[Remote] Principal Technical Specialist - Vehicle & Connected Cyber Security

Note: The job is a remote job and is open to candidates in USA. Ford Motor Company is a leading global automotive manufacturer, focused on shaping the future of mobility. They are seeking a Principal Technical Specialist to provide technical leadership in vehicle and connected cybersecurity, influencing platform decisions and mentoring teams while ensuring compliance with industry standards and regulations.

Responsibilities

• Act as the principal technical authority for vehicle, embedded, and connected cybersecurity across all vehicle programs and platforms
• Define and evolve cybersecurity architectures and technical standards for ECUs, in-vehicle networks, OTA, cloud backends, mobile apps, and V2X ecosystems
• Provide expert guidance on secure-by-design principles and emerging threats affecting automotive and connected systems
• Partner with vehicle, software, and systems engineering teams to integrate cybersecurity requirements throughout the product development lifecycle
• Lead or support threat modeling, risk assessments, and security architecture reviews for vehicle platforms and connected services
• Influence design decisions to balance security, safety, performance, cost, and customer experience
• Support compliance with automotive cybersecurity standards and regulations (e.g., ISO/SAE 21434, UNECE R155/R156, NIST)
• Provide technical input for cybersecurity policies, processes, and audit readiness
• Advise leadership on cybersecurity risk posture, residual risks, and mitigation strategies
• Serve as a senior technical advisor during cybersecurity incidents affecting vehicles or connected services
• Guide root cause analysis, remediation strategies, and long-term corrective actions
• Oversee vulnerability disclosure, penetration testing findings, and coordinated response activities
• Represent the company in industry working groups, standards bodies, and technical forums
• Engage with suppliers and technology partners to assess cybersecurity capabilities and risks
• Monitor emerging threats, technologies, and regulatory trends impacting automotive cybersecurity
• Mentor and develop cybersecurity engineers and specialists across the organization
• Elevate overall cybersecurity maturity through knowledge sharing, best practices, and technical reviews

Skills

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Cybersecurity, or a related field (Master's preferred)
• 10+ years of experience in cybersecurity, with significant focus on embedded, automotive, or IoT systems
• Deep technical expertise in areas such as embedded security, secure boot, cryptography, PKI, in-vehicle networks (CAN, LIN, FlexRay, Ethernet), OTA updates, and cloud-connected systems
• Strong understanding of automotive cybersecurity standards and regulatory frameworks
• Proven ability to influence technical decisions across multiple teams without direct authority
• Experience working at or with an automotive OEM or Tier 1 supplier
• Familiarity with functional safety (ISO 26262) and its interaction with cybersecurity
• Hands-on experience with threat modeling methodologies and security architecture design
• Professional certifications (e.g., CISSP, CISM, CSSLP, GIAC) are a plus

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 Overview