Battery Monitoring Cyber Security Engineer, Ford Energy

Ford Energy is a newly formed, wholly-owned subsidiary of Ford Motor Company dedicated to accelerating U.S. energy independence. Leveraging Ford’s century of manufacturing excellence and world-class battery energy storage systems (BESS) technology, Ford Energy designs, manufactures, and services grid-scale and commercial DC battery energy storage systems (BESS). Ford Energy is uniquely positioned to capture the growing demand for reliable, US-built energy storage systems. We are not just building batteries; we are building the infrastructure for the next generation of the American grid.
 

Why Ford Energy?
At Ford Energy, you have the backing of an industrial manufacturing powerhouse with the agility of a dedicated energy startup offering industry leading technology. We offer a competitive compensation package including performance-based bonuses, Ford vehicle discounts, and the opportunity to shape the energy strategy of one of the world's most iconic brands.

In this position...
The BMS & Embedded Cybersecurity Engineer will lead the cybersecurity architecture, risk analysis, and validation for Ford Energy’s battery monitoring and BMS-related systems. Working in close coordination with Ford Auto Engineering and Ford Energy technical teams, you will be responsible for securing the BESS environment across embedded firmware, communication pathways, and control logic. This is a critical role ensuring the protection of battery data and control signals against sophisticated threats in a safety-critical infrastructure environment.

What you'll do..

• Cybersecurity Architecture & Risk Management
  • Lead cybersecurity architecture and TARA (Threat Analysis and Risk Assessment) for battery monitoring electronics.
  • Focus on mitigating risks related to sensor spoofing, unauthorized SOC manipulation, malicious commands, and firmware compromise.
  • Define and maintain testable cybersecurity requirements for BMS and monitoring functions, ensuring traceability from concept to release.
  • Develop and implement Hardware Root of Trust, secure boot, code signing, and key lifecycle management strategies.
  • Secure internal and external communication pathways, including CAN, CAN-FD, SPI, Ethernet, and Modbus TCP.
  • Define and validate secure OTA (Over-the-Air) and field update strategies, focusing on authentication, anti-rollback protection, and recovery behavior.
  • Identify and implement embedded intrusion/anomaly detection approaches for real-time attack awareness.
• Communication & Update Security
  • Secure internal and external communication pathways, including CAN, CAN-FD, SPI, Ethernet, and Modbus TCP.
  • Define and validate secure OTA (Over-the-Air) and field update strategies, focusing on authentication, anti-rollback protection, and recovery behavior.
  • Identify and implement embedded intrusion/anomaly detection approaches for real-time attack awareness.
• Validation, Testing & Response
  • Support vulnerability analysis, penetration testing, and fuzz testing for battery monitoring and connected interfaces.
  • Lead issue remediation planning and establish response processes for product vulnerabilities and field issues.
  • Develop technical security case materials and evidence for design gates, audits, and compliance reviews.
• Cross-Functional Co-Engineering
  • Collaborate with software, controls, and safety teams to ensure security controls are compatible with functional safety and safe-state behavior.
  • Align with Ford Auto Engineering and global suppliers on shared architecture and implementation standards.
  • Communicate technical security risks, tradeoffs, and recommendations to executive-level stakeholders.

You'll have...

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical, Computer, or Systems Engineering, Computer Science, or Cybersecurity or equivalent experience.
• 5+ years of experience in embedded or automotive cybersecurity, BMS, or battery electronics.
• Practical experience in TARA, cybersecurity architecture, and authoring technical security requirements.
• Demonstrated experience with secure embedded design (Secure Boot, cryptographic implementation).
• Strong communication skills with the ability to navigate cross-functional engineering teams.

Even better, you may have ...

• Master’s degree in a relevant technical field.
• Direct experience with ISO/SAE 21434, NERC CIP, or NIST SP 800-82 frameworks.
• Familiarity with functional safety (ISO 26262) and the co-engineering of safety and security.
• Experience with secure OTA update mechanisms and vulnerability response in a utility-scale environment.
• Knowledge of communication protocols such as Modbus TCP, Ethernet, and CAN-FD.
• Security-First Architect who views cybersecurity as a fundamental pillar of grid-scale safety and reliability.
• Collaborative Technical Lead capable of bridging the gap between automotive-grade security and industrial energy requirements.
• Analytical Problem Solver who can anticipate emerging threats and translate them into actionable engineering requirements.
• Strategic Gatekeeper dedicated to ensuring the integrity of data and commands across the entire BESS lifecycle.
• Leadership Attributes
• Location & Travel
  • Location: Dearborn, MI. This position is hybrid-friendly for candidates with a proven ability to deliver results in a flexible environment.
  • Travel Expectations: Occasional travel to support suppliers, test houses, and customer sites.

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!
 

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/GSRFE

Company: As Ford establishes a wholly owned subsidiary focused on Battery Energy Storage Systems, this role will initially be employed by Ford and is expected to transition to the subsidiary within one year.

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. 
 

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