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About This Role
Overview
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At Ford, you’ll work on ideas that matter, alongside passionate people who want to make a global impact. Together, we’re shaping the next era of transportation—grounded in purpose, driven by progress. Make your move.
- Job Type: Full time
- Work Type: Hybrid
We made history and now we work to transform the future – for our customers, our communities and our families. You'll see your work on the road every day, helping people move freely and pursue their dreams. At Ford, you can build more than vehicles. Come build what matters.
Do you believe data tells the real story? We do! Redefining mobility requires quality data, metrics and analytics, as well as insightful interpreters and analysts. That's where Global Data Insight \& Analytics makes an impact. We advise leadership on business conditions, customer needs and the competitive landscape. With our support, key decision makers can act in meaningful, positive ways. Join us and use your data expertise and analytical skills to drive evidence\-based, timely decision making.
FCSA (Ford Customer Service Analytics) team, part of Sales and Services Data and Analytics (SSDA) department in Ford’s Global Data, Insight and Analytics (GDI\&A) organization, is looking for a highly skilled Data Scientist. This role will be a member of the Repair Order (RO) Duration Analytics team, supporting all stages of RO duration analysis from problem formulation, model/analytical framework development, and evaluation, to model deployment to help Ford achieve RO duration optimization and efficiency objectives.
The RO Duration Analytics team applies advanced quantitative methods, econometrics, and AI/ML/LLM techniques to derive insights and solve a wide variety of challenging problems in various areas of Ford Customer Service Division. This includes: RO duration forecasting, RO duration monitoring/trend study, RO duration root causes, repair process optimization and analytical support, vehicle off\-road/uptime, and early quality detection… through analyzing vast amounts of data. This role will be instrumental in supporting business objectives and transformation through data\-driven decision\-making.
- Model Development \& Forecasting: Design, build, scale, and maintain RO duration forecasting and predictive models, leveraging operational and market inputs such as repair types, fuel types, customer segments, product quality, service parts availability, dealer capacity, and macroeconomic indicators.
- Data Quality \& Governance: Establish and ensure high standards of data quality, model governance, and validation testing throughout the entire analytics development lifecycle.
- Root\-Cause \& Deep\-Dive Analysis: Lead deep\-dive and root\-cause analyses on vehicles with extended repair times to identify early indicators of anomalies, isolate inefficiencies, and uncover actionable insights to reduce RO duration.
- Agile Exploratory Studies: Execute high\-impact, agile exploratory analyses to address critical, time\-sensitive business questions by mining and transforming massive, high\-dimensional structured and unstructured datasets.
- GenAI Innovation: Leverage LLMs and agentic workflows to extract intelligence from data and automate analytical workflows.
- Model Deployment \& MLOps: Partner cross\-functionally with data engineers, software engineers, and architects to build robust model pipelines, validate outputs, and deploy scalable ML/LLM models into production GCP environments.
- Technical Translation \& Communication: Independently translate complex quantitative methodologies and modeling outputs into clear, compelling, and actionable insights for non\-technical business partners and executive leadership.
Minimum Qualifications:
- Master’s Degree in Data Science, Statistics, Economics, Engineering, Physics, or related quantitative field or a combination of education and equivalent work experience.
- 3\+ years of experience in big data manipulation, statistical analysis, and optimization, including hands\-on experience training, evaluating, and fine\-tuning ML, deep learning, and forecasting models.
- 3\+ years of experience processing and engineering large, high\-dimensional structured and unstructured datasets (including data cleaning, preprocessing, and feature engineering).
- 3\+ years of proficiency in Python and SQL (writing clean, scalable code) along with experience leveraging modern generative AI environments (e.g., OpenCode) to accelerate development and ensure quality.
- Strong problem formulation and analytical skills, with a proven ability to self\-start and navigate ambiguity in environments where problems are not always well\-defined.
Preferred Qualifications:
- Ph.D. in a quantitative field such as Data Science, Statistics, Economics, Engineering, Physics, or a closely related field.
- 3\+ years of experience with Google Cloud Platform (GCP), specifically BigQuery, Vertex AI, Cloud Build, and Cloud Run.
- 3\+ years of postgraduate work experience in the automotive industry involving complex quantitative analytics and modeling.
