Manager, FCSD Special Projects

Ford • Dearborn, MI

8d • Hybrid

About The Position

The Special Projects Manager is a new FCSD role responsible for leading high-priority, time-sensitive initiatives that require disciplined project execution, strong cross-functional coordination, and direct engagement with internal and external customers. This role will manage detailed project plans, drive alignment across multiple stakeholders, remove barriers to execution, and ensure deliverables are completed on time, with quality, and in accordance with business objectives. The ideal candidate is a structured operator and confident leader who can translate ambiguous or urgent business needs into clear work plans, accountable owners, milestones, risks, and decisions. This individual must be comfortable working in a fast-paced environment with timelines, shifting priorities, executive visibility, and customers who expect a high level of responsiveness and follow-through.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in business, engineering, operations, supply chain, project management, or a related field
• 4+ years of experience managing complex projects, programs, or operational initiatives with multiple stakeholders and interdependent workstreams.
• 2+ years leading cross-functional teams of 5 or more members without direct authority, driving accountability across diverse functions.
• Strong project management capability, including workplan creation, milestone tracking, risk management, and regular (e.g., weekly) executive-level reporting.
• 2+ years of experience working directly with customers, senior leaders, or high-visibility stakeholders in a time-sensitive environment.
• Proven ability to manage 3 or more concurrent priorities while maintaining attention to detail and delivery discipline.
• High proficiency with project management, presentation, and productivity tools (e.g., MS Project, PowerPoint, Excel).
• S.E. Michigan-based

Nice To Haves

• Management consulting or military experience is a plus.
• Experience in automotive, manufacturing, service operations, customer success, parts, supply chain, technology, or other complex operating environments.
• PMP certification, Lean Six Sigma certification, Agile experience, or equivalent project management training.
• 2+ years of experience managing executive-level governance routines, transformation initiatives, customer escalation projects, or enterprise-wide workstreams.
• Working proficiency with MS Project and Visio.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with demonstrated experience simplifying complex issues for leadership decision-making.

Responsibilities

• Lead special projects from intake through completion, including scope definition, workplan development, milestone tracking, issue resolution, and final delivery.
• Manage detailed integrated project plans that include objectives, deliverables, timing, dependencies, owners, risks, decision points, and escalation paths.
• Coordinate cross-functional teams across business, operations, technical, customer-facing, finance, legal, purchasing, supply chain, field, and other support functions as required.
• Drive project governance through regular status reviews, action item tracking, risk reviews, escalation routines, and leadership updates.
• Establish clear roles, responsibilities, and accountability across project participants, ensuring each workstream understands expectations and deadlines.
• Manage demanding customers and stakeholders with professionalism, urgency, and transparency, especially when timelines are rigid, or issues require rapid resolution.
• Anticipate project risks, identify bottlenecks, and proactively develop mitigation plans to protect delivery timing and business outcomes.
• Facilitate working sessions, problem-solving discussions, and decision forums to align stakeholders and move projects forward.
• Prepare concise executive-level updates, including status summaries, key risks, decisions needed, help required, and next steps.
• Track project performance against committed timelines, deliverables, and success measures, ensuring accurate and consistent reporting.
• Lead issue resolution across teams when deliverables are delayed, requirements are unclear, or dependencies are not being met.
• Maintain strong documentation, including project plans, meeting notes, action registers, risk logs, decision logs, and post-project lessons learned.
• Support continuous improvement by identifying process gaps, simplifying workflows, and recommending repeatable project management practices.
• Represent the organization in customer and leadership interactions, reinforcing accountability, responsiveness, and execution discipline.

Benefits

• Immediate medical, dental, vision and prescription drug coverage
• Flexible family care days, paid parental leave, new parent ramp-up programs, subsidized back-up childcare and more
• Family building benefits including adoption and surrogacy expense reimbursement, fertility treatments, and more
• 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
• A generous schedule of 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: Manager