Director, Core Runtime & Platform Engineering

• CoreOS - the operating and orchestration layer for software-defined manufacturing
• FMIL (Ford Manufacturing Intelligence Layer) - the real-time signal, execution, and decisioning layer connecting factory systems, devices, and applications
• CoreDS - the data platform enabling traceability, analytics, and enterprise-scale intelligence

In this position…

The Director, Core Runtime & Platform Engineering leads the engineering organization responsible for the runtime, edge, connectivity, cloud infrastructure, developer platform, and reliability layers that enable CoreOS and FMIL to operate securely and at scale across plants, vehicle programs, and ATP product platforms.

This leader builds the platform backbone that connects industrial devices, controls, real-time signals, and manufacturing applications into a unified execution environment, while also delivering APIs, SDKs, and reusable platform services that allow teams to build once and scale consistently across Ford.

Reporting to the Director of Software, Controls & Diagnostics (CoreOS, FMIL & CoreDS), this role is central to delivering the runtime and signal layer that powers ATP’s “Build Once, Scale Everywhere” strategy and enables closed-loop learning across manufacturing systems.

What you’ll do…

1. Lead the Core Runtime Platform
2. Architect and deliver the runtime platform that powers CoreOS and FMIL across Ford manufacturing environments
3. Build a secure, scalable execution layer supporting orchestration, device integration, event processing, and platform interoperability
4. Enable FMIL as the real-time signal, orchestration, and decisioning layer connecting factory systems and applications
5. Establish platform standards for runtime services, deployment models, lifecycle management, and system interfaces
6. Drive the evolution of Core from point solutions into a globally managed industrial software platform
7. Build the Core Developer Platform (APIs & SDKs)
8. Define and deliver platform APIs, SDKs, and shared services enabling ATP products and engineering teams to build on Core
9. Create reusable primitives for telemetry, eventing, orchestration, device abstraction, identity, and policy control
10. Establish developer standards, tooling, and integration patterns to eliminate one-off solutions across plants and products
11. Enable Forge, Sight, Print, Volt, and future platforms to extend Core through standardized interfaces and services
12. Drive platform adoption by improving developer productivity, consistency, and reuse
13. Industrial Edge & Distributed Systems
14. Lead development of edge computing platforms for real-time manufacturing environments
15. Architect distributed systems supporting high-throughput, low-latency workloads across thousands of factory devices
16. Build resilient edge runtimes supporting local processing, failover, and intermittent connectivity
17. Establish orchestration patterns across cells, lines, plants, and global manufacturing networks
18. Device Connectivity & Industrial Middleware
19. Own the middleware connecting PLCs, robotics, vision systems, and industrial equipment to Core platforms
20. Standardize interfaces for telemetry, command/control, and interoperability across manufacturing systems
21. Define integration patterns across protocols such as EtherCAT, Profinet, Ethernet/IP, CAN, OPC UA, MQTT, TCP/IP, and gRPC
22. Build reusable adapters, APIs, and SDKs that simplify onboarding of factory devices and applications
23. Ensure consistent publishing of factory signals into FMIL and CoreDS
24. Cloud & Hybrid Platform Infrastructure
25. Architect and operate hybrid edge-cloud infrastructure connecting plant environments with centralized cloud platforms
26. Build and manage cloud-based control planes for orchestration, fleet management, telemetry aggregation, and lifecycle control
27. Design secure edge-to-cloud patterns enabling global visibility, coordination, and system-level optimization
28. Develop cloud-native services supporting CoreOS, FMIL, and CoreDS at enterprise scale
29. Partner with data and enterprise teams to enable scalable storage, compute, and processing capabilities
30. Implement solutions using AWS, GCP, Azure, Kubernetes, and related technologies
31. Real-Time Data, Telemetry & CoreDS Integration
32. Build real-time ingestion and streaming systems connecting factory signals to CoreDS
33. Ensure seamless integration between edge-generated data and cloud data platforms
34. Enable high-fidelity data pipelines supporting AI/ML, diagnostics, analytics, and traceability
35. Support closed-loop systems where factory signals ? insights ? actions continuously improve performance
36. Contribute to manufacturing data models, access patterns, and system-wide data consistency
37. Observability, Diagnostics & Runtime Integrity
38. Build platform-wide observability across edge and cloud environments using tools such as Prometheus, Grafana, and OpenTelemetry
39. Enable real-time monitoring, alerting, and diagnostics across all deployments
40. Ensure runtime and telemetry signals are high-quality, structured, and actionable
41. Support diagnostics and AI/ML systems through reliable signal and data availability
42. Improve transparency and operational trust across engineering, launch, and plant teams
43. Reliability, Deployment & Global Scale
44. Define deployment, rollout, upgrade, and rollback strategies across edge, on-prem, and cloud environments
45. Establish SRE and release engineering practices for mission-critical manufacturing systems
46. Define SLAs for uptime, latency, reliability, and deployment stability
47. Lead global rollout of Core platforms aligned to ATP lifecycle models (TRL/MRL/IRL) and launch playbooks
48. Partner with Launch, Field, Compass, and product teams to enable repeatable, scalable deployments
49. Engineering Leadership & System Execution
50. Build and lead a high-performing engineering organization across runtime, edge, infrastructure, connectivity, and platform domains
51. Drive engineering excellence in architecture, SDLC, testing, release management, and operational rigor
52. Develop senior technical talent and create clear career pathways tied to platform and business outcomes
53. Align execution with ATP operating model, lifecycle governance, and platform priorities
54. Translate strategy into roadmaps, staffing plans, and delivery execution
55. Cross-Functional Platform Leadership
56. Partner with Controls, Diagnostics, Data, and ATP vertical teams to deliver integrated manufacturing platforms
57. Align with plant operations, global manufacturing engineering, and vehicle programs
58. Contribute to enterprise standards for software-defined manufacturing and industrial platform architecture
59. Support system priorities including runtime adoption, AIR integration, diagnostics readiness, and platform reuse
60. Serve as a key leader in shaping Ford’s software-defined manufacturing platform strategy

