Jim Baumbick is vice president, Product Development, Operations and Quality at Ford Motor Company. In this role, Baumbick is responsible for developing the winning product portfolio of Ford Blue and Ford Pro. He also oversees quality and cycle planning, vehicle development engineering and product development operations. Baumbick also collaborates on the broader development of Ford’s dedicated electric vehicles. He reports to Kumar Galhotra, Ford chief operating officer.

Between 2018 and 2022, Baumbick served as vice president, Enterprise Product Line Management (EPLM), where he led global product line teams to develop the current award-winning product portfolio. He also led the creation of the all-new Ford Maverick compact pickup truck, with time to market 20 months faster than traditional all-new vehicles.

In March 2020, Baumbick initiated and led Ford’s external COVID Response (known as Project Apollo). The teams delivered millions of face masks and personal protection equipment to first responders. Leveraging Ford’s manufacturing facilities, components, and supply chain components, Baumbick and team also developed innovative, critical life-saving medical equipment for COVID patients in need.

Baumbick joined Ford in 1993 as a Ford College Graduate. Since then, he has served in a variety of roles core to the product development process, including finance and profit analysis, engineering, product planning and program management, as well as operations. Among the assignments, Baumbick was vehicle engineering manager for the introduction of the Lincoln Navigator; and was the chief vehicle engineer for unibody products such as the Ford Fusion, Edge, and Mustang.

In 2008, Baumbick was appointed engineering director for Asia Pacific, leading development of the all-new Ford Ranger global midsize pickup truck, helping set the stage for Ranger to grow its worldwide sales to second best-selling midsize pickup. In 2014, he became the global vehicle line director for the FWD/RWD platform that served as the foundation for 11 differentiated nameplates including the Focus, Escape, and Bronco Sport.

Baumbick’s leadership has been recognized twice by the Automotive Hall of Fame, as a recipient of the Young Leadership and Excellence Award (2003) and the Industry Influencer Award (2021). In 2023, Baumbick earned an Automotive News All-Star Award for his work in developing the seventh-generation Ford Mustang.

Baumbick holds a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from Michigan State University, a master's degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Michigan, and an MBA from Michigan State University.