ShopFloorJobs
Ford logo

Lead Engineering Technician | Vehicle

Ford · Palo Alto, CA

Apply on Ford ↗
Level
Manager
Team
Manufacturing
Base pay
$95k–$159k
Degree
Required (or equivalent experience)
Industry
Automotive
Posted
30+ days ago

The role in 30 seconds

A management manufacturing role at Ford (automotive) in Palo Alto, CA. Install, configure, validate, troubleshoot, and remove sensors, instrumentation wiring, data loggers, and related test equipment.

They ask for
degree required (or equivalent experience)
Tools it names
Tooling
Base pay
$95k–$159k
Day to day
some off-shift / weekend coverage

Read from the posting. The full description is below.

From the plant jobs report · week of October 19, 2026

Manufacturing Engineer roles in California: typical posted base $114k–$167k. This one lists $95k–$159k.

Median of the low and high ends of 117 live postings that list pay, out of 320 manufacturing engineer openings in California, read from manufacturers' own careers sites.

California plant jobs report →Pay by team and state →What moves pay →

How this role compares

Against 319 other live manufacturing postings in California.

Base pay
About 5% below similar roles

Typical $111k–$157k, from 104 postings that list pay.

Experience asked
Not stated

Similar roles usually ask 5+ years.

Skills these teams ask for most

  • ✓ Tooling 53%
  • New product launch 51%
  • Root cause 40%
  • Automation 35%
  • Machining 29%
  • CATIA / NX 29%

✓ = this posting asks for it too. % = share of similar postings that mention it.

At a glance

Off-shift / weekend coverage

Pulled from the posting text. If it's not listed here, the posting didn't say.

How to get in at this plant

Five moves over a week or two. The first one takes ten minutes.

  1. 1

    Pick 2–3 people on the Manufacturing team at Ford

    Engineers who joined in the last year or two reply the most. Use the team search on this page to find them.

  2. 2

    Send a short, curious note

    One real question about their work. No favors yet. Each person gets a different note, written for this role.

  3. 3

    Turn a reply into a short call

    Questions worth asking about this team:

    • What does a normal week look like on your team?
    • Is the work mostly new product launches or sustaining existing lines?
    • How much time do you spend on the floor versus at a desk?
    • How does off-shift and weekend coverage work?
    • How did you land the job? What stood out in your interviews?
  4. 4

    Apply with someone vouching for you

    If the call went well, ask whether they’d pass your résumé to the hiring manager. Send your résumé link, apply that day, and let them know.

  5. 5

    Bring proof to the interview

    One page of before-and-after numbers from projects you led: scrap, OEE, cycle time, cost. Plant managers hire on results.

This plant: Ford in Palo Alto

6 other open roles at this site.

Full description from FordAs posted on their careers site.Show

We made history and now we work to transform the future – for our customers, our communities and our families. You'll see your work on the road every day, helping people move freely and pursue their dreams. At Ford, you can build more than vehicles. Come build what matters.

Ford’s Electric Vehicles, Digital and Design (EVDD) team is charged with delivering the company’s vision of a fully electric transportation future. EVDD is customer-obsessed, entrepreneurial, and data-driven and is dedicated to delivering industry-leading customer experience for electric vehicle buyers and owners. You’ll join an agile team of doers pioneering our EV future by working collaboratively, staying focused on only what matters, and delivering excellence day in and day out. Join us to make positive change by helping build a better world where every person is free to move and pursue their dreams.

In this position...

The Lead Engineering Technician is responsible for performing vehicle instrumentation, test setup, and test execution alongside a team of technicians. In addition to completing technical work, this role will coordinate daily assignments, provide technical guidance, and partner with Engineering to translate immediate test needs into executable work.

This position will support testing in the garage, on road, and at test facilities, including fault injection, vehicle dynamics, braking, handling, durability, thermal, NVH, and other vehicle development activities.

What you'll do...

  • •Perform vehicle and subsystem instrumentation, data acquisition system setup, test preparation, troubleshooting, and test support alongside the technician team.
  • •Lead daily activities by assigning and prioritizing work based on test schedules, vehicle availability, Engineering needs, and established program priorities.
  • •Partner directly with Engineering to understand test objectives, instrumentation requirements, timing, and expected deliverables.
  • •Install, configure, validate, troubleshoot, and remove sensors, instrumentation wiring, data loggers, and related test equipment.
  • •Configure DAQ and verify sensors, data acquisition channels, and vehicle-network signals to ensure accurate and reliable test data.
  • •Prepare and support vehicles for vehicle dynamics, braking, handling, durability, thermal, NVH, road, and proving-ground testing.
  • •Participate in hands on test execution, including pre test inspections, system checks, system troubleshooting, and teardown.
  • •Verify sensor operation, calibration status, signal quality, and vehicle configuration, before releasing vehicles for testing.
  • •Troubleshoot instrumentation and data-quality issues in partnership with Engineering.
  • •Provide technicians with technical instruction while working alongside them to resolve complex installations, test setups, and system issues.
  • •Review completed work and maintain accurate documentation on instrumentation records, calibration information, channel lists, issues, and deviations.
  • •Communicate vehicle readiness, work status, test findings, risks, and blockers to Engineering and management.
  • •Track assignments, test requests, issues, and deliverables using Jira and other Atlassian tools.
  • •Identify tooling, equipment, material, vehicle, or workspace constraints and escalate them to management.

You'll have...

  • •Bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering or equivalent combination of relevant education and experience.
  • •Proficiency in vehicle instrumentation, sensors, data acquisition, vehicle networks, and test support.
  • •Ability to lead while contributing to the work, setting priorities, guiding technicians, and maintaining accountability.
  • •Ability to translate engineering requirements, drawings, schematics, and procedures into executable work.
  • •Strong judgment, communication, organization, and problem-solving skills in a changing environment.
  • •Ability to communicate and document work status, findings, risks, configurations, and open issues.
  • •Ability to work safely and maintain an organized, efficient work environment.
  • •Even better, you may have...

Ability to serve as a working lead in an automotive test, prototype, motorsports, aerospace, or similar development environment.

  • •Proficiency with vehicle instrumentation, data-acquisition, and dynamics-measurement systems.
  • •Knowledge of high-voltage electric vehicles, electrical safety, vehicle software flashing, and module or data-logger configuration.
  • •Familiarity with Linux, scripting, technical documentation, configuration control, and engineering workflow tools.
  • •Ability to develop and improve instrumentation standards, test procedures, and data-quality processes.

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 tim

More Manufacturing roles nearby