Ford Motor Company · 17 hours ago
Staff Embedded Controls Engineer, Thermal
Palo Alto, CA
Full-time
Hybrid
Senior Level, Lead/Staff
3+ years expFord Motor Company is a global leader in the automotive industry, dedicated to building a better world through innovative electric vehicle solutions. The Staff Embedded Controls Engineer, Thermal will be responsible for developing control algorithms and collaborating with cross-functional teams to enhance thermal management systems in electric vehicles.
AutomotiveAutonomous VehiclesManufacturingTransportation
Responsibilities
Create control/estimation algorithms to support a broad thermal management scope: climate control, battery, powertrain, heat pump/refrigeration system, car computers, and more
Deliver high-quality C code in a real-time embedded environment
Write unit, SIL, and HIL test cases to ensure proper functionality
Work closely with test and integration engineers to debug your control algorithms at the bench and vehicle level
Adapt or create reduced-order thermal systems models to suit control-focused development/refinement workflows
Collaborate with electrical, mechanical, and firmware engineers to execute control strategies
Develop fault detections and reaction strategies for seamless customer experience
Develop and continuously improve models to compare alternative control algorithms quantitatively across many key metrics (cost, efficiency, performance, complexity, etc.)
Monitor fleet telemetry and use data analysis to close the loop on software quality and help ideate new software features
Qualification
Required
Master's degree in electrical engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or Computer Science, with evidence of exceptional ability, or equivalent
3+ years of experience in developing control algorithms and applying them to physical systems
High proficiency in programming experience using Python
Strong foundational background in control theory, system dynamics, and model-based design
Highly collaborative mindset and strong communication skills
Experience with JIRA/Confluence or a similar system for tracking inputs/results
Hands-on experience in hardware bring-up, system debugging, and code optimization
Knowledge of electrical engineering fundamentals including circuit analysis and design
Preferred
A strong understanding of linear systems, state-estimation/observers is a plus
Familiarity with thermal control algorithms, and experience implementing it on an embedded system
Familiarity with refrigeration systems (compressors, heat exchangers, valves, sensors, charge and oil management)
Experience with automotive communication protocols and stacks (CAN, LIN, ethernet, UDS, etc.)
Knowledge of microcontroller peripherals such as ADC, GPIO, PWM, and SPI, and experience in sensors and digital signal processing
Experience with data management tools / using fleet data to guide design
Proficiency in C and C++ and scripting skills in at least one common language (Python, Perl, Shell)
Experience developing control algorithms for thermal systems using modeling tools of various scales (Python, MATLAB/Simulink, or similar)
Benefits
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.
Company
Ford Motor Company
We don't just make history -- we make the future.
10001+ employees
H1B Sponsorship
Ford Motor Company has a track record of offering H1B sponsorships. Please note that this does not
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2025 (980)
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Funding
Current Stage
Public CompanyTotal Funding
$16.23BKey Investors
US Department of EnergySoros Fund Management
2025-07-29Post Ipo Debt· $3B
2023-08-17Post Ipo Debt· $4B
2023-06-22Debt Financing· $9.2B
Leadership Team
James Farley
Chief Executive Officer
Efrat Barit
COO
Recent News
2026-01-16
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2026-01-16
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