At Ford, the movers of the world and the makers of the future, we are looking for a Tech Lead to be the visionary architect for our VSSE- Ecosystem of AI Tools (VSSE-EAT). You will be responsible for transforming fragmented AI projects into a robust, enterprise-scale platform, enabling AI tool collaboration and building a low-code agent builder to empower engineers and non-technical employees across Ford Product Development.
What You'll Do
- Lead the re-architecting of tools from Discovery/POC stages to ensure compliance with Ford standards and scalability for thousands of global users.
- Collaborate with a squad of Full-stack, Data, and DevOps engineers to build an integrated, extensible, robust, and efficient framework.
- Establish governance rules for AI tools within the ecosystem to ensure security, compliance, and maintainability.
- Design the framework for a multi-agentic architecture where specialized agents can collaborate seamlessly.
- Take the lead in implementing the enterprise standard for Model Context Protocol (MCP) in the VSSE ecosystem.
- Drive the product roadmap for an Agent Builder that allows non-technical business customers to create and deploy AI agents.
- Lead a dedicated team of Data Scientists, Product Designers, and Developers, connecting user experience with data science and backend stability.
- Work closely with business customers to understand Ford-specific data to ensure data integrity and alignment.
What We're Looking For
- Bachelor's degree in computer science, Engineering, or a related technical field.
- 7+ years in software development.
- 2+ years focused on Generative AI.
- 3+ years of experience defining product vision, strategy, product roadmaps and building and managing backlogs.
- 2+ years working with Agile software methodologies.
- Deep understanding of the LLM lifecycle, including fine-tuning, Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG), and the difference between probabilistic and deterministic outputs.
- Background in professional software development (e.g., Python, Java, or C++).
- Proven experience taking a software product from a local 'lab' environment to a production environment supporting hundreds of concurrent users.
- Ability to quickly master and implement emerging protocols like Model Context Protocol (MCP) and multi-agent orchestration frameworks.
- Proficiency in navigating complex data environments and integrating AI tools with enterprise data lakes while maintaining governance.
- Experience managing the 'Maturity Pipeline' - moving products from Discovery/POC through Beta to a hardened Production state.
- Ability to move beyond 'single-feature' thinking to build an extensible ecosystem where tools share context and interact via a unified framework.
- A track record of optimizing Time to Market (TTM) and User Adoption.
- Experience leading a diverse team of Data Scientists, Full-stack/Front-end Developers, and Designers.
Nice to Have
- Master's degree preferred.
- Familiarity with Ford-specific data structures. Understanding the 'V-Model' or PD engineering cycles is a huge plus.
- Prior experience building or managing an 'Agent Builder' or a 'Self-Service' platform that empowers non-technical users.
- A candidate who proactively follows AI research and can translate academic 'hype' into industrial 'utility.'
- Experience working with Product Designers to simplify complex AI interactions into intuitive UI/UX for Ford employees.
- Experience working within highly regulated industries where data privacy and safety standards are non-negotiable.
Technical Stack
- Python, Java, C++
- Kubernetes
- LangChain, AutoGen, CrewAI
Team & Environment
You will lead a multidisciplinary squad of Full-stack, Data and DevOps engineers, Data Scientists, Product Designers, and Developers.
Benefits & Compensation
- 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
- Family building benefits including adoption and surrogacy expense reimbursement, fertility treatments
- 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 time
Work Mode
This is a hybrid position based in Dearborn, MI.
We are an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to a culturally diverse workforce. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, color, age, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability status or protected veteran status.
