Student Worker Program - Chassis Controls Integration Engineer

Ford - Indianapolis, IN

Full-time - Intern

Indianapolis, IN

Transportation Equipment Manufacturing

About the position

The Chassis Controls Integration Student Worker position at Ford is a 6-month program designed for students to gain hands-on experience in the automotive industry, specifically within the Electric Vehicle Digital Design (EVDD) team. The role focuses on testing, validation, and analysis of safety-critical chassis controls software and electronic chassis systems, ensuring they meet performance, safety, and quality standards. Students will work alongside top engineering and design talent, contributing to the development of innovative electric vehicles and key technologies.

Responsibilities

• Support firmware and electrical integration of chassis control systems into vehicle platforms.
• Contribute to the development and refinement of control algorithms for chassis systems.
• Work with vehicle dynamics, powertrain, and safety teams to ensure chassis systems integration aligns with overall vehicle performance goals.
• Support chassis control system calibration for optimal performance across various driving conditions.
• Troubleshoot and resolve issues with test setups, including vehicle instrumentation and HIL systems.
• Design and execute test plans for chassis control systems, including both virtual simulations and real-world testing.
• Conduct vehicle testing, including ride and handling, performance tuning.
• Travel to test locations to conduct track and road testing, as well as support prototype vehicle development.
• Support instrumentation of test vehicles with sensors and data acquisition systems to ensure accurate data collection on chassis control performance.
• Analyze test data and generate detailed reports, providing insights and recommendations for system improvements.
• Support setup, configuration, and maintenance of a Driver/Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL) bench, including the integration of chassis control modules for simulation and testing.
• Conduct simulations to assess vehicle response and optimize vehicle dynamics, including parameter tuning for electric powertrain integration.
• Support testing activities by correlating simulation results with real-world test data and refining models based on test feedback.

Requirements

• B.S. or M.S in Automotive Engineering, Software Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or Embedded Systems
• Strong Software, Electrical and Embedded Systems Engineering fundamentals
• Hands-on experience with vehicle dynamics, chassis systems, and instrumentation for data collection and analysis
• Familiarity with vehicle dynamics and testing methods, including ride and handling evaluations
• Experience with Vehicle Network Protocols such as CAN, LIN & Automotive Ethernet
• Proficiency in using calibration tools and vehicle modeling software (e.g., MATLAB, Simulink, CANalyzer, CANoe, CANape)
• Strong communication and teamwork abilities
• Willingness to travel for testing and collaboration with other teams
• Valid driver's license and the ability to drive test vehicles
• Prior experience with physical vehicle testing and model correlation techniques.

Nice-to-haves

• Formula SAE or equivalent experience
• Software scripting experience (Python or similar) preferred
• Experience with vehicle testing, racing and/or at limit driving
• Experience with HIL systems and vehicle simulation environments is highly desirable including simulation tools (e.g., dSPACE, National Instruments)
• Experience in chassis control systems (e.g., ABS, ESC, BTC)
• Experience of real-time control system conceptualization, implementation and development
• Knowledge of control theory and experience with controller development for vehicle dynamics applications.

Benefits

• Hands-on experience in a leading automotive company
• Opportunity to work with top engineering and design talent
• Involvement in innovative projects that shape the future of mobility
• Development of skills that enhance future career opportunities