Software Systems Engineer Jobs at Ford Motor Company with Visa Sponsorship
Software Systems Engineer jobs at Ford Motor Company span vehicle software platforms, embedded systems, and connected mobility. The company has an established process for sponsoring work visas for this function, making it a realistic target if you're on an H-1B visa, E-3 visa, F-1 OPT, or TN visa and building a career in automotive software.
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Overview
At Ford, you’ll work on ideas that matter, alongside passionate people who want to make a global impact. Together, we’re shaping the next era of transportation—grounded in purpose, driven by progress. Make your move.
- Job Type: Full time
- Work Type: Hybrid
Do you have what it takes to make smart vehicles for a smart world? Join the Ford Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) team! Utilizing Design Thinking and User Experience methods, you will work to deliver breakthrough products and services that delight our customers. We are seeking forward-thinking, laser-focused professionals with a passion for bringing innovative, exciting, and sustainable ideas to life. We are looking for a statistically fluent systems engineer to define and verify performance targets for interior perception systems. Because these systems interact directly with the driver, consistency of feature experience across a diverse customer population is a core design objective. This role exists to define, measure, and continuously improve that consistency.
What you'll do...
- Define quantitative performance targets. Translate feature-level requirements into verifiable perception subsystem KPIs (e.g., detection and false-positive rates, time-to-detect) and drive alignment on those targets with feature owners and senior leadership.
- Characterize system performance across the full range of customer and environmental noise factors (occupant anthropometry, appearance variation, eyewear, lighting, sun load) and develop methodologies to drive consistent feature availability across our customer population.
- Design statistically efficient validation strategies (design of experiments, stratified sampling, sequential testing, resampling-based confidence estimation) that characterize system robustness across interacting noise factors while making efficient use of test time and resources.
- Build application-agnostic performance and validation frameworks that decouple core perception KPIs from vehicle-specific factors such as camera mounting position, interior geometry, and occupant position, enabling reuse across platforms.
- Define real-world usage profiles and exposure models to project bench and track performance into expected field performance for a representative customer population.
- Collaborate with feature systems engineers to define design objectives, functional requirements, and architectural decisions for driver engagement systems.
- Partner directly with vendor technical leads and our hardware team to refine sensor and illuminator packaging requirements and propose system architecture modifications that reduce application sensitivity.
- Represent the interior perception subsystem in cross-functional design reviews and support root cause analysis and statistical characterization of any field issues.
What success looks like in this role...
- Within your first few months, you will have built relationships with feature owners, hardware engineers, validation leads, and key suppliers, and developed a working understanding of our current interior perception architecture and KPI landscape.
- Within your first year, you will have led the definition of a platform-level KPI and validation framework that is adopted across multiple vehicle programs, and you will be the recognized internal authority on interior perception performance methodology.
- Looking further out, you will shape how Ford approaches interior perception validation for the next generation of driver-assist features, and mentor a growing community of engineers contributing to that work.
You'll have...
- Bachelor’s Degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, Mathematics/Statistics, or related field
- 3+ years of experience decomposing high-level feature requirements into quantitative subsystem KPIs in automotive, aerospace, defense, medical devices, or a similarly safety-relevant domain
- Demonstrated fluency in applied statistics – hypothesis testing, confidence and tolerance intervals, sample size justification, and reasoning about rare-event rates
- Experience defining or executing validation strategies under finite test budgets
- Strong communication skills – particularly the ability to explain and defend a statistical recommendation to non-statistical stakeholders and drive consensus across cross-functional teams
Even better, you may have...
- Master’s Degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, Mathematics/Statistics, or related field
- 5+ years of systems engineering experience in a safety-relevant domain
- Experience with ADAS perception systems and performance evaluation (ROC/DET analysis, operating point selection, confusion matrix decomposition by subgroup)
- Experience with driver/occupant monitoring or camera-based biometric systems
- Proficiency in Python (or comparable language) for statistical analysis of large datasets
- Familiarity with naturalistic driving studies, exposure modeling, or reliability and field-return analysis
- Understanding of functional safety (ISO 26262) and SOTIF standards and processes
- Experience with systems modeling and/or requirements management tools (SysML/MagicDraw, Polarion, JAMA, DOORS, etc.) and failure mode analysis techniques
- Familiarity with requirement formats including INCOSE and EARS
What would make you stand out...
- A track record of driving consensus on performance targets in environments with competing technical and program pressures
- Experience presenting and defending performance methodology to executive technical leadership
- History of building validation frameworks or evaluation methodologies that were adopted beyond their original scope
- Recognized depth in either applied statistics or perception system design – and working fluency in the other
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 7-8.
