Product Development Engineer - Handles, Locks & Mechanisms at Ford Motor Company, Dearborn, MI
Product Development Engineer - Handles, Locks & Mechanisms at Ford Motor Company in Dearborn, MI. $65,100 to $166,200 a year. Apply with swipeandhired.
We made history and now we work to transform the future – for our customers, our communities and our families. You'll see your work on the road every day, helping people move freely and pursue their dreams. At Ford, you can build more than vehicles. Come build what matters.
In this position...
The HLM (Handles, Locks, and Mechanisms) Design and Release Engineer leads the design, validation, release, and production implementation of closure hardware systems — handles, latches, locks, strikers, hinges, door checks, and the manual and powered mechanisms used in hoods, front trunks (frunks), side doors, tailgates, liftgates, and decklids. These are safety-critical, high-cycle systems: they restrain occupants in a crash, resist theft and environmental attack, and must operate cleanly hundreds of thousands of times over a vehicle's life.
You will own the complete product lifecycle — concept development and design feasibility, Design Validation (DV), Product Validation (PV), Production Part Approval Process (PPAP), manufacturing launch, and ongoing production support. Throughout, you will establish and document compliance with performance, safety, durability, and quality targets; with applicable global closure safety regulations; and with emerging emergency-egress expectations for electronic latch and flush handle systems on electrified and software-defined vehicles.
Working closely with Body Engineering, Design Studio, CAE, Manufacturing, Quality, Purchasing, and supplier partners, you will resolve technical challenges, implement engineering changes, and deliver closure systems that meet program objectives for quality, cost, mass, and timing. You will balance competing constraints — styling intent, packaging envelopes, craftsmanship targets such as closing efforts and door-close sound quality, and manufacturing feasibility — to land a design that works in the studio, in the plant, and in the customer's hands.
Beyond launch, you will drive continuous product improvement: analyzing warranty and field data, resolving customer-facing issues, increasing reliability and durability, and optimizing system cost and mass. Your decisions show up in Ford's quality metrics, in assembly plant throughput, and ultimately in whether a customer's door opens exactly the same way in year ten as it did on day one.
Design & Development
- Lead HLM system design, development, and integration with cross-functional teams and suppliers, delivering closure hardware that meets program targets for quality, performance, safety, cost, mass, and timing.
- Apply the Global Product Development System (GPDS) to plan, schedule, and execute engineering deliverables and milestone commitments across every phase of the product development lifecycle.
- Evaluate, package, and validate all HLM component and vehicle-level interfaces, including mechatronic content such as powered and flush handles, e-latches, cinching latches, and power liftgate and frunk systems.
- Perform, review, and approve technical analyses including GD&T stack-ups, dimensional studies, packaging assessments, mechanism kinematics, load and effort calculations, and CAE evaluations of strength and durability.
- Review and approve CAD models, drawings, and supplier design data for compliance with Ford design standards, corporate specifications, craftsmanship targets, and program-specific requirements prior to release.
- Identify and drive functionality, reliability, cost, and mass optimization opportunities through competitive benchmarking, teardown analysis, VAVE studies, and application of lessons learned from prior programs.
Release & Documentation
- Release and manage engineering parts, Bills of Material (BOMs), and engineering changes through Ford release systems (WERS, FEDEBOM, Teamcenter/3DX), maintaining accurate structure and mass properties throughout the lifecycle.
- Develop and maintain core engineering documentation including DFMEAs, SCCAFs, Boundary Diagrams, P-Diagrams, DVP&Rs, Engineering Statements of Work (ESOW), and verification records supporting program milestone deliverables.
- Compile, document, approve, and present evidence of compliance to applicable engineering requirements, corporate design rules, and safety and regulatory standards, supporting certification and homologation reviews.
- Assess Product Development Letter (PDL) revisions and other program direction changes, determining technical impact, cost and timing implications, and the actions required to maintain program commitments.
Validation & Quality
- Define validation, durability, and functional test requirements per System Design Specifications (SDS), Engineering Specifications (ES), and DVP, covering slam durability, environmental exposure, closing efforts, security, and emergency-release performance.
- Define, procure, and validate engineering prototype requirements at the component and system level, supporting build events, vehicle-level evaluations, and design confirmation ahead of formal validation gateways.
- Lead Technical Design Reviews and Failure Mode Avoidance activities, driving design robustness, manufacturing readiness, and closure of open technical risks ahead of each program gateway.
