Thermal Firmware Integration Engineer - Early Career Program, Advanced EV

Location: Palo Alto, CA, United States Department: Enterprise Technology

We made history and now we work to transform the future – for our customers, our communities and our families. You'll see your work on the road every day, helping people move freely and pursue their dreams. At Ford, you can build more than vehicles. Come build what matters.

Product Creation and Industrialization (PC&I) brings together Ford’s vehicle, electric, digital and design teams with our global manufacturing system. Working as one end-to-end organization, we turn ideas into high-quality vehicles, software and experiences across gas, hybrid and electric, designed around what customers need.

Join us for a 6-month Early Career Program and help build the future of mobility. You'll work alongside top engineering, design, and software talent to create groundbreaking EVs. You'll contribute to key technologies like advanced structures, thermal management, hardware/software integration, and vehicle architectures. This is your chance to gain hands-on experience and make a real impact on the automotive industry

Thermal systems spans a diverse range of critical customer-facing attributes, hardware, and software domains. Our work keeps occupants comfortable, enables full vehicle powertrain capability, and empowers battery fast charging - in all weather conditions. We strive to balance heating/cooling performance, energy consumption, cost, reliability, NVH and packaging trade-offs through physics-driven, cross-functional engineering collaboration. We work closely with mechanical engineers, aerodynamicists, battery and powertrain experts, electrical engineers, embedded/controls engineers, and more through all phases of vehicle development.

Program: 6-months (shorter duration possible in some cases), starting as early as spring 2027!

Work arrangement: Candidates may be required to be onsite four or more days per week.

Stipend: $5,000 pre-tax relocation stipend for eligible candidates living 50+ miles away.

The Role...

Thermal Firmware Integration Engineer will work at the boundary between thermal hardware and embedded software. As the industry shifts to software-defined vehicles, the thermal system has become a highly integrated mechatronic domain - smart pumps, valves, compressors, actuators, motorized registers, and sensors that all depend on firmware behaving correctly. You will support the bring-up, integration, verification, and hands-on debug of that layer.

This role is a strong fit for an engineer who is comfortable moving between embedded C, a vehicle log, and the underlying thermal physics - and who wants to see their work validated on real hardware.

What you'll do...

Support bench bring-up and integration of thermal mechatronic devices (smart pumps, valves, electric compressors, actuators, motorized registers, and cabin/environmental sensors).

Work with other engineers to build and instrument prototype bench setups that combine simulated and actual vehicle components for firmware integration testing.

Write and execute verification test cases for component controls, application logic, and diagnostics, and report results to development teams.

Analyze CAN, LIN, and Automotive Ethernet traces and vehicle logs to characterize device behavior and isolate integration issues.

Read and trace embedded C to understand implemented behavior, and support root-cause investigation across the electrical, mechanical, and software domains.

Support characterization of sensors and actuators across operating conditions, and help define plausibility, validity, and fault-detection expectations with controls engineers.

Support verification of diagnostic trouble codes (DTCs) and manufacturing self-test behavior.

Document interfaces, test setups, and known issues, and track issues to closure in the team's Jira workflow.

You'll have...

Pursuit of a degree in Mechatronics, Mechanical, Electrical, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or a related discipline.

Solid grounding in mechatronic fundamentals (sensors, actuators, motors, position feedback) and how they interact with embedded software.

Ability to read, trace, and debug C/C++ on embedded targets.

Demonstrated debugging and diagnostic ability, including the judgment to identify whether a problem is electrical, mechanical, or software in origin.

Hands-on comfort in a lab: building test setups, instrumenting hardware, and generating your own data.

Excellent analytical, problem-solving, and communication skills (written and verbal).

Ability to work effectively in a collaborative, cross-functional team environment.

A GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale (or equivalent).

Must be able to dedicate 6 MONTHS for this engagement.

Even better, you may have...

Experience with automotive communication protocols (CAN, LIN, Ethernet) and associated tooling.

Proficiency with Vector tools (CANalyzer, CANoe, CANape) or equivalent calibration and debugging environments.

Experience with hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) or bench-in-the-loop test environments.

Familiarity with diagnostic standards and services (UDS, DTC design) and functional safety practice (ISO 26262) or risk assessment methods (FMEA/HARA).

Knowledge of thermal physics, fluid mechanics, psychrometrics, or HVAC principles.

Experience with electronics bench instrumentation (oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, power supplies, current probes).

Experience with Agile delivery and workflow tooling (Jira, Confluence) and requirements management (Jama).

Experience with version control (Git) and code review practice.

Proficiency in Python for scripting, test automation, or data analysis.

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!

What you'll receive in return: As part of this exciting program, you'll enjoy a high level of involvement with an exceptional team of industry innovators and v