- Strong theoretical understanding and practical experience building LLM\-based applications, including autonomous AI agents or agentic workflows.
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!
As an established global company, we offer the benefit of choice. You can choose what your Ford future will look like: will your story span the globe, or keep you close to home? Will your career be a deep dive into what you love, or a series of new teams and new skills? Will you be a leader, a changemaker, a technical expert, a culture builder…or all of the above? No matter what you choose, we offer a work life that works for you, including:
- Immediate medical, dental, vision and prescription drug coverage
- Flexible family care days, paid parental leave, new parent ramp\-up programs, subsidized back\-up childcare 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.
This position is a range of salary grades 7\-8 and ranges from $99,600\-$192,900\.
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/GSR
Visa sponsorship is available for this position.
Domestic relocation 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.
\#LI\-Hybrid
\#LI\-PW1
Salary Context
This $99K-$192K range is below the median for Data Scientist roles in our dataset (median: $155K across 226 roles with salary data).
View full Data Scientist salary data →Role Details
About This Role
Data Scientists extract insights and build predictive models from data. In the AI era, many roles now include LLM-powered analytics, automated reporting, and integration with generative AI tools. The role has evolved from 'the person who runs SQL queries' to 'the person who builds AI-powered data products.'
Modern data science roles fall into two camps: analytics-focused (insights, dashboards, experimentation) and ML-focused (building predictive models, recommendation systems, NLP features). The best data scientists can operate in both modes. The AI shift means that even analytics-focused roles now involve building automated insight pipelines using LLMs, going well beyond one-off reports.
Across the 3,708 AI roles we're tracking, Data Scientist positions make up 8% of the market. At Ford Motor Company, this role fits into their broader AI and engineering organization.
Data Scientist roles remain in high demand, though the definition keeps shifting. Companies increasingly want candidates who can bridge traditional statistics with modern ML and LLM capabilities. The 'pure insights' data scientist role is consolidating into analytics engineering, while the 'build models' data scientist role is merging with ML engineering.
What the Work Looks Like
A typical week includes: analyzing experiment results for a product feature launch, building a predictive model for customer churn, creating an automated reporting pipeline using LLM-powered summarization, presenting insights to stakeholders, and cleaning data (always cleaning data). The ratio of analysis to engineering varies by company, but expect both.
Data Scientist roles remain in high demand, though the definition keeps shifting. Companies increasingly want candidates who can bridge traditional statistics with modern ML and LLM capabilities. The 'pure insights' data scientist role is consolidating into analytics engineering, while the 'build models' data scientist role is merging with ML engineering.
Skills Required
Python, SQL, and statistical modeling are the foundation. Increasingly, roles want experience with LLMs for data analysis, automated insight generation, and building AI-powered data products. Familiarity with cloud data platforms (Snowflake, BigQuery, Databricks) and ML frameworks (scikit-learn, PyTorch) covers most job requirements.
Experimentation design and causal inference are underrated skills that separate strong candidates. Companies care about whether their product changes cause improvements, and can distinguish causation from correlation. A/B testing methodology, Bayesian statistics, and the ability to communicate uncertainty to non-technical stakeholders are high-value skills.
Good postings specify the data stack, the types of problems you'll work on, and the team structure. Look for companies that differentiate between analytics and ML data science. Vague 'data scientist' postings that list every skill under the sun usually mean the company doesn't know what they need.
Compensation Benchmarks
Data Scientist roles pay a median of $192,890 based on 463 positions with disclosed compensation. Mid-level AI roles across all categories have a median of $200,000. This role's midpoint ($146K) sits 24% below the category median. Disclosed range: $99K to $192K.
Across all AI roles, the market median is $217,500. Top-quartile compensation starts at $272,100. The 90th percentile reaches $325,000. For comparison, the highest-paying categories include AI Safety ($300,000) and Research Engineer ($280,000). By seniority level: Entry: $120,000; Mid: $200,000; Senior: $230,000; Director: $272,150; VP: $250,000.
Ford Motor Company AI Hiring
Ford Motor Company has 7 open AI roles right now. They're hiring across Data Scientist, AI Product Manager, AI Software Engineer, AI/ML Engineer. Positions span Dearborn, MI, US, Palo Alto, CA, US. Compensation range: $192K - $250K.
