Ford Motor Company

Lead Thermal CFD Engineer – Automotive Electronics

Ford Motor Company  •  Chennai, IN (Onsite)  •  3 hours ago
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Job Description

As a Lead Engineer, you will play a critical role in simulating, analysing, and optimising the thermal performance of automotive electronic systems using advanced CFD tools. You will bridge virtual simulations with physical validation through strong Test–CAE correlation, ensuring accurate predictive modelling.

You will work across cross-functional teams to improve design robustness, enhance thermal reliability, and establish standardised simulation methodologies.

Technical Leadership

  • Act as Subject Matter Expert (SME) for CFD-based thermal analysis
  • Provide technical guidance and mentorship to junior engineers
  • Define and standardise best practices in modelling, meshing, and simulation workflows

Model Development & Simulation

  • Develop high-fidelity CFD models from complex CAD assemblies
  • Perform geometry clean-up and mesh generation using ANSA
  • Execute:
    • Surface and volume meshing (tetrahedral, polyhedral, prism layers)
    • Steady-state and transient Conjugate Heat Transfer (CHT) simulations

Physics & Boundary Conditions

  • Define material properties, thermal interfaces, and contact resistances
  • Model advanced physics including:
    • Solar radiation loads
    • Surface-to-surface radiation
    • Natural and forced convection

Thermal Analysis

  • Simulate extreme operating conditions such as:
    • High solar loading and cabin soak
    • Maximum air conditioning scenarios
    • Sub-zero cold start conditions
  • Identify hotspots, airflow issues, and recirculation zones

Validation & Quality Control

  • Lead Test–CAE correlation activities
  • Review:
    • CAD clean-up quality
    • Mesh quality metrics
    • Solver configurations and outputs
  • Ensure high accuracy and reliability of simulation results

Collaboration & Reporting

  • Present insights and recommendations to cross-functional teams
  • Support design improvements for thermal performance optimisation

Education

  • M.E. / M.Tech in Mechanical Engineering, Thermal Engineering, or related field

Experience

  • 8–12 years of experience in CFD-based thermal analysis
  • Strong experience in automotive electronics thermal management preferred

Technical Skills

  • Expertise in:
    • ANSA (pre-processing and meshing)
    • Ansys Fluent (solver setup and analysis)
  • Strong understanding of:
    • Conjugate Heat Transfer (CHT)
    • Radiation modelling (S2S, solar load)
    • Fluid-solid interaction and thermal interfaces

Domain Knowledge

  • Experience with:
    • Automotive Instrument Panels (IP)
    • Centre consoles
    • Electronic control modules (ECUs, infotainment, clusters)

Soft Skills

  • Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities
  • Effective communication and stakeholder management
  • Ability to mentor and lead technical teams
Ford Motor Company

About Ford Motor Company

We don't just make history -- we make the future. Ford put the world on wheels over a century ago, and our teams are re-inventing icons and creating groundbreaking connected and electric vehicles for the next century. We believe in serving our customers, our communities, and the world. If you do, too, come move the world and make the future with us.

Ford is a global company with shared ideals and a deep sense of family. From our earliest days as a pioneer of modern transportation, we have sought to make the world a better place – one that benefits lives, communities and the planet. We are here to provide the means for every person to move and pursue their dreams, serving as a bridge between personal freedom and the future of mobility. In that pursuit, our 186,000 employees around the world help to set the pace of innovation every day.

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Industry
Automotive & Mobility
Company Size
10,000+ employees
Headquarters
Dearborn, Michigan
Year Founded
Unknown
Website
ford.com
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