Hardware Engineer Visa Sponsorship US

Job Description

Hardware Engineer – Advanced Networking (Hybrid)

Visa Sponsorship Available

At Ford, we believe in shaping the future of mobility while building a workplace where people feel inspired, connected, and valued. Every day, we roll up our sleeves to create smarter, safer, and more sustainable ways for the world to move. If you’re looking for a role where your ideas can influence the next generation of vehicles, this could be your place.

About the Role

We’re looking for a Hardware Engineer to join our Advanced Networking Group—an innovative team responsible for strengthening the signal integrity and durability of high-speed communication links inside Ford vehicles. Your work will support the development of our future electrical architecture by helping us identify the best networking technologies, improve existing systems, and keep overall vehicle costs efficient without compromising reliability.

In this role, you’ll write networking specifications for Layer 1–2, prepare verification documents for programs across the company, guide hardware design reviews, and carry out simulations and lab-based testing to validate networking components. Candidates with deeper experience may be considered for a Senior Hardware Engineer position.

What You’ll Be Doing

• Evaluate circuit designs to ensure they meet automotive standards for electrical robustness and signal integrity
• Run simulations, investigate potential issues, and validate your findings in the lab
• Establish SI budgets for boards, connectors, cables, and other vehicle communication segments
• Define board-level design rules—including routing, termination, and interconnect requirements
• Develop and run design verification tests aligned with internal and industry standards
• Lead root-cause analysis and corrective actions on prototypes and production-level components
• Support component-level qualification for networking technologies through review of EMI/EMC and interoperability reports
• Work closely with EMC, EDS, and Vehicle Validation teams to incorporate SI considerations into the wider product development process
• Guide project teams on feasibility, design trade-offs, and implementation approaches
• Contribute to standards-related initiatives to improve automation, reduce complexity, and streamline automotive networking
• Partner with firmware and software engineers to support hardware bring-up and testing
• Build relationships with suppliers to assess and adopt emerging communication technologies

What You Need to Succeed

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering or a closely related field
• 5+ years of progressive hardware design experience, especially with high-speed digital and mixed-signal designs
• 2+ years of experience with signal-integrity (SI) simulation or PCB tools such as Altium, Cadence Allegro, Mentor Graphics, HyperLynx, Sigrity, Ansys HFSS/SIwave, or Polar Instruments
• Hands-on experience using oscilloscopes, VNAs, TDRs, and PCB rework tools
• Knowledge of automotive communication interfaces such as CAN, LIN, SerDes, Ethernet, or PCIe
• Strong understanding of SI fundamentals including transmission lines, S-parameters, BER testing, crosstalk, impedance, eye diagrams, and time-domain behavior
• Solid grounding in EMI/EMC principles for automotive systems
• Experience designing for high-volume, high-reliability electronics using DFMEA and worst-case analysis

Preferred Qualifications

• PhD with 3+ years of relevant experience OR Master’s degree with 7+ years of experience
• 5+ years of deep SI simulation and PCB design expertise
• Strong background in electromagnetic and transmission line theory
• Hands-on experience with automotive networking standards like 10BASE-T1S, 100/1000BASE-T1, Multi-Gig T1, GMSL/FPD-Link, CAN FD, LIN
• Insight into vehicle EE architectures and automotive development processes
• Experience capturing, defining, and managing technical requirements
• Familiarity with vehicle diagnostic tools used to troubleshoot network issues
• Prior work with standards bodies such as IEEE, SAE, ASA, or the OPEN Alliance
• Self-driven work style with the ability to bring clarity to loosely defined engineering problems

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Why Build Your Career at Ford?

You’ll have the chance to shape your own path—whether that means exploring global opportunities or becoming a deep technical expert. Ford offers a flexible, supportive work culture and a benefits package designed to meet the needs of you and your family.

Benefits Include

• Immediate access to medical, dental, vision, and prescription plans
• Family-friendly benefits, including paid parental leave, backup child care, family care days, and new-parent ramp-up programs
• Support for family-building journeys such as adoption, fertility treatment, and surrogacy
• Vehicle discount programs and management lease options
• Tuition assistance to help you continue growing
• Active employee resource groups and community service opportunities
• Paid holidays—including the full week between Christmas and New Year’s
• Paid time off with the option to purchase additional days
• Transparent information about wages and working conditions (U.S. Department of Labor: https://www.dol.gov)

Additional Information

• Visa sponsorship is available for this role.
• Applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States. Employment eligibility will be verified at the time of hire.
• Ford is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We welcome applicants of all backgrounds and identities.
• Individuals needing reasonable accommodation for the online application may call 1-888-336-0660.
• This role is hybrid, and candidates near a Ford hub may work onsite four or more days per week.