Driven by a passion to delight our customers our Product Development Europe engineering teams are committed to developing superior vehicles consistent with the Ford Motor Co brand strategy - DCDQ (Dependable, Contemporary, Driving Quality). Achieved through excellent driving dynamics coupled with the ultimate in driving experience, passenger security and customer-focused interior design these vehicle attributes will contribute to making Ford one of the world's leading automotive companies with instantly recognisable and desirable vehicles. Global products such as the Ford Ka, Ford Fiesta, Ford Focus, Ford Mondeo, and Ford Transit have all demonstrated that customer satisfaction always takes centre stage and are products that represent state-of-the-art technology and great to drive, rewarding the skilled driver and flattering the unskilled.

Ford's European Product Development Centres are located in Cologne (Germany) and Dunton, Essex (UK), and at its vehicle testing facility is in Lommel (Belgium). Working in close conjunction with our colleagues in Manufacturing Operations, from initial concept to production, Product Development is committed to delivering 45 new products in a five year period ensuring that the consumer is spoilt for choice!

PD Europe is constantly looking to enhance it's teams by recruiting technically competent engineers capable of a high level of business awareness, innovation and commitment to driving and delivering the future product strategy

Designing new vehicles is a complex operation involving some 4,000 engineers throughout Europe. To assist coordination Ford Product Development is organised into functional areas having specific responsibilities and skills. These include:

• Chassis Engineering
• Body Engineering
• Electrical & Electronic Systems Engineering
• Powertrain / Power Train Applications Engineering
• Product Verification and Test
• Vehicle Engineering
• Design

All engineering activities are involved in initial concept studies, component and system design, CAE analysis, supplier coordination, design verification, test and sign off and vehicle launch.

Chassis Engineering is responsible for the design & development of the vehicle's suspension, steering, brakes, wheels & fuel systems. In addition to the groups working on program delivery, there are also "core" groups and Chassis "Integration" functions.

New recruits within Chassis Engineering will generally work on an upcoming vehicle program with experienced Chassis and supplier engineers to develop and deliver their system. Early in a program we set technical targets, by expanding the vehicle targets (e.g. light steering feel), to system and component targets (e.g. effort at steering wheel while parking must be <4Nm). During the program development, working closely with the component suppliers, the components & systems are developed, verified, tuned and refined.

As a program nears launch, we verify that all the targets have been achieved, resolve any remaining open issues, finalise the settings for "tunable" parts (bushes, shocks, springs etc), and work with the Manufacturing plants to build the vehicles.

A job in Chassis Engineering will usually involve European travel to vist suppliers, Ford facilities & plants, and graduates will typically get involved in vehicle static and dynamic appraisals.

With approximately 430 employees in Ford of Europe, Body Engineering is one of Product Development’s largest activities, responsible for engineering the majority of the vehicle you see when you enter a showroom. This includes the entire exterior (including the body and exterior ornamentation), the interior seats and trim and the safety systems.
Body engineers work closely with manufacturing to ensure production viability and quality for the volume production during the prototype and pre-production phase to product launch. We are also responsible for the continuous quality optimization of existing products.

Our daily work has many interfaces to other product development areas within Ford brand and other brands of Ford Motor Company, as well as with project management, suppliers, technical services and institutes, purchasing, finance, manufacturing staffs and the plants in Cologne (D), Saarlouis (D), Genk (B), Valencia (E) or Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, India, North-America, Taiwan, Turkey and Russia.

Potential areas of opportunity within body engineering are CAD or CAE Engineering, and Systems Engineering. Working in our body engineering team means truly creative and various challenges in the largest product development area of Ford of Europe, with a broad variety of different tasks and far-reaching career and development opportunities within the global organisation of Ford Motor Company.

Electrical/Electronic Systems Engineering (EESE) is part of the Product Development (PD) arm of the organisation. EESE's mission is to plan, rapidly engineer and deliver complete E/E systems that enable vehicles with superior quality, consumer appeal and value. Electronics is a rapidly developing and exciting field of engineering, and EESE is recognised as corporate leader in implementing fast-track surprise and delight features, as well as innovative safety, security, convenience and infotainment systems.

The EESE department can be split into several teams - each with different responsibilities:

• Mechatronic Sub-systems:This team looks at the interaction of parts within a intelligent subsystem. A good example of this is a rain sensor – everything is studied from the sensor, the processing, right through to the final wipe of the windscreen.
  
  
• Multiplexing and Diagnostics: This group is involved with the communication between the electronic modules on the network to ensure that they all interact correctly. The work also involves software and hardware support to the suppliers of the electronic modules for specific vehicle lines.
  
