Director of Engineering – Forward Deploy AI

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 -- raj obst. At Ford, we’re all a part of something bigger than ourselves. Are you ready to change the way the world moves?

The Ford Motor Credit Company team helps put people behind the wheels of great Ford and Lincoln vehicles. By partnering with dealerships, we provide financing, personalized service and professional expertise to thousands of dealers and millions of customers in over one hundred countries around the world.

Help shape the future of Ford Credit by driving the execution and improvement of Ford Credit’s operations and customer experience by apply AI – with a large focus on agentic systems – within the business! This role will lead a specialized team of engineers who sit within our business units to drive AI‑flavored solutions for solving our most difficult challenges. The role requires a strong technical background in engineering, generative AI, and robotic process automation, alongside stellar communication abilities and strong mid‑level leadership to guide a team in a new and evolving space.

The Director of Engineering – Forward Deploy AI will have autonomy in shaping the future by being accountable for the performance and results of deployed AI within the business. This role involves leading and mentoring a team of forward‑deployed engineers, working with enterprise architecture and our developer enablement teams to oversee the platform for AI, and navigating the technical complexities of building and integrating AI solutions.

A key aspect of this position is to champion the use of AI agents and agentic systems for both efficiency and growth opportunities across the organization. This includes working with engineering delivery teams to collaborate with business and product on AI‑driven opportunities. The director will also be responsible for establishing best practices for process mapping, the selection of appropriate technology platforms, and the governance of non‑deterministic systems.

• Whiteboard AI solutions to business challenges and work with a team of engineers to rapidly move to production
• Lead, mentor, and grow a high‑performing team of forward‑deployed AI engineers, managing workload distribution and providing guidance on complex technical challenges
• Drive the architectural design and development of scalable and resilient AI agentic systems, with a strong emphasis on the Google Cloud Platform (GCP) and its AI/ML services like Vertex AI, Vertex Agent Engine, and Agentspace
• Oversee the entire lifecycle of AI development, from initial concept and requirements gathering to deployment, maintenance, and continuous improvement
• Develop and implement robust governance frameworks for non‑deterministic AI systems to ensure ethical, secure, and reliable operation
• Stay current with the latest advancements in generative AI, large language models (LLMs), and agentic architectures, and drive the integration of new technologies into the team's solutions
• Partner with technical teams, including data science, platform engineering, and cybersecurity, to ensure seamless integration and interoperability of AI solutions
• Help define, build and track key performance indicators (KPIs) to measure the impact and effectiveness of deployed AI agents across the organization
• Manage departmental budgets and ensure resources are allocated effectively to achieve strategic goals
• Handle talent management responsibilities, including recruitment, performance reviews, and professional development for the AI Agents team

• Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field

• A minimum of 10 years of experience in software engineering or a related field, with at least 5 years in a leadership role
• Proven experience in building and deploying generative AI and machine learning solutions in a production environment
• Deep understanding of generative AI, large language models (LLMs), AI agents, and agentic system capabilities
• Expertise in and passion for coding assistants (e.g., Claude Code, Gemini CLI, Google Code Assist, GH…