Configuration Release Manager Jobs in Rochester Hills, MI

Ford Energy is a newly formed, wholly-owned subsidiary of Ford Motor Company dedicated to accelerating U.S. energy independence. Leveraging Ford's century of manufacturing excellence and world-class battery energy storage systems (BESS) technology, Ford Energy designs, manufactures, and services grid-scale and commercial DC battery energy storage systems (BESS). Ford Energy is uniquely positioned to capture the growing demand for reliable, US-built energy storage systems. We are not just building batteries; we are building the infrastructure for the next generation of the American grid.
Why Ford Energy?
At Ford Energy, you have the backing of an industrial manufacturing powerhouse with the agility of a dedicated energy startup offering industry leading technology. We offer a competitive compensation package including performance-based bonuses, Ford vehicle discounts, and the opportunity to shape the energy strategy of one of the world's most iconic brands.
In this position...
The BESS Product Lifecycle Management Engineer is responsible for the architectural integrity, configuration discipline, and product data control of Ford Energy's BESS platforms. This role will lead the setup and evolution of Ford Energy's PLM environment, ensuring that engineering, manufacturing, purchasing, commissioning, and aftersales activities are fully supported through controlled, traceable, and scalable lifecycle processes.
You will own the PLM framework that connects design intent to released hardware, manufactured product, field deployment, and serviceability. This role will serve as the lead for Ford Energy around PLM integration and configuration management and will work deeply with commissioning and aftersales teams to ensure project delivery requirements are met. You will interface with internal and external executive-level customers while partnering across IT, manufacturing, quality, and engineering to ensure the product record is accurate, auditable, and release-ready at every stage.
Responsibilities
What you'll do...
1. PLM System Setup and Control
• Execute PLM setup and governance tasks for Ford Energy BESS programs, supporting the configuration, workflow design, and maintenance of systems such as Siemens Teamcenter, SAP PLM, 3DEXPERIENCE, or similar platforms.
• Define lifecycle states, access roles, release paths, and data structures to ensure stable, controlled product development and deployment.
• Drive PLM configuration management and standard work, ensuring consistent usage across engineering and manufacturing functions.
• Define and maintain process health metrics, workflow reporting, and governance routines to support scalable PLM operations.
2. Product Structure, Data, and Release Control
• Define and maintain EBOM, MBOM, CAD data, part metadata, specifications, and revision control within PLM.
• Ensure accurate configuration management across product variants, effectivities, manufacturing sites, and field-deployed systems.
• Support traceability of engineering data throughout the product lifecycle, including as-designed, as-built, and as-maintained states.
• Support linkage of visualization assets, assembly instructions, controlled documentation, and product structures.
• Manage product records to support deployed systems, retrofits, and service activity.
3. Engineering Change and Release Management
• Support and administer engineering change processes within PLM systems.
• Ensure proper review, approval, and implementation of engineering changes from request through release.
• Coordinate with engineering, manufacturing, supply chain, purchasing, quality, commissioning, and service teams to assess the impact of changes.
• Support design release of hardware components, including electrical, mechanical, and electromechanical parts, in automotive or non-automotive environments.
• Support implementation of corrective actions, design changes, and field-driven updates with full configuration traceability.
4. Commissioning and Aftersales Enablement
• Support commissioning and aftersales teams with accurate product configuration records, build documentation, and field issue resolution.
• Help ensure project delivery requirements are met through disciplined data control and configuration traceability.
• Support corrective actions related to released hardware, field changes, service parts, and customer-specific configurations.
• Institutionalize lessons learned by updating PLM standards, change processes, and release documentation.
• Support service BOMs, spare parts definitions, and retrofit documentation as required.
5. Process Improvement and Enterprise Integration
• Improve PLM workflows to increase efficiency and reduce manual effort.
• Standardize PLM processes across departments and sites.
• Identify gaps in current PLM usage and propose system and process improvements.
• Support integration of PLM with ERP, MES, manufacturing, purchasing, service, and document control systems.
• Contribute to digital thread and digital traceability initiatives across engineering and manufacturing.
6. Governance, Compliance, and Audit Readiness
• Ensure product data complies with internal standards and relevant industry expectations.
• Maintain audit-ready documentation within PLM systems.
• Support configuration audits, lifecycle reviews, release reconciliation, and process compliance checks.
• Support secure collaboration by enforcing role-based visibility and controlled access to sensitive data.
• Support data stewardship practices that improve accuracy, accountability, and long-term product record integrity.
Leadership Attributes
• Hands-on problem solver who thrives in the details of technical data, configuration control, and release management.
• Technically independent leader capable of driving complex deliverables with minimal supervision.
• Strong mentor and collaborator who can establish standard work and improve team execution.
• Safety-first mindset with strong attention to quality, traceability, and serviceability.
• Trusted business partner to engineering, IT, manufacturing, purchasing, commissioning, and aftersales teams.
Location and Travel
• Flexible location: This position is hybrid-friendly for candidates with a proven ability to deliver results outside of a traditional office environment.
• Travel expectations: This role may require travel to manufacturing sites, supplier locations, commissioning sites, and customer installations.
Qualifications
You'll have...
• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Computer Science, Systems Engineering, or related field.
• 7+ years of experience in PLM engineering, product data management, configuration management, or related engineering operations.
• Experience with PLM systems such as Teamcenter, SAP PLM, 3DEXPERIENCE, Windchill, or similar platforms.
• Proven experience in design and release of hardware components in automotive or non-automotive applications.
• Strong understanding of PLM concepts: BOM structures, lifecycle states, configuration management, effectivity, and engineering change processes.
• Experience supporting manufacturing or engineering environments with multiple stakeholders.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills with the ability to engage technical and executive audiences.
• Ability and willingness to travel occasionally.
Even better, you may have...
• Master's degree in a relevant technical field.
• Utility-scale BESS deployment, commissioning, or field support experience.
• Experience with test labs, independent engineering firms, and certification organizations.
• Experience with software baselining, configuration management, verification, and validation in complex systems.
• Familiarity with applicable industry standards and practices relevant to energy storage.
• Background in automotive hardware, battery systems, inverter systems, or industrial automation.
• Basic data management or scripting skills such as SQL or Python.
• Experience with configuration reporting, KPI tracking, or process health dashboards.
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 time.
This position is a salary grade 7 and ranges from $86,600-$144,900. This position is a salary grade 7 and ranges from $99,600-$166,600.
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: https://fordcareers.co/GSR
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.
This position is hybrid. Candidates who are in commuting distance to a Ford hub location may be required to be onsite four or more days per week.
Company: As Ford establishes a wholly owned subsidiary focused on Battery Energy Storage Systems, this role will initially be employed by Ford and is expected to transition to the subsidiary within one year.
#LI-NS3
#FordEnergy
#LI-Hybrid