Location Context
Across all AI roles, 14% (508 positions) offer remote work, while 3,180 require on-site attendance. Top AI hiring metros: New York (1,045 roles, $220,000 median); San Francisco (810 roles, $277,088 median); Los Angeles (397 roles, $215,000 median).
Career Path
Common paths into Data Scientist roles include Data Analyst, Statistician, Quantitative Researcher.
From here, career progression typically leads toward Senior Data Scientist, ML Engineer, AI Product Manager.
Start with statistics and SQL. Build a real analysis project on public data that demonstrates insight generation alongside model building. The market values data scientists who can communicate findings clearly to business stakeholders. If you want to move toward ML engineering, invest in software engineering fundamentals and production deployment skills.
What to Expect in Interviews
Interviews combine statistics, coding, and business acumen. SQL is almost always tested, often with complex joins and window functions. Expect a case study round where you're given a business problem and asked to design an analysis plan. Coding rounds focus on pandas, statistical modeling, and visualization. The strongest differentiator is how well you communicate insights to non-technical stakeholders during presentation rounds.
When evaluating opportunities: Good postings specify the data stack, the types of problems you'll work on, and the team structure. Look for companies that differentiate between analytics and ML data science. Vague 'data scientist' postings that list every skill under the sun usually mean the company doesn't know what they need.
AI Hiring Overview
The AI job market has 3,708 open positions tracked in our dataset. By seniority: 102 entry-level, 1,705 mid-level, 1,469 senior, and 432 leadership roles (Director, VP, C-Level). Remote roles make up 14% of the market (508 positions). The remaining 3,180 roles require on-site or hybrid attendance.
The market median for AI roles is $217,500. Top-quartile compensation starts at $272,100. The 90th percentile reaches $325,000. Highest-paying categories: AI Safety ($300,000 median, 21 roles); Research Engineer ($280,000 median, 147 roles); AI Architect ($254,798 median, 67 roles).
Data Scientist roles remain in high demand, though the definition keeps shifting. Companies increasingly want candidates who can bridge traditional statistics with modern ML and LLM capabilities. The 'pure insights' data scientist role is consolidating into analytics engineering, while the 'build models' data scientist role is merging with ML engineering.
The AI Job Market Today
The AI job market spans 3,708 open positions across 16 role categories. The largest categories by volume: AI/ML Engineer (2,605), Data Scientist (310), AI Software Engineer (259). These three account for the majority of open positions, though smaller categories often have higher per-role compensation because of specialized skill requirements.
The seniority mix tells a story about where AI teams are in their maturity. Entry-level roles (102) are outnumbered by mid-level (1,705) and senior (1,469) positions, reflecting that most companies are past the 'build a team from scratch' phase and need experienced engineers who can ship production systems. Leadership roles (Director, VP, C-Level) total 432 positions, representing the bottleneck between technical execution and organizational strategy.
Remote work availability sits at 14% of all AI roles (508 positions), with 3,180 requiring on-site or hybrid attendance. The remote share has stabilized after the post-pandemic correction. Senior and specialized roles (Research Scientist, ML Architect) are more likely to be remote-eligible than entry-level positions, partly because experienced hires have more negotiating power and partly because these roles require less hands-on mentorship.
AI compensation is structured in clear tiers. The market median sits at $217,500. Top-quartile roles start at $272,100, and the 90th percentile reaches $325,000. These figures include base salary with disclosed compensation. Total compensation (including equity, bonuses, and sign-on) runs 20-40% higher at companies that offer those components.
Category matters for compensation. AI Safety roles lead at $300,000 median, while Prompt Engineer roles sit at $140,000. The spread between highest and lowest-paying categories reflects the premium on specialized technical skills versus broader analytical roles.
The most in-demand skills across all AI postings: Python (1,890 postings), Aws (1,103 postings), Azure (877 postings), Rag (855 postings), Gcp (631 postings), Prompt Engineering (560 postings), Pytorch (545 postings), Claude (498 postings). Python dominates, appearing in the vast majority of role descriptions regardless of category. Cloud platform experience (AWS, GCP, Azure) is the second most common requirement. The newer entrants to the top skills list (RAG, vector databases, LLM APIs) reflect the shift from traditional ML toward generative AI applications.
Frequently Asked Questions
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