Buyer, Engine Components

Ford Motor • Dearborn, MI

10h • Hybrid

About The Position

As a Buyer, you will own sourcing and supplier management for Plastic Tubes supporting Ford engine programs. You will also help lead cross-functional resilience efforts across the broader supply base, protecting production and launches by identifying supply risks and driving actions such as resourcing, dual sourcing, stockpiles, supplier restructuring, and capacity or plant development. You will partner with Product Development, Finance, Supply Chain (STA), and other teams to balance cost, quality, delivery, and launch readiness, and to ensure continuity of supply.

This is a hybrid position requiring onsite work four or more days per week. The role is salary grade 7 or 8, with salary ranges of $86,600–$144,900 and $99,100–$166,200, respectively. Final salary grade and base salary depend on candidate skills and experience, job scope, responsibility, and competitive market value. Visa sponsorship is not available; candidates must be legally authorized to work in the United States.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Supply Chain, or Engineering.
• At least 5 years of experience in purchasing, supply chain, or sourcing, preferably in automotive or a manufacturing environment.
• Experience assessing supplier and supply-chain risk and developing mitigation plans.
• Experience with resilience strategies such as resourcing, dual sourcing, inventory or stockpile planning, supplier capacity expansion, or supplier restructuring.
• Strong negotiation skills, including creating leverage in both offensive and defensive situations.
• Cost analytics skills, including understanding commodity cost drivers, part cost breakdowns, and gap-to-target analysis.
• Strong analytical skills, including sourcing evaluations and business cases.
• Strong leadership, interpersonal, and communication skills, with the ability to influence cross-functional teams without direct authority.
• Working knowledge of purchasing policies, procedures, and systems.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office tools.
• Ability to travel as required.
• Must be legally authorized to work in the United States; visa sponsorship is not available.

Nice To Haves

• MBA or other advanced degree.
• Knowledge of plastic and polymer components, such as extruded or molded tubing, resin materials, tooling, and related manufacturing processes.
• Experience with distressed or financially at-risk suppliers, including working with Legal and Finance on commercial agreements.
• Experience with data and visualization tools such as Power BI for risk monitoring.
• Familiarity with engine or powertrain components.

Responsibilities

• Own the sourcing and supplier-management strategy for Plastic Tubes, including supplier relationships, commercial negotiations, and performance against cost, quality, delivery, and program requirements.
• Lead sourcing for assigned programs, including market analysis, design competitions and market tests, business cases, negotiation, contracting, and launch milestones, delivering best cost at Job One and over the life of the component.
• Build market intelligence on cost drivers, bills of process, supplier capacity, and competitive position; use it to set and deliver cost targets and work with Product Development to develop forward-model cost targets.
• Build and strengthen global supplier relationships, influence supplier technology roadmaps, and provide suppliers with clear feedback on their cost position relative to the market.
• Co-lead commodity strategy with Product Development, including the transition from ICE to BEV, and contribute to program workshops to identify vehicle-competitive pricing.
• Lead supplier business reviews and strategic initiatives, such as quarterly business reviews, cost strategy, and gap-closure sessions.
• Identify and assess supply risks across the broader Engine commodity base, including capacity, financial health, sub-tier, and geographic exposure.
• Develop and drive mitigation plans, including resourcing, dual sourcing, stockpile strategies, supplier restructuring or improvement plans, and new capacity or plant development.
• Manage emerging supplier issues involving supply, quality, cost, or capacity; align internal stakeholders on mitigation and follow through to closure.
• Co-lead the cross-functional interface with Product Development, Finance, and Supply Chain to keep resilience actions on track and funded.

Benefits

• Immediate medical, dental, vision, and prescription drug coverage.
• Paid parental leave, new parent ramp-up programs, and subsidized back-up child care.
• Family-building benefits, including adoption and surrogacy expense reimbursement and fertility treatments.
• 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.
• Generous vacation time, sick/personal time, and paid holidays, including between Christmas Eve and New Year’s Day.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level