Youssef Ziada
Sr. Manager @ Ford | Driving $1B+ Gigafactory Execution | Capital Efficiency, JV Integration & Director-Level Scope in Industrialization
- Role
- Sr Manager Battery Manufacturing Engineering (Bme) at Ford Motor Company
- Location
- Farmington, MI, US
- LinkedIn followers
- 500 followers
About Youssef Ziada
I’m an engineering and operations leader delivering industrial execution at scale. I have led some of North America’s largest gigafactory programs, directing 50+ engineers and more than trades with accountability for $1B+ installation budgets and assets across installation, commissioning, and industrialization.My background spans battery manufacturing, operations management, prefab, digital systems, IIoT, and fault detection, supported by multiple patents and teaching roles at McMaster University. I have delivered more than $1.5B in capital savings by reprocessing strategy in volatile markets, shifting production plans, reallocating capital, and preserving resilience under changing conditions.Today I lead $1B+ industrial programs with Director and VP level scope. I focus on capital efficiency, joint venture integration, and scaling engineering organizations across global sites. I build execution models that deliver speed, resilience, and repeatability in operations, manufacturing engineering, and industrialization. Focus areas include leading capex program management, installation and commissioning, ramp-up, capital efficiency, JV integration, organizational scaling, and the future of digital and advanced manufacturing.
Experience
Sr Manager Battery Manufacturing Engineering (Bme)
Jul 2024 — Present · Dearborn, MI, US
Responsible for directing Ford’s Battery Manufacturing Engineering site team through the installation and commissioning of one of North America’s largest gigafactory programs- Directed 50+ Ford engineers and managed a General Contractor overseeing 2,700 tradespeople at peak- Accountable for a $1B+ installation budget across assets, while steering $300M+ in change orders to protect cost and schedule- Led cross-border execution, traveling 200+ days annually to align Ford–SK joint venture sites in North America and Asia- Developed scalable execution models that balanced rapid product changes with safe, resilient operations- Built and scaled teams, blending early-career engineers with seasoned contractors to deliver sustained performance- Represented BME in enterprise leadership forums, shaping organizational roles, capital allocation, and cross-site alignment.
Education
McMaster University
Bachelor of Engineering (B.Eng.), Mechanical Engineering
2002 — 2006
McMaster University
M.A.Sc, Mechanical Engineering
2006 — 2008
McMaster University
Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Mechanical Engineering
2009 — 2014
Skills
- Engineering
- Vibration Testing
- Six Sigma
- Stability Testing
- Finite Element Analysis
- Modal Testing
- Labview
- Hypermesh
- Data Acquisition
- Ansys
- Manufacturing
- C++
- Mechanical Engineering
- Numerical Analysis
- Machining
- Programming
- Matlab
- Modal Analysis
- Abaqus
- Teaching
Find verified contacts for anyone on LinkedIn
Unifers gives sales teams verified emails and direct dials, enriched profiles, and outreach that lands in the inbox.
Free plan included · No credit card required
This profile is compiled from publicly available professional sources. Unifers is not affiliated with or endorsed by LinkedIn. Request removal of this profile.