Program Management Jobs in Detroit, MI (NOW HIRING)

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: 

Ford Racing (based in Allen Park, MI) is hiring a Program Management Analyst to help turn standard Ford vehicles into high-performance models. It's a small, fast-moving team, so this individual-contributor role carries broader responsibility than a typical PM position,potentially spanning multiple pillars like program planning, program control, studio, prototype, and launch, rather than being split across several people.

Key aspects of the role:

Manages milestones, decisions, and deliverables from concept through production, supporting business plans, vehicle quality, launch readiness, and customer appeal.
Requires leading through influence (not authority), sound judgment, and the ability to push cross-functional teams toward decisions and issue resolution.
Works closely with Engineering, Studio, Marketing, Manufacturing, New Model Programs, Finance, Purchasing, Logistics, Capacity Planning, and Launch teams.
Depending on program needs and the candidate's experience, duties may cover multiple PM disciplines simultaneously rather than one narrow workstream.

You'll have...

• Bachelor of Science degree in an Engineering discipline or any other discipline with Program Manager experience.
• 3+ years of experience in automotive product development, program management, design and release, manufacturing engineering, plant vehicle operations, or launch
• Strong knowledge of vehicle development milestones, deliverables, and program management disciplines
• Strong critical thinking, prioritization, and organizational skills
• Strong oral and written communication skills
• Ability to work independently with minimal supervision in a fast-paced environment
• Ability to lead cross-functional teams and drive issues to closure without direct authority
• Ability to consolidate diverse inputs and develop a clear point of view and recommendation
• Resilience, adaptability, and a strong ownership mindset

Even better, you may have...

• Powertrain unit program planning and delivery experience
• Experience leading cross-functional vehicle programs from concept through launch
• Previous Design & Release or other technical engineering experience
• Experience with prototype builds, launch execution, and change management disciplines

What You'll Receive in Return...

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 8 and ranges from $99,100-$166,200.     
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. #LI-Hybrid

 #FR1  #LI-DH1

What you'll do...

• Serve as a key program integrator across current and forward model Ford Racing programs
• Lead cross-functional alignment across planning, control, studio, prototype, and launch activities
• Drive delivery of program milestones, assumptions, timing, and issue resolution from concept through production
• Develop and communicate clear program recommendations, status, risks, and recovery actions to leadership
• Lead through influence across multiple organizations without direct authority
• Lead or support development of Product Direction Letters, including features, options, and color/material content
• Interface with Marketing, Planning, Engineering, and Finance to support business case development, product content decisions, and offering strategy
• Support development of milestone papers, special studies, and key program assumptions
• Facilitate program assumption reviews and related cross-functional meetings
• Own or support program timing, workplans, GPDS deliverables, and program health reporting
• Lead core program forums such as Program Steering Team meetings, decision forums, and milestone readiness reviews
• Coordinate sourcing readiness, including part and tool order tracking, in partnership with Purchasing
• Lead or support complexity, capacity, and milestone readiness activities
• Manage engineering changes, gateway readiness, and follow-up actions to closure
• Co-lead Appearance Approval Forum meetings and key studio milestone reviews
• Lead Color Harmony and Appearance Approval Report processes
• Lead Color & Material Product Direction Letter development
• Drive cross-functional issue resolution for studio feasibility, appearance, and content decisions
• Lead prototype build planning and vehicle build execution from prototype through production readiness
• Manage launch-related issue identification, change control, escalation, and recovery tracking
• Support plant-facing and product development launch issue resolution processes
• Drive robust implementation of changes needed to support timing, quality, and launch readiness