Product Development Process Transformation Leader

Job Description

We are the movers of the world and the makers of the future. We get up every day, roll up our sleeves and build a better world — together. At Ford, we’re all a part of something bigger than ourselves. Are you ready to change the way the world moves?

Enterprise Technology plays a critical part in shaping the future of mobility. If you’re looking for the chance to leverage advanced technology to redefine the transportation landscape, enhance customer experience and improve people’s lives, this is the opportunity for you. Join us and challenge your IT expertise and analytical skills to help create vehicles that are as smart as you are.

The Transformation Leader is the architect of the program’s end-to-end value stream and data framework. By synchronizing product development systems with downstream industrialization, this role maintains real‑time accountability for the operational health and delivery of the program. They oversee the data and processes involved, ensuring that the handoff between development and manufacturing is seamless and that the program stays on track daily.

Based in Dearborn, MI, this is a hybrid position with a required four‑day onsite presence each week.

• Architect the Digital Thread:
  Work with various stakeholders to understand the business process requirements and design the end-to-end “future state” business process maps. Define how program industrialization should function in a digitally transformed ecosystem.
• Strategic Problem Solving:
  Architect both interim “bridge” solutions and permanent enterprise systems to ensure program industrialization remains seamless during periods of rapid change.
• Drive Process and Data Integrity:
  Identify and resolve cross‑functional gaps across Marketing, PD, Supply Chain, and Manufacturing, serving as the final authority on process and data alignment.
• Ensure Operational Health:
  Define and monitor real‑time KPIs to measure the efficiency of the value stream and the “readiness” of the program to move to industrialization.
• Decision Governance:
  Develop and implement the standards, guidelines, and frameworks that empower individual teams to make high‑quality, high‑velocity decisions.
• Mitigate Risk:
  Conduct process stress tests and lead rapid‑response teams to fix bottlenecks that threaten program delivery.
• Build the Enterprise Playbook:
  Codify lessons learned into a scalable digital transformation framework to be used across all future programs.

• The Systems Thinker:
  You see the “big picture” and understand how end‑to‑end value streams are interconnected with each other.
• The Change Agent:
  You are comfortable with ambiguity and have a proven track record of driving consensus in complex, matrixed organizations.
• The Lean Expert:
  You are a master of Value Stream Mapping and process optimization, but you know how to apply these tools to modern digital workflows.
• The Technical Liaison:
  You can speak “IT” and “Business” fluently, ensuring that digital tools solve the problems they were built for.

• Bachelor’s degree in any Engineering domain or equivalent combination of relevant education and experience.
• 10+ years of experience leading teams with skills including:
  • 5+ years of experience leading product development transformations/implementing disruptive process improvements across multiple organizations.
  • The ability to assertively facilitate groups of professionals and influence outcomes for the best enterprise outcomes.
  • Effectively communicating across, down and up to senior leadership.
• 5+ years of experience using value stream mapping to drive improvements in real‑world situations in professional organizations.
• 5+ years of experience and expertise with cross‑functional automotive or similar industrialization processes with experience in product development and cross‑functional knowledge.
• Proven experience leading at least one large‑scale “Digital Transformation” or “Business Process Transformation” project from conception to completion.
• 5+ years of experience in PLM systems such as Dassault 3DX and Siemens Teamcenter.

• Master’s Degree in Computer Science, Computer…