- Apply structured problem-solving methods including Global 8D, 3x5 Why, and Six Sigma to identify root causes, implement permanent corrective actions, and capture findings in design standards.
Launch & Supplier Engagement
- Lead part implementation and sign-off at assembly plants, supporting build events, tooling and fixture readiness, operator feedback, and issue resolution through every milestone to launch.
- Support sourcing activities including SOBA, ED&T (Engineering, Design & Testing) reviews, supplier technical assessments, quoting, and piece and tooling cost evaluations against program cost objectives.
- Partner with Supplier Technical Assistance (STA) on supplier capability reviews, process sign-off, capacity verification, Phased PPAP progression, and launch readiness at supplier manufacturing facilities.
Post-Launch & Current Model Support
- Monitor production and field performance using warranty, quality survey, and field return data, diagnosing customer-facing concerns and quantifying their impact on quality metrics and cost.
- Implement running design changes and permanent corrective actions after Start of Production, partnering with assembly plants, Service Engineering, and suppliers to contain, root-cause, and resolve issues.
Collaboration & Communication
- Create and present technical reviews, design assessments, risk summaries, and recommendations to peers, cross-functional stakeholders, and engineering leadership to drive alignment and timely decisions.
- Partner with global engineering, manufacturing, quality, purchasing, electrical and software, and supplier organizations across regions and time zones, demonstrating the Ford Behaviors.
Work Conditions
- This is an on-site position requiring five days per week at the Ford Product Development Center in Dearborn, Michigan, with regular presence across the surrounding Ford campus and facilities.
- Occasional domestic and international travel is required to supplier manufacturing and test facilities and North American assembly plants supporting development, validation, launch, and quality issue resolution.
Minimum Requirements
- Bachelor's degree or higher in Mechanical Engineering or a related engineering discipline.
- 2+ years of engineering experience in the design, development, validation, or launch of mechanical products or systems. Relevant co-op and internship experience counts toward this requirement.
- Experience in one or more of the following areas:
- Automotive latching or closure systems
- Automotive Design & Release (D&R) or product engineering in body structure systems
- Seat structures and seating mechanisms
- Aerospace mechanical systems, such as landing gear or actuation systems
- Agricultural, construction, industrial, or oil and gas mechanisms
- Heavy-duty vehicle mechanical systems
- Proficiency with CAD and Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) tools such as CATIA, Teamcenter, 3DEXPERIENCE (3DX), or equivalent.
- Experience managing product releases, CAD data, and Bill of Material (BOM) structures, including assembly positioning, mass properties, and change control.
- Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications, including Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Teams, and SharePoint.
Preferred Qualifications
Education
- Master's degree (MEng or MS) in Mechanical Engineering or a related engineering discipline, with coursework or research in mechanism design, machine design, structures, or dynamics.
Domain Experience
- Experience with the design and release of latching mechanisms, closure systems, or related mechanical applications such as seating systems and seat structures.
- Working knowledge of closure safety regulations, including child-safety lock and emergency egress requirements.
- Experience with mechatronic and software-integrated mechanical products, including e-latch redundancy and backup-power strategies.
- Working knowledge of materials engineering, manufacturing processes, dimensional management, and Geometric Dimensioning and Tolerancing (GD&T).
Tools, Methods & Process
- Experience developing and applying DFMEAs, PFMEAs, SCCAFs (Special Characteristics Communication and Agreement Forms), Boundary Diagrams, and P-Diagrams.
- Working knowledge of the Phased PPAP process and production launch requirements.
- Experience with CAE tools, variation simulation and tolerance-analysis tools such as VisVSA or 3DCS, and engineering analysis methodologies.
- Experience supporting supplier data integration and developing CAD studies that drive product design improvement.
- Working knowledge of statistical analysis methods and data-driven decision making.
Ways of Working
- Demonstrated ability to solve complex system-level issues involving multiple technical interfaces and competing requirements.
- Ability to thrive in an evolving development environment where vehicle targets, packaging constraints, styling direction, and manufacturing locations may shift across the program lifecycle.
- Strong verbal and written communication skills, including the ability to present technical information to cross-functional teams and leadership.
If you have built, validated, or launched complex mechanical systems — in automotive closures, seating, aerospace, industrial, agricultural, or heavy-duty equipment — we want to hear from you. We hire for mechanism engineering judgment, and we will teach you the rest.
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 5 to a salary grade 8. Salaries can range 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.
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 with a requirement to be onsite four or more days per week. #LI-Hybrid
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