Ford Racing Simulation, Tools and Methods Manager

Racing is where our story began.

In 1901, Henry Ford climbed into a car he built himself—"Sweepstakes"—and beat America's most famous driver. He wasn't a racer, but he had to win. He did. Ford Motor Company was born from that victory.

That fighting spirit lives on in Ford Racing today. We're the engineers, strategists, and competitors who bring Ford's track-tested edge into every vehicle we build. Every track, every stage, every proving ground—that's where we prove ourselves.

The result: one of the world's most iconic brands, legendary nameplates, and a team unmatched in the industry.

Our mantra: Race to win, engineer to lead.

If you're a competitor, innovator, or performance obsessive, Ford Racing is where you belong. Help us write the next chapter.

In this position...

We are seeking a visionary, forward-looking engineering leader to serve as our Tools and Simulation Manager (LL5). Based at our Ford Racing Concord facility, you will lead the charge in defining the future of our simulation and analytical capabilities.

In this role, you will directly manage a high-performing team of LL6 Supervisors, oversee simulator operations and budgets, and own the integration of next-generation analytical, AI, and tire modeling tools. As a key strategic leader, you will bridge the gap between elite racing partners (NASCAR, Sportscar, Hypercar, Off-Road) and internal production vehicle teams, while spearheading the physical and technological expansion of Ford Racing’s global simulator facilities.

This role is hybrid and requires at least 4 days onsite in Concord, NC.

What you'll do...

People & Operational Leadership

• Direct Management: Lead, mentor, and develop a team, fostering a culture of high performance, collaboration, and continuous technical growth.

• Team Growth & Integration: Lead the strategic growth, development, and integration of the simulation team, building a unified, world-class engineering unit dedicated to the overall success of Ford Racing.

• Simulator Operations & Budgeting: Own the operational roadmap and annual budgets for the Ford Racing DiL simulators, ensuring maximum uptime, efficient resource allocation, and peak technical performance.

• Global Expansion: Act as the visionary lead for the growth and deployment of additional simulators as part of the strategic expansion of Ford Racing's global facilities.

Tool, Method & Model Integration

• Standardization & Commonization: Drive the adoption of common tools, methods, nomenclature, input methods, and overall output formats across Ford Racing, partner race teams, and Ford Product Development (PD) to ensure seamless data exchange and alignment.

• Cross-Functional Model Integration: Lead the integration of complex, multi-disciplinary models—including vehicle dynamics, aerodynamics, power unit, vehicle controls, and external partner models—into a cohesive simulation environment.

• Advanced Tool Ownership: Direct the development and deployment of track-side tools. Foster the critical engineering bridges between HHDM and VAST.

• AI & Future Tech: Own the strategic implementation and future growth of AI-based tools and analytical methods to accelerate vehicle development and simulator fidelity.

• Tire Model Integration: Drive the integration of advanced tire models into the simulation environment to ensure industry-leading correlation and driver feedback.

Cross-Functional Collaboration & Tech Transfer

• Cross-Series Learnings: Drive shared learnings and technical synergy across all simulator users, including NASCAR, Sportscar, Hypercar, and Off-Road programs.

• Race-to-Road / Road-to-Race: Facilitate seamless technology transfer between external racing partners and internal Ford production vehicle teams to elevate both track performance and road car dynamics.

Facility & Asset Management

• Facility Growth: Interface directly with Ford Land and external partners to lead the physical growth, design, and optimization of the Ford Racing Concord facilities.

• Asset Alignment: Partner with cross-functional users to forecast future facility requirements and align on the necessary tools to manage the physical assets within the building.

You'll have...

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or a related engineering discipline.
• 10+ years of professional engineering experience in motorsports, automotive, or aerospace.
• Experience managing and operating Driver-in-the-Loop (DiL) simulators.
• Experience integrating multidisciplinary vehicle subsystem models into simulation environments.
• Experience using industry-standard racing tools, telemetry systems, and vehicle dynamics software.
• Experience implementing AI-based engineering solutions or developing advanced analytical tools.

Even better, you may have...

• Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or a related technical field.
• Active personal or professional involvement in competitive motorsports (e.g., professional racing series, club racing, or off-road competition).
• An established, high-level network within the global motorsports, vehicle development, or advanced simulation industries.
• Experience managing multi-million dollar operational, testing, and program budgets.
• Flexibility and willingness to travel, including weekend travel to support key race events and track tests.
• A deep-seated passion for racing, motorsports, and high-performance vehicle development.

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 time.

This position is leadership level 5 and ranges from $141,700-$268,300.      
Final determination of salary grade will be based on candidate's skills and experience, and base salary will be set within the applicable range according to job scope, responsibility and competitive market value.

For more information on salary and benefits, click here.

Visa sponsorship is not available for this position.

Candidates for positions with Ford Motor Company must be legally authorized to work in the United States. Verification of employment eligibility will be required at the time of hire.

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer. 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. In the United States, if you need a reasonable accommodation for the online application process due to a disability, please call 1-888-336-0660.

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