Buyer, Engine Components

Ford • Dearborn, MI

13h • $86,600 - $166,200 • Hybrid

About The Position

The Buyer owns sourcing and supplier management for Plastic Tubes supporting Ford engine programs and helps lead resilience efforts across the broader Engine supply base. The role protects production and launches by identifying supply risks and driving mitigations such as resourcing, dual sourcing, stockpiles, supplier restructuring, and capacity or plant development. It partners with Product Development, Finance, Supply Chain (STA), and other teams to balance cost, quality, delivery, and launch readiness and ensure continuity of supply.

The position includes developing and executing sourcing strategies, managing supplier relationships and negotiations, conducting market analyses and business cases, and delivering best cost at Job One and over the component's life. The Buyer also builds market intelligence, contributes to commodity strategy and vehicle-competitive pricing, leads supplier business reviews, and manages risk assessment and mitigation across Engine commodities.

This is a hybrid position requiring onsite attendance four or more days per week. The position is salary grade 7 or 8, with ranges of $86,600–$144,900 and $99,100–$166,200, respectively. Final grade and salary depend on the candidate's skills and experience, job scope, responsibility, and market value. Visa sponsorship is unavailable; candidates must be legally authorized to work in the United States.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Supply Chain, or Engineering.
• 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.
• Legally authorized to work in the United States.

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.
• Deliver 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, including forward-model cost targets with Product Development.
• Build and strengthen global supplier relationships, influence supplier technology roadmaps, and provide 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 and 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 actions 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.
• 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