Senior Safety & Restraints Engineer

At Ford Motor Company, we believe freedom of movement drives human progress. We also believe in providing you with the freedom to define and realize your dreams! With our incredible plans for the future of mobility, we have a wide variety of opportunities for you to accelerate your career potential as you help us define tomorrow’s transportation.

Ford Model E is responsible for developing the key technologies and capabilities – such as EV platforms, batteries, e-motors, inverters, charging and recycling – to create ground-up, breakthrough electric vehicles. By joining the best software, engineering, design and UX talent, you will be a part of creating new technologies and concepts that can be applied across the Ford enterprise. Being on the Ford Model E team means building the future as Ford’s center of innovation and growth through electric and connected vehicles and services.

The Senior Safety and Restraints Engineer will be responsible for airbag &/or seatbelt systems from concepts development, design, validate and production release including in-service vehicle life and quality. As well as system specification development, vehicle integration, sourcing, packaging, drawing release, design validation, ensuring they meet or exceed all applicable safety regulations and standards.

The minimum requirements we seek:

• B.S. in Mechanical Engineering or a related field
• 5+ years of experience in Vehicle Safety Restraint Systems and/or vehicle crashworthiness
• 3+ years of CAE analysis and restraint system integration and optimization
• 3+ years of in-depth knowledge about the design and engineering of airbags and/or seat belts systems, direct experience in automotive OEM or Tier 1 suppliers
• 1+ year of experience in the production release process
• 1+ year of experience in a factory setting launching a new product

Preferred Requirements :

• Master’s Degree in Engineering
• Excellent understanding of GD&T standards
• High level of expertise and proficiency with Catia, Enovia, or similar tools including drawing and modelling practices and methodologies
• Hands-on experience building and launching automotive products
• Experience with Microsoft Office applications and other information management tools
• Strong written and verbal communication skills
• A degree in Mechanical Engineering, Certificate of Accomplishment from a recognized Design educational institution, or equivalent skills and expertise
• Experience using Confluence, Jira, Asana, or other project management tools
• An eagerness to work cross-functionally in a dynamic environment where you are part of a high performing team
• A system approach to design and development with the desire and curiosity to strive for exceptional delivery execution and continuous improvement

What you’ll receive in return:
As part of the Ford family, you’ll enjoy excellent compensation and a comprehensive benefits package that includes generous PTO, retirement, savings and stock investment plans, incentive compensation and much more. You’ll also experience exciting opportunities for professional and personal growth and recognition.

If you have what it takes to help us redefine the future of mobility, we’d love to have you join us.
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. Visa sponsorship is available for this position.

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to a culturally diverse workforce. 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.

For information on Ford’s salary and benefits, please visit:
2023 New Hire Benefits Summary GSR HTHD (ford.com)

At Ford, the health and safety of our employees is our top priority. Vaccination has been proven to play a critical role in combatting COVID-19. As a result, Ford has made the decision to require U.S. salaried employees to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19, unless employees require an accommodation for religious or medical reasons. Being fully vaccinated means that an individual is at least two weeks past their final dose of an authorized COVID-19 vaccine regimen. As a condition of employment, newly hired employees will be required to provide proof of their COVID-19 vaccination or an approved medical or religious exemption.

What you’ll be able to do:

• Assume responsibility for the design release of the restraint systems and their integration into the vehicle. This includes system specification development, sourcing, packaging, drawing release, design validation, sub-system integration, ramp-up, and manufacturing support.
• Define overall restrains strategy to meet and exceed regulatory requirements. Make use of innovative design solutions across different systems to optimize vehicle safety.
• Collaborate closely with the design studio and interior engineering teams to develop optimal restraint system packages for occupant protection performance and interior styling.
• Work closely with the CAE team to provide design inputs and utilize CAE results to optimize the component design and occupant restraint performance.
• Use CAD software, to package components efficiently and robustly, optimizing for cost, weight, and commercial targets.
• Apply program management skills to ensure suppliers meet timing, quality, cost, and validation deliverables, serving as the main point of contact for all supplier interfaces.
• Ensure that failure avoidance tools and processes (DFMEA/FMA) are applied to restraint components.
• Develop and manage the validation plan and test labs for sub-system integration, ensuring all sub-systems meet necessary safety standards and regulations.
• Oversee supplier component DVP and control system level testing to ensure desired performance is achieved prior to dynamic sled and vehicle testing.
• Analyze test results and identify necessary adjustments to the restraint commodity or interfacing components to achieve the most effective resolution.
• Support dynamic sled and vehicle crash tests and homologation submissions.