For more information on salary and benefits, click here: https://fordcareers.co/GSR
Visa sponsorship is 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.
Candidates who are in commuting distance to a Ford hub location may be required to be onsite four or more days per week. #LI-Hybrid #LI-LB1
See all Software Systems Engineer Jobs at Ford Motor Company
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Get Access To All JobsTips for Finding Software Systems Engineer Jobs at Ford Motor Company
Align your resume to Ford's software domains
Ford's Software Systems Engineer roles split across ADAS, vehicle networking, and over-the-air update systems. Frame your experience around embedded systems, AUTOSAR, or CAN bus protocols rather than generic software engineering to pass the specialty occupation threshold USCIS applies.
Target Ford's BlueCruise and connected vehicle teams
Ford actively builds out software-defined vehicle capabilities under Ford Pro and Ford Blue divisions. Applying directly to these teams signals alignment with active investment areas, where open requisitions stay open longer and sponsorship decisions move faster than in maintenance-mode programs.
Clarify your OPT STEM extension eligibility before applying
Software Systems Engineering typically qualifies under STEM OPT if your degree is in computer science, electrical engineering, or a related field. Confirm your degree CIP code with your DSO before Ford's HR runs E-Verify, since any mismatch delays your authorization start date.
Ask Ford's recruiter about LCA timing upfront
Ford files a Labor Condition Application with the DOL before submitting your H-1B petition. Ask during the offer stage how long their internal LCA preparation takes, since that step adds two to four weeks before USCIS even receives the I-129 filing.
Use Migrate Mate to surface Ford's active sponsorship roles
Ford posts Software Systems Engineer openings across multiple requisition systems and they don't all appear in one place. Use Migrate Mate to browse Ford's current visa-sponsoring roles filtered by category, so you're targeting open positions rather than cold-applying to generic job boards.
Document your degree equivalency for three-year Australian credentials
If you're applying on an E-3, Ford's HR team may flag a three-year Australian bachelor's degree during the specialty occupation review. Get a credential evaluation from a NACES-member agency before your offer letter arrives so the assessment is ready when the I-129 is prepared.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Ford Motor Company sponsor H-1B visas for Software Systems Engineers?
Yes, Ford Motor Company sponsors H-1B visas for Software Systems Engineers. The role qualifies as a specialty occupation under USCIS standards because it typically requires at minimum a bachelor's degree in computer science, electrical engineering, or a closely related field. Ford's established immigration process means sponsorship is handled internally rather than outsourced entirely, which can make the timeline more predictable once you have a written offer.
Which visa types does Ford Motor Company commonly use for Software Systems Engineers?
Ford sponsors H-1B, E-3, TN, and F-1 OPT for Software Systems Engineers, as well as immigrant visa pathways including EB-2 and EB-3 for longer-term sponsorship. Australian citizens pursuing the E-3 benefit from no lottery requirement. Canadian and Mexican nationals in qualifying engineering roles can use the TN category. F-1 students in STEM fields can begin on OPT before transitioning to an employer-sponsored petition.
How do I apply for Software Systems Engineer jobs at Ford Motor Company?
Applications go through Ford's careers portal at ford.com, where roles are posted by division including Ford Blue, Ford Pro, and Ford Model e. Filtering by software or systems engineering disciplines surfaces the most relevant positions. You can also browse Ford's current visa-sponsoring Software Systems Engineer openings on Migrate Mate, which filters specifically for roles open to sponsored candidates so you're not guessing about eligibility.
What qualifications does Ford look for in Software Systems Engineers they'll sponsor?
Ford's Software Systems Engineer roles typically require a bachelor's degree or higher in electrical engineering, computer engineering, or computer science. Practical experience with embedded systems development, real-time operating systems, or vehicle communication protocols such as CAN or Ethernet is valued. Roles supporting ADAS or software-defined vehicle platforms often expect familiarity with AUTOSAR, Model-Based Design using MATLAB or Simulink, or functional safety frameworks like ISO 26262.
How do I estimate the timeline from offer to work authorization at Ford?
For H-1B transfers or cap-exempt filings, the sequence runs from LCA certification with the DOL (roughly seven business days) through USCIS adjudication, which takes two to three months with standard processing or two to three weeks with premium processing. E-3 applicants going through consular processing in Australia typically see a faster end-to-end timeline. TN candidates can often start sooner because approval happens at the port of entry rather than through a USCIS petition.