  
• Electromagnetic Compatibility: The EMC team manage and carry out EMC testing to legal and corporate levels to ensure that the in-car electronics is not affected by EM fields. The group also is trying to raise EMC awareness and is developing a global process for EMC testing.
  
  
• Driver Information and Climate Control: This team has a variety of work including cluster design, surround sensing of the outside factors, parking aids and fuel computers. The team also works on all climate control electronics include support for heaters, air conditioning, electronic air temperature control and all associated sensors.
  
  
• Switches: This team works on all hand operated and internal switches and actuators. They co-ordinate and manage their suppliers to provide product teams with the correct parts.
  
  
• Power Supply: Responsible for all electrical power to the vehicle. This includes energy management, system verification, sub-system integration and quality issues. Just recently the development of Smart Charging technology has led to a battery which is always in an optimum state.
  
  
• Core Quality: This team is completely dedicated to quality analysis. Their main task is to review quality data to establish any trends in warranty claims. After analysing the cause of the fault they are able to improve the situation by contacting suppliers and liasing with in-house designers.
  
  
• Multimedia and Applications: The multimedia groups work is concentrated around the radio, navigation system and in-car telephone. The multimedia applications group work is to ensure that the specified design fits into the infrastructure of the car.
  
  
• Security/Convenience: This team is responsible for anti-theft systems and vehicle alarms. The convenience features are all controlled by an electronic module which they design.
  
  
• Safety/Chassis: This team are responsible for development, testing and release of all electronic content of restraints. They are also responsible for quality analysis, benchmarking and test specifications.
  
  
• Program teams: As well as a variety of jobs within core technology programs

A high-quality Powertrain consisting of an engine (gasoline or diesel), transmission, clutch and drive train is an essential requirement any vehicle with outstanding driving dynamics.

Powertrain are responsible for engineering the base engines (gasoline and diesel). The Powertrain Applications Engineering group is responsible for engineering the installation of the engine into a vehicle including all its induction, exhaust, cooling systems, mounting systems and calibration.

Vehicle Engineering act as the total product development vehicle integrators, ensuring that all products meet or exceed their design targets thereby enhancing & complimenting the global brand. These targets support customer expectations, product business case, manufacturing feasibility, serviceability, vehicle recycling and the corporate environmental policy.

This functional area is split into several departments:

• Vehicle Integration (VI) are responsible for ensuring the vehicle meets its design targets and that these match the expected consumer aspirations to ensure that the vehicle brand is enhanced with each additional product launch. In order to achieve this goal VI work closely with all other PD Functions & coordinate all the Vehicle Engineering departments.
  
  
• Analytical Prototypes work building up vehicle level CAD and CAE models including analyses for PD Europe and the continuous improvement of the analytical tool & process capabilities to support the reduction of physical prototypes.
  
  
• Vehicle Package is responsible for occupant positioning and all customer / vehicle interfaces ensuring customer satisfaction throughout the target population range. In addition the department is responsible for locating all the mechanical subsystems which make up the complete vehicle, ensuring non-interference during all dynamic conditions.
  
  
• Vehicle Dynamics concentrates on those aspects which the customer perceives as total vehicle and system dynamic performance encompassing; steering agility, ride comfort, braking performance and overall vehicle handling.
  
  
• Vehicle NVH (Noise, Vibration & Harshness) department is responsible for ensuring that the complete vehicle assembly is designed without any error states occurring during usage that affect customer satisfaction or brand image with relation to Sound Quality.
  
  
• Thermal & Aerodynamics Systems Engineering (TASE) manage the heat management and aerodynamic performance of the total vehicle. This includes engine compartment airflow & temperatures, interior climatic environment and exterior airflow.
  
  
• Physical Prototypes are the department responsible for all physical prototype builds including the management and planning of their utilisation during the verification and testing periods of product development.
  
  
• Product Verification & Test conduct & develop all the component, system and vehicle level testing, employing lab & rig testing, engine durability analyses and full vehicle tests including durability, crash & real world customer use where high mileage fleet customers validate new products ahead of launch.

The Design group is responsible for defining the visual aesthetics of the vehicle, both external and internal. This calls for our Design team to push the boundaries of contemporary creative design philosophy to gain a competitive advantage over our rivals.



For more information regarding opportunities in Product Development, please go to the relevant Undergraduate Opportunities / Graduate Opportunities / Experienced Hires section. To view any positions we currently have, please go to the Current Vacancies section.