Battery Program Leader

Job Description

The ideal candidate brings deep experience in equipment installation, commissioning, qualification, and production ramp up within battery, automotive, or other high-volume manufacturing environments. This leader will ensure equipment readiness, process capability, and operational stability while meeting safety, quality, cost, and schedule targets.

We are seeking a results-driven Manufacturing Program Supervisor to lead the installation, commissioning, qualification, production ramp-up of battery cell manufacturing equipment at Marshall, MI. This role is highly execution-focused and will own the full lifecycle of manufacturing equipment deployment - from tooling installation through stable, high-volume production.

• Lead all site activities related to equipment installation, commissioning, qualification and handover to operation team.
• Own commissioning execution, including dry runs, safety validation, and final acceptance testing.
• Drive equipment qualification processes, ensuring capability, throughput, yield, and quality targets are achieved before production release.
• Lead production ramp-up planning and execution, establishing structured ramp methodologies to achieve rate, yield, and OEE targets.
• Oversee equipment re-tooling, upgrades, and optimization initiatives to support product changes, capacity increases, or performance improvements.
• Coordinate cross-functional readiness across engineering, operations, maintenance, quality, facilities, and EHS to ensure seamless start-of-production.
• Manage equipment vendors and installation contractors through installation, commissioning, and post-launch stabilization.
• Track and manage key ramp KPIs including throughput, yield, scrap, uptime, cycle time, and MTBF/MTTR.
• Identify technical risks early and implement mitigation plans to protect launch timing and performance targets.
• Establish documentation standards, change management processes, and lessons learned to support future scalable manufacturing programs.
• Provide regular program updates on schedule, budget, risks, and ramp performance to senior leadership.

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering (Mechanical, Electrical, Manufacturing, Chemical, or related field); advanced degree preferred.
• 5+ years of experience in manufacturing engineering, equipment launch, or industrialization in high-volume production environments.
• Proven experience leading equipment installation, commissioning, and qualification for complex automated manufacturing lines.
• Strong understanding of equipment acceptance processes including FAT, SAT, IQ/OQ/PQ, and production validation methodologies.
• Demonstrated success driving structured production ramp-up and achieving performance stabilization.
• Experience managing equipment re-tooling, line modifications, and capacity expansion projects.
• Strong working knowledge of automation systems, process control, and industrial safety standards.
• Ability to lead cross-functional teams and external vendors in high-pressure launch environments.
• Strong project management skills with experience managing capital budgets and timelines.
• Willingness to travel as required to support suppliers and on-site launch activities.
• Prefer direct experience in battery cell manufacturing equipment and process scale-up.

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 change maker, 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…