Director – Vehicle Software Platform Architecture
Ford Motor Company· Automotive· Aug 31, 2026 · 2mo ago
United States
In office
Full-time
Director
$200K–$255K est.
12+ years exp
Job description
We are the movers of the world and the makers of the future. At Ford, we're all a part of something bigger than ourselves. Are you ready to change the way the world moves? Ford's Systems and Core Architecture (SCA) team owns the strategy and execution of Ford's vehicle software platform — the foundation that vehicle programs build on to deliver differentiated products efficiently, reliably, and at scale.
This role leads the execution and application of Ford's vehicle software platform architecture strategy, including how that architecture connects to and works with the cloud. It is not a research or advisory role — it is the leader accountable for turning architectural vision into a working, adopted, governed platform that vehicle programs actually build on.
This leader believes deeply in a set of architectural principles that are foundational to modern, software-defined systems: that software should be decoupled from hardware wherever possible so each can evolve independently; that complex systems scale best when built in clear layers of abstraction rather than as tightly coupled monoliths; that structural design and configurable behavior should be kept separate so systems can be tuned and extended without being re-architected; that shared, common infrastructure for cross-cutting concerns (such as safety, security, performance, and connectivity) is more scalable than solving these problems repeatedly at the feature level; and that connectivity between the system and the cloud should be treated as a native architectural property rather than an afterthought. They bring both the conviction to champion these principles and the pragmatism to apply them in service of a real, evolving platform strategy.
Why we're open to candidates from beyond automotive: the underlying capabilities this role requires — architecting complex, distributed, software-defined systems that must scale across many products or deployed units, and building organizational alignment behind that architecture — are not unique to cars. We are equally interested in leaders who have built these capabilities in:
• Off-highway / heavy equipment
• Military / defense systems
• Aerospace
• Cloud / hyperscaler platforms — especially those who've architected large-scale, connected, distributed systems for fleets, IoT, or digital twins
• Other distributed, embedded, or cyber-physical domains — industrial automation, robotics, energy/grid, telecom, marine, rail — anywhere complex, software-defined systems have had to scale across many deployed variants
You will…
• Own the vehicle software platform architecture roadmap and lead its execution across a large, cross-functional engineering organization
• Translate architectural strategy into practical guidance, standards, and governance that engineering teams can act on
• Ensure the platform architecture scales effectively across many products, variants, and markets over time
• Ensure the vehicle platform's connection to the cloud is architected coherently, reliably, and securely as part of the overall system
• Partner with program teams, functional domain leaders, and hardware/electronics teams to align the architecture roadmap with product plans and influence hardware direction based on platform needs
• Build organizational alignment and sustained adoption of the architecture across a large, previously siloed engineering organization
• Guide how architectural change is sequenced and introduced across current and future platform generations
• Represent the architecture strategy and its execution progress to senior leadership and cross-functional executive stakeholders
• Build, mentor, and grow a team of platform software architects
You'll have…
• 12+ years of industry experience, with significant portion architecting and/or leading execution of complex, distributed software systems at scale — automotive, off-highway, aerospace, defense, cloud/IoT, or similar domains
• Demonstrated experience building or driving adoption of software architecture at a portfolio/fleet/platform scale, not a single product
• Experience defining or governing architectural standards and strategies that scaled across many teams or products
• Proven ability to drive architectural adoption and change management across large, previously siloed engineering organizations
• Strong executive communication and strategic influence skills
• Proven ability to build and lead high-performance teams
You may also have…
• Experience architecting systems where software must operate reliably across variable, evolving, or heterogeneous hardware
• Experience architecting the flow of data and control between distributed/embedded systems and cloud platforms, including digital twin or fleet-telemetry patterns
• Experience with modern software-defined systems practices (e.g., service-oriented or cloud-native architectures applied to embedded/distributed systems, OTA lifecycle management)
• Experience guiding architecture transitions across hardware or platform generations
• Experience with mixed-criticality, safety-relevant system architecture
• Experience building or scaling virtual validation environments (SIL/MIL/HIL, digital twins, cloud-based simulation)
What you 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.
Our benefits summary can be found Here .
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 leadership level 4.
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.
Onsite work of up to four days per week may be required for candidates within commuting distance of a Ford hub location. #LI-Onsite #LI-MB3
Application prep
Use the role’s language and application details while tailoring your materials.
- Platform
- eightfold
- Effort
- medium
Benefits
Benefits detected in the listing.
Dental
Vision
Pto
Paid Time Off
Parental Leave