Industrial Engineer, Material Flow and Logistics Operations

Ford Motor Company • Dearborn, MI

12h • $72,480 - $162,120

About The Position

This position applies lean principles, Gemba, value-stream mapping, industrial engineering methods, simulation, data analytics, and process standardization to identify and implement sustainable operational improvements. The successful candidate will help build a lean, efficient, and optimized supply chain from suppliers through the point of fit.

The role assesses manufacturing and material-flow operations, improves labor methods and material movement, supports manufacturing launches and supplier operations, and uses analytics and digital tools to identify opportunities and monitor performance. It involves collaboration with plant, supply-chain, supplier, and functional teams, with a combination of office-based analysis and hands-on observation at manufacturing and logistics facilities. Travel may be required based on launch, supplier, and improvement priorities.

Ford describes benefits including medical, dental, and prescription drug coverage; family-care and parental-leave programs; family-building benefits; employee and family vehicle discounts and management leases; tuition assistance; employee resource groups; paid community-service time; paid holidays; paid time off; and the option to purchase additional vacation time. The listed salary ranges are $72,480–$121,440 for salary grade 6, $84,480–$141,360 for grade 7, and $96,720–$162,120 for grade 8. Visa sponsorship is not available, and candidates must be legally authorized to work in the United States.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering or Manufacturing Engineering.
• At least 4 years of experience applying industrial engineering methods in manufacturing, logistics, warehousing, material handling, or supply-chain operations.
• At least 2 years of experience with discrete-event simulation or material-flow simulation tools.
• Proficiency in Power BI, Excel, SQL, Python, Alteryx, or similar data and automation tools.
• Working knowledge of lean manufacturing, Gemba, value-stream mapping, standardized work, labor and productivity analysis, capacity and throughput analysis, process optimization, and root-cause problem solving.
• Ability to analyze operational data and convert findings into practical improvement actions.

Nice To Haves

• Master’s degree in Industrial Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, or Operations Research.
• Experience conducting work-measurement studies using MODAPTS, MOST, or comparable predetermined-motion-time systems.
• Lean Six Sigma Green Belt, Black Belt, or comparable lean certification.
• Experience developing dashboards, analytical models, automated workflows, or AI-enabled operational tools.
• Experience supporting Tier 1 supplier assessments or operational improvement activities.

Responsibilities

• Conduct Gemba studies and current-state assessments across manufacturing and material-flow operations.
• Develop value-stream maps to identify bottlenecks, waste, congestion, capacity constraints, and non-value-added activities.
• Analyze labor requirements, work content, utilization, throughput, and operational capacity.
• Develop and standardize labor methods using recognized industrial engineering and work-measurement practices.
• Support process simulation and scenario analysis to identify labor, material-flow, and capacity opportunities.
• Lead Kaizen and continuous-improvement activities to improve safety, quality, delivery, cost, and productivity.
• Establish repeatable operating standards and support deployment of best practices across multiple sites.
• Analyze end-to-end material flow from supplier locations through warehouses, off-dock facilities, manufacturing plants, and the point of fit.
• Identify opportunities to reduce handling, travel distance, congestion, inventory, and other non-value-added activity.
• Improve material presentation, storage, routing, replenishment, dock operations, and point-of-fit delivery processes.
• Support material-cost and operational-efficiency studies at Tier 1 supplier locations.
• Work with Supplier Technical Assistance and other stakeholders to assess and improve supplier material-flow operations.
• Support MP&L requirements development and labor analysis for forward-model and manufacturing launch programs.
• Participate in launch-readiness reviews and identify material-flow, labor, capacity, process, and infrastructure risks.
• Support supplier audits, launch reviews, and post-Job 1 operational stabilization activities.
• Use data and analytics to identify operational trends, constraints, and improvement opportunities.
• Develop dashboards and performance measures to track productivity, utilization, throughput, labor efficiency, and improvement implementation.
• Apply Power BI and other analytical tools to enable fact-based operational decisions.
• Support development and enhancement of agentic, AI-enabled, or automation solutions for opportunity identification and efficiency analysis.
• Translate complex operational data into clear recommendations for plant and functional leadership.
• Partner with MP&L, Manufacturing, Plant Industrial Engineering, Purchasing, Supplier Technical Assistance, Finance, Launch, FPS, IT, and supplier teams.
• Facilitate cross-functional workshops to align on current-state conditions, improvement opportunities, ownership, and implementation plans.
• Communicate findings, risks, savings opportunities, and recommendations to leadership and operating teams.
• Build strong working relationships across plants, suppliers, and third-party facilities.

Benefits

• Immediate medical, dental, and prescription drug coverage.
• Flexible family care, parental leave, new parent ramp-up programs, subsidized back-up childcare, and more.
• 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.
• Paid holidays, including the week between Christmas and New Year’s Day.
• Paid time off and the option to purchase additional vacation time.

What This Job Offers

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