HV Battery Design & Release Engineer- Busbar-to Cell Welding/Array & Thermal

In this position...

Join the HV Battery Array team as a Design & Release Engineer. You will design, validate, and release high voltage (HV) battery array modules and work closely with cross-functional and global partners to bring them to production. You will also help establish Ford's new in-house laser welding capability for HV battery cells. In that work, you will own the specification and validation of the busbar-to-cell weld and support early plant trials. As the team's needs evolve, you will take on additional array and thermal design and release assignments.

What you'll do...

• Work with CAD designers, CAE engineers, HV battery package engineers, suppliers, welding process engineers, and HV battery component engineers to design and release HV battery welded array modules. Where applicable, include teams in the UK, Brazil, and China.
• Develop and ensure compatibility of the electrical, mechanical, and thermal interfaces of the module within the HV Battery System.
• Design or evaluate supplier designs of specific module components. Use engineering techniques and knowledge of manufacturing processes to ensure the most efficient and cost-effective design.
• Work closely with other functions and global teams to meet package, performance, and attribute requirements for the HV Battery Array/Cell Block System.
• Ensure Design and Release activities are followed and completed. This includes release of HV battery array components in WERS, validation, issues management, quality document development, and delivery.
• Interface with adjacent teams, including the HV Battery unit team, HV Battery manufacturing team, HV Battery cell team, HV Battery Testing team, Supplier Technical Assistance, and Purchasing.
• Identify process and design improvements for efficiency and cost savings.
• Report design, testing, timing, and quality issues to leadership on a timely basis and lead technical resolution.

Laser Welding Focus Area

• Own and develop the engineering specification for busbar-to-cell laser welding. Take it through Battery Manufacturing Engineering (BME) review and release.
• Define the functional requirements of the welded joint for structural integrity, electrical conductivity, and thermal management.
• Develop and execute Design Validation (DV) and Process Verification (PV) test plans to support PPAP of the process assembly line.
• Work with BME to develop capability studies that prove the specification is met. Assess tradeoffs to minimize scrap, improve First Time Through (FTT), and improve cycle time.
• Support early plant trials and pre-production builds, including on-site work at the plant. Interpret real-world trial conditions and drive technical resolution.
• Review weld quality data, including cross-section analysis, and use it to refine process parameters and requirements.

You'll have...

• B.S. in Engineering (Mechanical, Electrical, Materials, or Welding Engineering) with 5+ years of relevant experience, OR M.S. in Engineering (Mechanical, Electrical, Materials, or Welding Engineering) with 2+ years of relevant experience
• Relevant experience is in electrified powertrain or HV battery engineering systems, HV battery array design and release, or welding/joining process engineering.
• Experience in Design and Release roles, supplier management, and multi-discipline engineering in electrification
• Experience writing requirements and engineering specifications, and evaluating supplier designs against them
• Experience developing and evaluating DVP&R, DV and PV test plans
• Experience with the Failure Mode Avoidance (FMA) process and quality documents (DFMEA, PFMEA, control plans, etc.)
• Knowledge of GD&T standards, 2D prints, and tolerance stack-up analysis methods
• Strong presentation and communication skills to report to Managers, Chief Engineers, Directors, and New Model Launch Leaders
• Ability to work effectively across the functions of a vehicle program and to interact with multiple internal and external stakeholders, including negotiating tradeoffs
• Proactive, self-motivated, and detail-oriented
• Strong teamwork, organizational, oral, and written communication skills
• Willingness to travel as needed for plant support and design reviews

Even better, you may have...

• Experience with laser welding processes and parameters, and knowledge of the requirements of welded electrical joints
• Experience with weld quality analysis, such as cross-section review
• Experience with capability studies, scrap reduction, FTT, and cycle-time optimization
• Experience with PPAP and with manufacturing launch or plant trials
• Knowledge of electronics manufacturing, soldering, wiring, SMT, connectors, and electrical systems
• Knowledge of stampings, castings, and injection-molded plastics
• Team leadership experience

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 salary grade 8 and ranges from $68,300-192,900.
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.

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