What success looks like…

• A standardized Core runtime platform deployed across plants, programs, and ATP products
• A scalable edge-to-cloud operating model enabling global orchestration and visibility
• Broad adoption of APIs, SDKs, and platform services across engineering teams
• Reliable, high-quality factory data powering CoreDS, analytics, and AI/ML systems
• Closed-loop learning systems improving manufacturing performance through real-time signals
• Increased platform reuse across sites, reducing duplication and accelerating deployment
• Strong engineering execution aligned to lifecycle gates, launch readiness, and measurable plant value

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or related field
• 10+ years in software, platform, or infrastructure engineering
• 5+ years leading engineering teams delivering complex systems at scale
• Experience building distributed systems, runtime platforms, or edge computing systems
• Experience designing and operating cloud-native and hybrid edge-cloud platforms (AWS, GCP, Azure; Kubernetes)
• Experience building platform APIs, SDKs, or reusable developer systems
• Strong understanding of industrial systems, factory automation, and device integration, * Distributed systems and container orchestration (Kubernetes, Docker)
• Edge computing and real-time systems
• Hybrid edge-cloud architectures and distributed control planes
• Platform APIs, SDKs, and developer tooling
• Industrial communication protocols (EtherCAT, Profinet, CAN, OPC UA, MQTT, etc.)
• Streaming and messaging systems (Kafka, NATS, Pub/Sub)
• Observability platforms (Prometheus, Grafana, OpenTelemetry)
• Infrastructure automation, CI/CD, and reliability engineering
• Building platforms that scale across multiple products, plants, or business domains

Even better, you may have…

• Experience with software-defined manufacturing or industrial automation platforms
• Familiarity with TRL/MRL/IRL lifecycle models
• Experience in automotive or high-volume manufacturing environments
• Experience integrating runtime, data, and controls-adjacent systems into unified platforms

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 childcare 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.

Ford Motor Company is transforming manufacturing into a software-defined, intelligent, and globally connected system. Within the Advanced Technology & Platforms (ATP) organization, the Core vertical builds the foundational platform stack that powers this transformation across Ford’s global manufacturing network., You will lead the engineering systems that make software-defined manufacturing real at scale by connecting machines, signals, factory systems, and product platforms into a common runtime backbone. You will also help create the APIs, SDKs, and developer platform capabilities that allow ATP teams to build on Core consistently rather than reinventing infrastructure product by product.

The work will directly shape how Ford deploys, scales, and learns across plants, programs, and ATP products worldwide.

If you are excited by industrial-scale software, real-world systems, and building platforms that matter in production, this role offers the chance to lead at the center of that transformation.