces.
  • Utilize and maintain the leaf spring clearance calculator to ensure package integrity throughout the suspension travel.
  • Leverage CAE modeling results to optimize leaf spring leaf thickness, taper, and stress distribution.
  • Execute strategies for new technologies, specifically focusing on composite leaf springs


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 salary grade 5 and ranges from $65,100-$109,300

This position is a salary grade 6 and ranges from $74,300-$124,500

This position is a salary grade 7 and ranges from $86,600-$144,900

This position is a salary grade 8 and ranges from $99,100-$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.

For more information on salary and benefits, click here: https://fordcareers.co/GSR

Visa sponsorship is not 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-JF1 #LI-Hybrid

Qualifications

You'll have...

  • BS in Engineering Required
  • Proven experience in Component Engineering or Design and Release, specifically within suspension systems or chassis components.
  • Direct experience with Leaf Spring design, including knowledge of material properties, fatigue life, and rate linearity.
  • Proficiency in creating and managing DFMEA, PFMEA, Control Plans, and 2D drawings with GD&T.
  • Understanding of GPDS deliverables and milestones.
  • Familiarity with CAE tools and the ability to interpret stress and fatigue analysis.
  • Knowledge of supplier manufacturing processes for spring steel and/or composites.
  • Strong analytical and math skills related to joint design and spring rate calculations.


Even better, you may have...
  • BS in Mechanical Engineering
  • Position requires occasional travel to assembly plants and supplier manufacturing sites to support launch, process development, and issue resolution.
  • Working knowledge of Ford engineering tools: Teamcenter, WERS, and the "buck" (digital packaging) environment.
  • Travel may be significant during peak launch phases.
  • On-site support for collaboration is required, targeting a minimum of 4 days per week.
  • This position works closely with the Spring System Technical Expert to ensure global alignment on best practices and lessons learned.
  • Self-starter with the ability to manage complex tasks under compressed program timing.
  • Excellent communication skills with the ability to interface with Manufacturing, Purchasing, Suppliers, and Senior Leadership.

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.

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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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