Freelance Streaming Data Engineer Jobs in Michigan

Join Ford Motor Company as a Connected Vehicle Launch Quality Lead for Early Warning and Detection, where you will play a critical role in ensuring the quality of our latest vehicle launches. Based in Dearborn, Michigan, this hybrid role (4 days on-site, 1 day remote) leverages connected vehicle data and advanced analytics to identify Diagnostic Trouble Codes across critical subsystems, including Infotainment, Body Control Modules, and Advanced Driver Assistance Systems. You will lead cross-functional teams to resolve issues before they reach the customer, driving enterprise-wide initiatives to reduce costs and elevate the ownership experience.
As Ford continues its transformation into a digital-first automotive leader, the ability to monitor vehicle health through connected data is paramount. We are seeking a proactive Engineer/Project Manager to join our Digital Systems Quality organization, specifically focused on the high-stakes environment of new vehicle launches.
Responsibilities
In this position...
You will serve as a primary early warning system for the enterprise, transforming large-scale connected vehicle data into actionable insights to identify and address emerging Diagnostic Trouble Code (DTC) trends. You will focus on the industry's most complex domains-from the user experience with In-Vehicle Infotainment (IVI) and the core logic of Body Control Modules (BCM) to the safety-critical performance of Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS). Working primarily on-site at our Dearborn campus, you will lead cross-functional investigations, bringing together experts from Engineering, Manufacturing, and Service to solve complex problems at speed. Our organization thrives on a culture of proactive discovery and rapid issue resolution.
What you'll do...

• Extract and analyze information from connected vehicle data streams to identify early-stage DTCs and performance anomalies during new vehicle launches.
• Lead specialized investigations into IVI, BCM, and ADAS performance, using domain knowledge to differentiate between software interactions, hardware failures, and calibration issues.
• Manage cross-functional quality investigations, ensuring that emerging issues are tracked, root-caused, and resolved by the proper Product Development teams.
• Strategic Reporting: Synthesize complex data into clear insights for leadership, focusing on the impact to enterprise Cost and Quality metrics.
• Drive the development of automated detection tools and analytics dashboards to improve the "speed to detection" for vehicle health issues.

Qualifications
You'll have...

• Bachelor's Degree in Engineering.
• 3+ years of experience in automotive engineering, quality management, or data analytics.
• 3+ years of strong technical understanding of In-Vehicle Infotainment (IVI), Body Control Modules (BCM), and Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS).
• 3+ years of experience with deep knowledge of vehicle diagnostics, CAN/Ethernet communication, and DTC logic/strategies.
• 3+ years of proven experience working with Big Data tools (e.g., SQL, GCP BigQuery, GCP DML, or PowerBI) to drive decision-making.
• 3+ years of understanding how software and hardware interact across complex vehicle architectures.
• 3+ years experience leading cross-functional teams and driving alignment without direct authority.

Even better, you may have...

• Masters's degree in Electrical, Computer, Systems, or Data Engineering preferred.
• Ability to translate technical data into clear, executive-level summaries for leadership.
• A strong analytical mindset with the ability to pivot quickly in fast-paced, high-pressure environments.
• Direct experience working within a new vehicle launch environment (Plant or Product Development).
• Experience building automated detection tools or advanced visualization dashboards.
• Familiarity with formal root cause methodologies (e.g., 8D, 3-Legged 5-Why) in a digital or software context.

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 range of salary grades 7 $86,600-$144,900
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.