Technical Product Owner, Diagnostics

About Ford Motor Company

At Ford, we are the movers of the world and the makers of the future. Every day, we roll up our sleeves to build a better world together. We are part of something bigger, reshaping the way the world moves through innovation, passion, and dedication. Join us and leave your mark on the future of mobility.

Product Development uses design thinking & user experience methods to deliver breakthrough products and services that delight our customers. We bring innovative, exciting, and sustainable ideas to life. We have opportunities around the world to contribute to advancements in autonomy, electrification, smart mobility technologies, and more!

About the Role: Technical Product Owner, Diagnostics

The Advanced Technology Platforms team is seeking a highly motivated Technical Product Owner, Diagnostics to play a key role in defining, strategizing, and overseeing the development of cutting-edge technology that manufactures the next generation of Ford vehicles. This role is not just about managing a backlog; it’s about pioneering product solutions that push boundaries on uncharted hardware and software platforms within the bold Vehicle-as-X vision, transforming vehicles into intelligent, autonomous participants that self-calibrate, self-test, self-report, and self-manage throughout their lifecycle.

Responsibilities

• As a Technical Product Owner, Diagnostics, you will own the product vision and strategy for groundbreaking diagnostic, testing, and flashing tools central to transforming vehicles into intelligent, self-managing entities throughout their lifecycle.
• You will define the product roadmap and requirements for a diverse technology stack spanning low-level embedded systems and high-level server-side platforms, ensuring solutions enable continuous self-testing, autonomous software updates, real-time data reporting, and seamless integration between factory systems and vehicle platforms.
• You will be instrumental in identifying and prioritizing product features that leap beyond traditional manufacturing and diagnostic paradigms—breaking new ground on never-done-before solutions for not-yet-shipped hardware. This requires exceptional product leadership, innovative thinking, and a bold approach to defining solutions in a safety-critical, real-time environment.
• By strategically guiding the advancement of in-house diagnostic, testing, and flashing capabilities, you will empower Ford to rapidly innovate and deliver superior manufacturing yield and customer experiences.
• You will also manage and foster strong relationships with external vendors and technology partners, aligning their deliverables and roadmaps with Ford's strategic goals to ensure seamless integration of third-party solutions.
• Your product leadership will directly contribute to unlocking the full potential of Vehicle-as-X, turning vehicles into active participants in their assembly, quality assurance, and lifecycle management.

If you thrive in an environment of rapid iteration, bold technology challenges, and collective success, and if you want to be a key architect in shaping the future of automotive manufacturing through product ownership, this role offers an extraordinary opportunity to make a lasting impact.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or a related field.
• Experience in software and hardware delivery, with a strong background in embedded systems and automotive software platforms.
• Proven ability to lead cross-disciplinary collaboration with hardware engineers, manufacturing quality teams, calibration specialists, and data analytics groups.
• Demonstrated experience in managing relationships with third-party vendors, from technology evaluation and selection to ensuring successful delivery and integration of vendor-supplied hardware and software.
• Deep understanding of hardware-software integration challenges specific to diagnostic toolchains, including root cause analysis, logging, and fault injection in vehicle assembly and operation.
• Demonstrated expertise in designing diagnostic tools and frameworks that ensure high performance, scalability, and reliability within high-volume manufacturing and factory-floor environments.
• Experience defining and driving key performance indicators (KPIs) related to manufacturing yield improvement, defect reduction, and failure detection rates, aligning diagnostics development with measurable business outcomes.
• Proven experience in developing or defining advanced flashing tools and capabilities for both factory systems and autonomous software updates, ensuring seamless integration with vehicle platforms.
• Experience with automotive diagnostic protocols and standards such as UDS, OBD-II, CAN, LIN and ISO 14229.
• Strong knowledge of functional safety standards (e.g., ISO 26262) and cybersecurity principles applicable to automotive diagnostics and flashing tools.

Benefits and Culture

As an established global company, Ford offers the benefit of choice with immediate medical, dental, vision, and prescription drug coverage. We provide flexible family care days, paid parental leave, new parent ramp-up programs, subsidized back-up child care, and family building benefits. Employees enjoy a vehicle discount program, tuition assistance, active employee resource groups, and paid time off for community service and holidays, including the week between Christmas and New Year’s Day. Paid time off and the option to purchase additional vacation time are also available.

Key skills/competency

• Product Ownership
• Automotive Diagnostics
• Embedded Systems
• Hardware-Software Integration
• Vehicle-as-X
• Functional Safety
• Cybersecurity
• Vendor Management
• Product Strategy
• KPI Management