Systems Engineer

Ford Motor Company

Systems Engineer managing AI-powered diagnostic workflows for Ford Motor Company. Collaborating on embedded systems, cloud architecture, and AI/ML engineering.

Posted 5/14/2026full-timeDearborn • Missouri • 🇺🇸 United StatesJunior💰 $85,400 - $143,200 per yearWebsite

Tech Stack

Tools & technologies

CloudDockerGrafanaMicroservicesPython

About the role

Key responsibilities & impact

Partner with cross-functional teams to define "what" a vehicle needs to observe. You will write the technical requirements that govern how ECUs log data and how the Cloud interprets it.
Bridge the gap between Embedded C++ firmware and Cloud-based Python microservices. You will ensure that the "handshake" between the vehicle and the AI reasoning engine is seamless and scalable.
Help mature the intelligent diagnostic workflows, ensuring the AI has the right "context" (DTCs, PIDs, and logs) to perform automated root-cause analysis.
Lead the system integration testing, simulating complex failures to ensure our End-to-End (E2E) pipeline triggers the correct alerts and human-support processes.
Analyze real-world telemetry to refine requirements and iterate on the next generation of diagnostic capabilities.
Define the specific telemetry hooks (logs, metrics, and traces) required from embedded ECUs to power cloud-based AI reasoning.
Build and validate the "Diagnostic Loop"—the path from a vehicle fault code (DTC) to an AI-generated repair recommendation.
Define the API contracts between the vehicle's embedded gateway and the cloud-based diagnostic orchestrator.
Quantify the accuracy of AI diagnostic models by designing and running validation tests against known vehicle "ground truth" data.
Engineer AI-powered diagnostic capabilities that combine vehicle signals (DTCs, PIDs, Ethernet logs) with LLM-based reasoning to automate root-cause isolation.
Define the requirements for "Vehicle Telemetry 2.0"—determining exactly what traces, metrics, and logs are needed from the embedded layer to power cloud-based dashboards and real-time alerts.
Work across silos to ensure that a software glitch in a Zone Controller is seamlessly captured, uploaded to the cloud, and analyzed by an AI agent to guide a technician’s next-best action.
Design frameworks to evaluate how our AI systems interpret diagnostic evidence, ensuring grounding, traceability, and "explainability" in every repair recommendation.

Requirements

What you’ll need

BS equivalent or higher degree in Computer Science, Systems Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or a related technical field. Minimum 3.5 cumulative GPA (or equivalent evidence of technical rigor).
1+ years of experience writing 2,000+ lines of clean, PEP8 compliant, modular Python code for data processing, API integration, or system automation.
1+ years of experience with Git-based version control (minimum 50+ commits/merges) and containerization (Docker), including deploying at least 3 containerized applications to a cloud or local environment.
1+ years of professional/research experience in at least 2 end-to-end AI/ML projects involving LLM orchestration (e.g., LangChain) or deploying a reasoning agent into a "live" state.
1+ years of experience processing and cleaning datasets exceeding 10,000+ records for model training or inference.
1+ years of experience translating ambiguity into structure by authoring at least 3-5 detailed technical specifications (e.g., API contracts, System Requirements, or Sequence Diagrams).
1+ years of experience debugging complex systems (Embedded or Cloud), resolving at least 5-10 high-priority technical blockers using Root Cause Analysis (RCA).
Experience leading at least 1 significant software module through the full lifecycle from initial requirements to a live, production environment with active users.
1+ years of experience using logic analyzers or tools (Wireshark/CANoe) to decode 3+ automotive protocols (e.g., CAN, DoIP, or SOME/IP).
Experience building real-time production dashboards in Grafana, Dynatrace, or Datadog to monitor system health and "drift."
Experience authoring 5+ pieces of critical production documentation (FMEA, Interface Control Documents, or Production Validation Plans).
Experience working on a system that handled 1,000+ concurrent nodes or data streams, demonstrating an understanding of horizontal scalability.

Benefits

Comp & perks

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.

ATS Keywords

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Applicant Tracking System Keywords

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Hard Skills & Tools

Embedded C++PythonAPI integrationAI/MLRoot Cause AnalysisData processingContainerizationTelemetry analysisSystem integration testingTechnical specifications authoring

Soft Skills

Cross-functional collaborationProblem-solvingTechnical communicationDetail-orientedAnalytical thinkingLeadershipAdaptabilityOrganizational skillsCritical thinkingCreativity