Staff Engineer, Ford Pro Intelligence

<p><strong>In this role...</strong></p><p>We are looking for a visionary Staff Engineer to serve as the technical North Star for our data and AI-driven platforms. In this role, you will be responsible for the evolution of our core architecture, moving us toward a future where real-time data processing and AI are seamlessly integrated into every facet of our product.</p><p>As our data ecosystem grows in complexity, we need a leader who can navigate the intersection of high-performance backend engineering and modern AI capabilities. You will tackle "unsolved" problems—designing systems that handle petabytes of data with millisecond latency, architecting multi-tenant API ecosystems, and building the infrastructure that delights our customers who are leveraging our AI solutions for their everyday work. You are a "leader of leaders," someone who influences our multi-year technical roadmap and ensures that our engineering standards remain world-class while we innovate at speed on the Google Cloud Platform (GCP).</p><p style="line-height: normal;"><strong>Core Technical Skills</strong></p><ul style="list-style-type: disc;"><li style="line-height: normal;">Languages: Expert-level proficiency in Java and Python. Strong experience with Kotlin for modern backend services.</li><li style="line-height: normal;">Cloud Platform: Deep experience with GCP (Google Cloud Platform), specifically BigQuery, Dataflow, Vertex AI, GKE (Google Kubernetes Engine), and IAM.</li><li style="line-height: normal;">Data Engineering: Mastery of SQL and data modeling. Proven track record of building real-time processing systems at scale and robust batch ETL/ELT pipelines.</li><li style="line-height: normal;">AI Engineering: Practical experience deploying AI/ML models in production, prompt engineering, fine-tuning, and working with vector databases (e.g., Pinecone, Weaviate, or Vertex AI Search).</li><li style="line-height: normal;">System Design: Expert knowledge of distributed systems, CAP theorem, microservices patterns, and event-driven architecture.</li></ul><p style="line-height: normal;"> </p><p style="line-height: normal;"><strong>Leadership & Soft Skills</strong></p><ul style="list-style-type: disc;"><li style="line-height: normal;">Strategic Thinking: Ability to look 12–24 months ahead and identify technical debt or opportunities for innovation.</li><li style="line-height: normal;">Communication: Ability to explain complex technical concepts to non-technical stakeholders and executives.</li><li style="line-height: normal;">Execution: A "get it done" attitude with the ability to navigate ambiguity and drive projects to completion in a fast-paced environment.</li></ul><p style="line-height: normal;"> </p>