The Software Product Engineer (SPE) is the feature delivery lead within in-vehicle infotainment responsible for translating product and design intent into executable software backlogs and driving delivery across the in-vehicle digital experience, supporting middleware/services, and vehicle integration. This role has broad organizational influence across Product Management, Digital Product Design, engineering scrum teams, and testing to ensure feature readiness, integration quality, and release outcomes. The SPE is accountable for cross-team alignment, dependency and risk management, and integrated validation from concept through launch. This leadership role drives predictable program execution, customer-ready feature quality, and on-time delivery to vehicle platforms.
Responsibilities- Own the end-to-end engineering lifecycle for a set of features or digital experience domains from concept through release sign-off.
- Define the product execution path by answering: “What should we build, why does it matter, and how do we build it the right way?”
- Translate PRDs, design artifacts, and system behavior requirements into clear software deliverables — i.e. epics and sprint-ready user stories with clear acceptance criteria in Jira.
Lead feasibility assessment, scope definition, and backlog readiness for PI planning; manage change/churn while protecting milestones. - Drive cross-functional alignment with Product, Digital Product Design, Architecture, Engineering, and Test to ensure shared understanding of intent, priorities, and dependencies.
Define and manage feature dependencies and blockers across HMI, services, platform, and validation. - Validate end-to-end feature behavior on bench/vehicle through demos and product truth sessions; ensure implementation matches UX intent and functional expectations.
- Lead defect triage and prioritization for owned features; drive issues to closure through root-cause direction, retest strategy, and stakeholder communication.
- Maintain clear execution visibility via epic status summaries, risk registers/mitigation plans, and regular stakeholder updates.
- Ensure test coverage alignment by reviewing/confirming that test cases map to story acceptance criteria and key edge cases.
- Identify and define the logworthies and analytics instrumentation required for each feature.
- Education: BS in Engineering, Computer Science, or related technical field (or equivalent practical experience)
- Experience: 5+ years (or equivalent) delivering complex, cross-functional software features in embedded, automotive, or adjacent domains; demonstrated ownership across multiple teams and releases.
Direct experience with Android Automotive/QNX, infotainment HMIs, and automotive middleware/service architectures.
- Backlog leadership: Proven ability to author high-quality epics and user stories (clear scope, testable acceptance criteria, dependency mapping) and drive Agile execution (grooming, PI planning, sprint delivery).
- Systems integration mindset: Ability to reason about end-to-end behavior across HMI ↔ middleware/services ↔ vehicle signal access (via API abstraction) and drive integration/validation outcomes.
- Technical proficiency: Strong technical depth to lead engineers—comfortable with architecture discussions, interface contracts, and failure-mode thinking.
- Diagnostics/triage: Experience leading defect triage using logs and traces (e.g., ADB/dev logs; CAN trace familiarity), defining diagnostic logging (logworthies), and driving disciplined prioritization/closure.
- Tools: Proficiency with Jira and Confluence; comfortable creating traceability to requirements/design artifacts and managing dependencies. Proficiency with CAN-based feature behaviors and vehicle state modeling; exposure to tools such as CANalyzer/Wireshark (or similar).
- Communication/leadership: Strong cross-functional leadership skills—can drive decisions, align stakeholders, and communicate risks/status crisply to technical and non-technical audiences.
Preferred Qualifications
Background in driver-focused feature areas (e.g. drive modes, off-road driving, performance features, towing/hauling utilities).
- Experience with test management tools and reviewing test coverage against acceptance criteria.
Knowledge of automotive program cadence and release gating (launch milestones, OTA readiness, in-field defect handling).
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 childcare 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 7 to 8 and ranges from $84,480-162,120.
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.
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.
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
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What We Do
Ford is a global company with shared ideals and a deep sense of family. From our earliest days as a pioneer of modern transportation, we have sought to make the world a better place – one that benefits lives, communities and the planet. We are here to provide the means for every person to move and pursue their dreams, serving as a bridge between personal freedom and the future of mobility. In that pursuit, our 186,000 employees around the world help to set the pace of innovation every day.
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