Buyer, Engine Components

Ford Motor Company • Dearborn, MI

14h • $86,600 - $166,200 • Hybrid

About The Position

The Buyer, Engine Components, owns sourcing and supplier management for Plastic Tubes supporting Ford engine programs. The role leads sourcing and supplier-management strategy, supplier relationships, commercial negotiations, and performance against cost, quality, delivery, and program requirements. It leads sourcing activities for assigned programs, including market analysis, design competitions and market tests, business cases, negotiation, contracting, and launch milestones, with the goal of achieving best cost at Job One and over the life of the component.

The role builds market intelligence on cost drivers, bills of process, supplier capacity, and competitive position; uses this information to establish and deliver cost targets; and works with Product Development on forward-model cost targets. It strengthens global supplier relationships, influences supplier technology roadmaps, and provides suppliers with feedback on market cost position. It also co-leads commodity strategy with Product Development, including the transition from ICE to BEV, contributes to program workshops to identify vehicle-competitive pricing, and leads supplier business reviews and strategic initiatives.

The Buyer also supports resilience across the broader Engine commodity base. This includes assessing capacity, financial-health, sub-tier, and geographic risks; developing and driving mitigation plans such as resourcing, dual sourcing, stockpiles, supplier restructuring or improvement, and new capacity or plant development; and managing emerging supplier issues through resolution. The role co-leads cross-functional work with Product Development, Finance, and Supply Chain to keep resilience actions on track and funded.

The position is hybrid, with a requirement to be onsite four or more days per week. Travel may be required. The salary grade will be determined based on the candidate's skills and experience. The stated salary ranges are $86,600–$144,900 for grade 7 and $99,100–$166,200 for grade 8. 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 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, including 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, including 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 supplier performance.
• Lead sourcing for assigned programs, including market analysis, design competitions and market tests, business cases, negotiation, contracting, and launch milestones.
• Build market intelligence on cost drivers, bills of process, supplier capacity, and competitive position; establish and deliver cost targets with Product Development.
• Build global supplier relationships, influence supplier technology roadmaps, and give suppliers 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, including quarterly business reviews, cost strategy, and gap-closure sessions.
• Identify and assess supply risks across the Engine commodity base, including capacity, financial health, sub-tier, and geographic exposure.
• Develop and drive supply-risk 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.
• 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