Senior Buyer, Powertrain and Chassis

Blue Bird Careers•Troy, MI

18d•Hybrid

About The Position

Reporting to the Senior Manager, Purchasing, the Senior Buyer, Powertrain & Chassis Systems is responsible for leading the strategic sourcing, contract negotiation, and operational lifecycle management for powertrain, chassis, and assigned heavy mechanical and structural commodities. This role serves as the primary commercial and operational owner for critical components and systems, including engine and powertrain systems, transmissions and driveline, steering, braking, suspension, axles, wheels and tires, and assigned structural/mechanical systems. The position balances long-term cost optimization and supplier relationship management with aggressive hands-on risk mitigation, serving as the ultimate escalation point for production shortages, supplier recovery, and supply continuity planning to ensure uninterrupted vehicle assembly.

Requirements

Strong knowledge of automotive or commercial vehicle powertrain, chassis, driveline, and/or heavy mechanical systems.
Proven track record of managing high-spend portfolios, executing complex supplier agreements, and navigating raw material (steel/aluminum) indexing.
Demonstrated experience leading supplier recovery efforts and managing business continuity in high-pressure manufacturing environments.
Strong understanding of automotive quality standards, APQP, PPAP, blueprint reading, and geometric dimensioning and tolerancing (GD&T).
Ability to influence cross-functional stakeholders (Engineering, Quality, Operations) without direct authority.
High proficiency in ERP systems (e.g., SAP, Oracle, or Infor) and advanced Microsoft Excel data analysis capabilities.
Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain, Business, Engineering, Operations Management, or related field
7+ years of supply chain, purchasing, operations, planning, or supplier management experience
3+ years of strategic sourcing, commodity management, supplier management, or purchasing experience within automotive, commercial vehicle, heavy truck, aerospace, or similar complex manufacturing environments; powertrain or chassis commodity experience preferred.
3+ years leading projects, crisis management initiatives, or operational teams
Manufacturing experience required
Must be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident

Nice To Haves

MBA preferred
Six Sigma Green Belt or Black Belt preferred
APICS/ASCM certification preferred
PMP certification preferred
Experience leading supply chain transformation initiatives
Experience supporting executive leadership reviews
Automotive or commercial vehicle experience strongly preferred

Responsibilities

Develop and execute comprehensive sourcing strategies for the Powertrain & Chassis Systems portfolio to optimize total cost of ownership (TCO), quality, and delivery.
Lead operational risk management, serve as the primary escalation point for critical chassis component shortages, and establish cross-functional crisis management teams to resolve supplier delivery failures.
Lead multi-million-dollar contract negotiations, long-term agreements (LTAs), and pricing reviews with major tier-1 automotive and heavy-duty commercial vehicle suppliers.
Monitor On-Time Delivery (OTD) and quality governance; lead 8D root-cause investigations and corrective action plans directly with supplier manufacturing plants when quality or delivery targets are missing.
Conduct regular supplier capacity reviews, tooling and manufacturing assessments, sub-tier dependency reviews, and vulnerability mapping to identify capacity constraints, long-lead components, and other supply continuity risks.
Lead purchasing activities supporting new product introduction and supplier transition, including sourcing readiness, commercial closure, tooling, capacity validation, APQP/PPAP execution, early supplier engagement (ESI), and production launch readiness.
Drive dual-sourcing and manufacturing contingency initiatives for high-risk, single-sourced components and systems.
Develop KPI dashboards, manage material cost variance reporting, and mentor junior buyers and operational specialists within the purchasing team.