Industrial Engineer, Ford Energy

Ford Energy is a newly formed, wholly-owned subsidiary of Ford Motor Company dedicated to accelerating U.S. energy independence. Leveraging Ford’s century of manufacturing excellence and world-class battery energy storage systems (BESS) technology, Ford Energy designs, manufactures, and services grid-scale and commercial DC battery energy storage systems (BESS). Ford Energy is uniquely positioned to capture the growing demand for reliable, US-built energy storage systems. We are not just building batteries; we are building the infrastructure for the next generation of the American grid.

Why Ford Energy?

At Ford Energy, you have the backing of an industrial manufacturing powerhouse with the agility of a dedicated energy startup offering industry leading technology. We offer a competitive compensation package including performance-based bonuses, Ford vehicle discounts, and the opportunity to shape the energy strategy of one of the world's most iconic brands. Learn more at https://fordenergy.com.

In this position...

• Lead with Purpose: Design and optimize the high-volume production lines and manufacturing systems that will define the future of US energy storage.
• Innovate: Use your entrepreneurial mindset to drive production throughput, line balancing, and labor efficiency for a massive Greenfield manufacturing site.
• Empower Others: Create a culture of lean manufacturing excellence, fostering an environment where standardized work and data-driven production solutions thrive.

What you'll do...
Greenfield Production Excellence & Manufacturing Systems

• Lead the design and implementation of the Ford Energy Production System (FEPS), focusing on standardized work, line balancing, and optimized workstation layouts.
• Drive the development of labor standards and manpower requirements for cell, module, and pack assembly, ensuring maximum utilization and efficiency.
• Analyze production constraints and conduct equipment cycle time analysis to optimize "Cells Per Minute" (CPM) and overall plant throughput.
• Design and refine station layouts using CAD, integrating tooling, material presentation, and error-proofing (Poka-Yoke) to ensure "First Time Through" (FTT) quality.
• Conduct ergonomic job evaluations and implement workstation designs that meet the highest safety standards for high-speed automated production.
• Embrace the Gemba philosophy: Regularly engage on the production floor to identify bottlenecks, observe standardized work adherence, and solve manufacturing problems in real-time.
• Develop "Leaders as Teachers": Serve as a technical mentor to the Production and Operations teams, providing coaching on lean principles, Takt time vs. Cycle time, and waste elimination.
• Remove Barriers: Proactively mitigate risks in the launch phase to ensure seamless equipment buy-offs and successful New Model Program (NMP) integration.
• Champion Transparency: Work cross-functionally with Manufacturing Engineering, Quality, and Operations to achieve Ford Energy’s Vision, Mission, and Values.

Leadership & Culture

Strategic Management & Integrity

• Establish and track Production Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), including OEE (Overall Equipment Effectiveness), labor cost per unit, and value-added vs. non-value-added activity.
• Lead cost-savings initiatives and Kaizen events focused on reducing scrap, improving uptime, and optimizing floor space utilization.
• Manage the Engineering Change Management (ECM) process for the production floor, ensuring all process modifications are documented and labor allocations are updated accurately.

Capabilities for Success

• Resilient Leader: An emotionally intelligent leader who remains calm and decisive while managing the technical complexities of a high-pressure production startup.
• Collaborative Influencer: Proven ability to build trust and influence cross-functional teams to align on production targets, labor standards, and workstation designs.
• Throughput Expert: Skilled at capacity modeling, bottleneck identification, and managing high-volume, highly-automated manufacturing processes.
• Integrity-Focused: A commitment to standardized work and engineering principles, ensuring production speed never compromises safety or quality.

You'll have...

Education: Bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, or a related Engineering field.

Even better, you may have...

• Experience: 3-5+ years of progressive experience in Industrial Engineering or Manufacturing Engineering within a high-volume production environment.
• Technical Knowledge: Advanced proficiency in AutoCAD, MODAPTS, and manufacturing simulation tools.
• Startup Experience: Experience in Greenfield site development or high-volume automotive/battery/electronics manufacturing is highly preferred.
• A deep passion for the energy systems industry and US energy independence.

Leadership Attributes

• Strategic Visionary: Able to translate production data into long-term manufacturing strategies that scale with the growing BESS industry.
• Decisive Under Pressure: Ability to make rapid, data-driven decisions regarding line balancing and resource allocation during critical production ramps.
• Adaptability: The resilience to lead a team through the ambiguity of a new site startup, supporting a 24/7 operation including nights, weekends, and holidays as needed.
   

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 range of salary grades 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.

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

Visa sponsorship is not available for this position.

Candidates for positions with Ford Motor Company must be legally authorized to work in the United States. Verification of employment eligibility will be required at the time of hire.

Company: As Ford establishes a wholly owned subsidiary focused on Battery Energy Storage Systems, this role will initially be employed by Ford and is expected to transition to the subsidiary within one year.

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, color, age, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability status or protected veteran status. In the United States, if you need a reasonable accommodation for the online application process due to a disability, please call 1-888-336-0660.

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