Senior Manager, Build Planning and Distribution

Lucid Motors•Phoenix, AZ

2d•$132,000 - $175,000

About The Position

Lucid is seeking a Senior Manager, Build Planning and Distribution to lead end-to-end vehicle build planning, inventory strategy, allocation, and operational execution across North America Sales. This leader will connect build planning, inventory deployment, middle/final mile logistics, field readiness, and vendor operations to ensure the right vehicles are available in the right time at the right place. This role requires a strategic operator who can lead a team, influence cross-functional partners, build scalable processes, and stay close to daily execution. The ideal candidate brings automotive sales operations, vehicle planning, inventory management, and logistics experience, with the ability to turn complex operational dependencies into clear plans, measurable outcomes, and executive-ready recommendations.

Requirements

10+ years of experience in automotive sales operations, vehicle planning, inventory management, logistics, mobility, or a relevant adjacent industry.
Strong understanding of vehicle lifecycle operations, including build planning, allocation, inventory flow, distribution, delivery readiness, and customer demand dynamics.
Proven ability to lead complex cross-functional programs across Sales, Delivery, Production, Supply Chain, Logistics, Product, IT, Finance, Procurement, Quality, and Field Operations.
Strong analytical capability, including the ability to evaluate demand trends, build configurations, inventory KPIs, vehicle movement constraints, and executive-level reporting needs.
Experience managing vendor relationships, operational SLAs, transportation partners, invoice review processes, purchase orders, or third-party logistics workflows.
Ability to create structure in ambiguity, build processes from the ground up, and scale operations in a fast-paced, high-growth environment.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to translate complex operational topics into clear updates, decisions, and recommendations.
High attention to detail, strong business acumen, sound judgment, and a bias for action.
Bachelor's degree required.

Nice To Haves

Experience in premium, luxury, EV, direct-to-consumer, or high-growth automotive environments.
Experience with S&OP, demand planning, take-rate forecasting, vehicle configuration planning, allocation, or distribution strategy.
Experience managing third-party logistics providers, transportation vendors, storage yard operations, rail planning, or final mile delivery programs.

Responsibilities

Lead end-to-end build planning and inventory operations, from production planning through field inventory deployment.
Align build plans with sales forecasts, S&OP demand, production constraints, customer orders, and North America inventory objectives.
Partner with Product, GTM, Engineering, IT, Production, and Operations teams to support new model year, trim, package, and option launches, including requirements, UAT, documentation, training, and communications.
Manage inventory allocation and logistics execution from factory release to field locations.
Lead U.S. and Canada inventory distribution strategy, including regional allocation, rail mix, storage yard capacity, and future distribution planning for new vehicle programs.
Own or support middle mile and final mile transportation strategy, vendor performance, shipping lane constraints, SOPs, quote comparisons, and escalation management.
Partner with Finance and Procurement on vendor purchase orders, invoice reviews, accruals, audits, and transportation spend tracking.
Lead, coach, and develop a team responsible for build planning, inventory operations, vehicle movement, reporting, and continuous process improvement.