In - Vehicle Network Architect

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? In this position... Join Ford as an In-Vehicle Network Performance Architect. In this individual contributor role, you will own the vision, standards, and operating model for network performance modeling and continuous performance insight across complex Ethernet/CAN-FD/LIN vehicle networks. You will build and maintain high-fidelity models to predict latency/jitter/utilization and coupling, run data-driven studies that shape architecture decisions, forecast lifecycle growth, and use SIL/HIL/vehicle data pipelines and dashboards to detect and respond to emerging performance risks during development Ford's Network Architecture organization is advancing faster, data-driven end-to-end network thinking that unifies software, hardware, and platform programs. As the In-Vehicle Network Performance Architect, you will act as the technical product owner for Ford's network performance modeling and monitoring capability-defining "what good looks like," standardizing methods, and ensuring the right performance insights are produced at the right time in the systems engineering and architecture lifecycle. This role blends architecture/systems engineering judgment with real-world complex network performance analysis. The ideal background may come from automotive or adjacent domains (defense, aerospace, networking/IT, distributed systems), but must include experience with vehicle communications (Ethernet, CAN/CAN-FD, LIN). Join Ford as an In-Vehicle Network Performance Architect. In this individual contributor role, you will own the vision, standards, and operating model for network performance modeling and continuous performance insight across complex Ethernet/CAN-FD/LIN vehicle networks. You will build and maintain high-fidelity models to predict latency/jitter/utilization and coupling, run data-driven studies that shape architecture decisions, forecast lifecycle growth, and use SIL/HIL/vehicle data pipelines and dashboards to detect and respond to emerging performance risks during development What you'll do... 1) Product Ownership for Network Performance Modeling & Insight * Own the vision, roadmap, and standard work for network performance modeling, simulation, and integration-time monitoring across vehicle programs. * Define performance modeling "contracts": assumptions, required inputs, model fidelity tiers, scenario libraries, calibration approach, and output formats for decision-making. * Establish and track adoption KPIs (coverage, turnaround time, prediction accuracy, regression detection time). 2) High-Fidelity Modeling & Simulation * Build and maintain high-fidelity simulation and analytical models to predict network latency, jitter, utilization, congestion behavior, and coupling across mixed Ethernet/CAN-FD/LIN topologies. * Ensure models reflect real architectural complexity (gateway effects, contention, burstiness, protocol overheads, scheduling/priority behaviors, growth in variants/features). 3) Data-Driven Studies to Drive Architectural Shifts * Participate in quantitative trade studies to recommend architectural changes (topology, bandwidth allocation, segmentation strategies, gateway strategy, timing/priority strategies). * Produce decision-ready outputs: expected deltas, confidence level, sensitivities, risks, and clear mitigation options. 4) Lifecycle Forecasting: Bus Load & Memory Utilization * Create forecasting models to project bus load/bandwidth headroom and memory utilization over the vehicle lifecycle. * Define growth envelopes and triggers so the architecture remains viable as future features/services expand. 5) Integration-Time Performance Monitoring & Rapid Response * Define and drive the approach to monitor trends during development/integration using SIL/HIL/vehicle logs and dashboards. * Build/enable a closed-loop system: model predictions integration measurements updated assumptions/calibration. * Lead rapid performance investigations (root-cause hypotheses, targeted analyses, recommended corrective actions) when programs hit latency/jitter/utilization/coupling issues. 6) Embed Performance into the Systems Engineering Lifecycle * Integrate network performance artifacts into architecture and change-control workflows: performance budgets, guardrails, regression checks, and sign-off criteria. * Represent network performance in technical reviews and governance, clearly communicating tradeoffs and risk What you'll do... 1) Product Ownership for Network Performance Modeling & Insight * Own the vision, roadmap, and standard work for network performance modeling, simulation, and integration-time monitoring across vehicle programs. * Define performance modeling "contracts": assumptions, required inputs, model fidelity tiers, scenario libraries, calibration approach, and output formats for decision-making. * Establish and track adoption KPIs (coverage, turnaround time, prediction accuracy, regression detection time). 2) High-Fidelity Modeling & Simulation * Build and maintain high-fidelity simulation and analytical models to predict network latency, jitter, utilization, congestion behavior, and coupling across mixed Ethernet/CAN-FD/LIN topologies. * Ensure models reflect real architectural complexity (gateway effects, contention, burstiness, protocol overheads, scheduling/priority behaviors, growth in variants/features). 3) Data-Driven Studies to Drive Architectural Shifts * Participate in quantitative trade studies to recommend architectural changes (topology, bandwidth allocation, segmentation strategies, gateway strategy, timing/priority strategies). * Produce decision-ready outputs: expected deltas, confidence level, sensitivities, risks, and clear mitigation options. 4) Lifecycle Forecasting: Bus Load & Memory Utilization * Create forecasting models to project bus load/bandwidth headroom and memory utilization over the vehicle lifecycle. * Define growth envelopes and triggers so the architecture remains viable as future features/services expand. 5) Integration-Time Performance Monitoring & Rapid Response * Define and drive the approach to monitor trends during development/integration using SIL/HIL/vehicle logs and dashboards. * Build/enable a closed-loop system: model predictions integration measurements updated assumptions/calibration. * Lead rapid performance investigations (root-cause hypotheses, targeted analyses, recommended corrective actions) when programs hit latency/jitter/utilization/coupling issues. 6) Embed Performance into the Systems Engineering Lifecycle * Integrate network performance artifacts into architecture and change-control workflows: performance budgets, guardrails, regression checks, and sign-off criteria. * Represent network performance in technical reviews and governance, clearly communicating tradeoffs and risk

Created: 2026-04-02