Performance Engineering Manager Jobs in Pontiac, MI

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... The rapid growth and increasing complexity of Ford Racing's high-performance road, track, and off-road programs demand a visionary leader to steer our Performance Engineering strategy. As the Performance Engineering Manager (LL5), you will lead Ford Racing's elite competition performance engineering team

In this role, you will oversee vehicle dynamics, aerodynamic development, advanced simulation, trackside engineering, and data analysis to maximize the on-track and off-road competitiveness of our race cars. You will collaborate with elite global racing teams, tier-1 technical partners, and internal Ford engineering teams to win world-class races and championships, while seamlessly facilitating "Race-to-Road" and "Road-to-Race" technology transfer. This role is hybrid and requires at least 4 days onsite in either Allen Park, MI (preferred) or Concord, NC.

Relocation support is available. What you'll do... Strategic Leadership & Global Team Management People & Resource Leadership: Lead, mentor, and grow a newly formed, globally integrated Performance Engineering department

Manage resource allocation, balance operational budgets, and build technical capability across the team. Race-to-Road Technology Transfer: Act as the primary bridge between Ford Racing and Ford's production vehicle programs, ensuring that racetrack innovations (aerodynamics, lightweighting, simulation methods) are captured and integrated into Ford's future road cars. Program Delivery: Own overall vehicle performance delivery aligned to racing season schedules and program timing.

Develop the engineering roadmap, manage development budgets, and present performance status to senior leadership. Multi-Disciplinary Systems Integration Cross-Functional Orchestration: Lead the interface between mechanical powertrain, eDrive systems, chassis architecture, and digital performance features, optimizing the entire vehicle as a cohesive, high-performance system. Aerodynamics Leadership: Direct a specialized team of aerodynamicists in the design, wind-tunnel testing, CFD modeling, and track validation of all Ford Racing products.

Chassis & Kinematics Optimization: Oversee the evaluation of suspension/steering kinematics, packaging constraints, track width, and tire sizing to push the absolute boundaries of mechanical capability within motorsports regulations. Simulation & Trackside Performance Performance Strategy: Define and execute the optimization strategy for aerodynamics, power delivery, and vehicle dynamics in tight coordination with our external race team and engineering partners. Virtual Toolsets: Lead the development and utilization of Driver-in-the-Loop (DiL) simulators, lap time simulation, and multi-body dynamics to accelerate pre-event setup and vehicle development.

Data-Driven Decisions: Oversee trackside data analysis strategy, ensuring the team effectively leverages telemetry, tire modeling, and simulation to drive continuous performance improvements. You'll have... 10+ years of progressive engineering experience in motorsports and high-performance racing vehicle development Proven track record delivering both closed-course racetrack programs and high-speed desert/off-road racing programs Hands-on trackside race engineering experience, including developing vehicles setups and race-day decision-making 3+ years formally leading race engineering teams, managing performance, and developing technical talent Direct experience with race tire development, objective vehicle testing, and performance data analysis in a competitive racing environment Experience working within a race team structure - collaborating with drivers, crew chiefs, and race operations to execute a unified performance strategy Experience running Driver-in-the-Loop (DiL) simulation programs - developing session plans, working directly with drivers and race engineering teams to correlate simulator findings with on-track/on-trail setup and performance decisions 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. 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. #LI-Hybrid #FR1 #LI-LC2.