Material Control Planner, Ford Energy

Ford Motor • Glendale, KY

1d • Onsite

About The Position

Ford Energy is a dedicated energy startup backed by Ford’s industrial manufacturing capabilities. The Material Control Planner will keep battery manufacturing operations supplied with the right materials, in the right quantities, at the right time. The role plans and coordinates material flow from suppliers to the production line, covering electrode materials, cells, modules, and DC block components. It works with Production, Purchasing, Quality, Engineering, Suppliers, and Logistics to prevent shortages, control inventory, and support production ramp-ups.

The position initially will be employed by Ford and is expected to transition to a wholly owned subsidiary focused on Battery Energy Storage Systems within one year. It is salary grade 5–7, with a stated salary range of $65,100–$144,900; final grade and salary depend on candidate skills and experience, job scope, responsibility, and competitive market value. Visa sponsorship is unavailable, and candidates must be legally authorized to work in the United States.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain, Business, Engineering, or a related field, or at least 2 years of experience in material planning, production control, or inventory management within a manufacturing environment.
• Working knowledge of ERP/MRP systems such as SAP, Oracle, or similar.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Strong knowledge of Microsoft Office, including Excel, Word, PowerPoint, and Access.
• Ability to work under pressure in a fast-paced environment.
• Willingness to travel domestically and internationally as needed to plants, external warehouses, and provider sites in support of startup activities.
• Legally authorized to work in the United States; employment eligibility will be verified at hire.

Nice To Haves

• Experience in automotive, battery, or other high-volume manufacturing.
• Extended experience with SAP S/4HANA, WMS, and BI tools such as Power BI.
• Familiarity with Kanban, JIT, and lean principles.
• Knowledge of hazardous materials handling.
• APICS/ASCM certification such as CPIM or CSCP.
• Passion for energy systems and U.S. energy independence.

Responsibilities

• Convert the master production schedule and customer demand into material requirements using MRP.
• Maintain ERP planning parameters, including lead times, safety stock, lot sizes, and reorder points.
• Review MRP exception messages and expedite, reschedule, or cancel orders as needed.
• Build short- and long-term material plans for ramp-ups, model changeovers, and scenario planning.
• Monitor supplier releases and delivery performance, and resolve late or short shipments.
• Coordinate expedited and premium freight and track associated costs.
• Work with logistics and customs teams on domestic and international shipments.
• Flag supply risks, including capacity limits and raw material availability, to Purchasing and plant leadership.
• Maintain inventory levels that balance line-side and warehouse availability within available plant storage.
• Support cycle counts, reconcile discrepancies, and identify root causes.
• Manage lot and batch traceability for semi-finished and finished goods.
• Monitor FIFO/FEFO for shelf-life-sensitive materials.
• Reduce excess, obsolete, and slow-moving inventory.
• Manage quality campaigns through the supply chain without affecting customer schedules.
• Ensure materials are available when required for scheduled production shifts.
• Coordinate replenishment with material handlers, warehouse staff, and production and quality teams.
• Respond to shortages and line-stop risks and lead cross-functional resolution.
• Coordinate quarantine, hold, and release of nonconforming material with Quality.
• Support containment actions, supplier corrective actions, and returns.
• Follow safety and regulatory requirements for hazardous and non-hazardous materials.
• Manage ECN/ECO part-number cutovers and depletion of old stock.
• Plan materials for prototype, pilot, and trial builds.
• Account for scrap and yield loss in material plans.
• Work with Engineering to keep BOMs accurate.
• Track and report KPIs, including inventory turns, inventory accuracy, shortages, on-time supplier delivery, material-related downtime, and premium freight.
• Support month-end close, including inventory adjustments and variance explanations.
• Participate in lean initiatives to reduce waste and improve material flow.
• Travel domestically and internationally as needed to plants, external warehouses, and provider sites in support of startup activities.
• Work weekends on an exception basis when required.

Benefits

• Immediate medical, dental, vision, and prescription drug coverage.
• Paid parental leave and new-parent ramp-up programs.
• Subsidized back-up child care.
• 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.
• Performance-based bonuses.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time