Special Programs Buyer-Engines

Ford • Dearborn, MI

6d • $86,600 - $166,200 • Hybrid

About The Position

As a Special Project Buyer for Internal Combustion Engine, Propulsion and Thermal System, you will serve as the primary purchasing lead and business partner for a specific resiliency special project, whereas you will act as the bridge between Supply Chain, Engineering, STA, and operations ensure the project progress as planned. Unlike a traditional commodity buyer who focuses on a specific category of parts, you will manage the entire Bill of Materials (BOM) for your assigned project, ensuring each cross function member is completing necessary tasks to ensure the project is successfully executed. You will ensure that all sourced components meet strict program milestones, financial targets, quality standards, and capacity requirements. This is a visible, hands-on role that combines tactical execution with cross-functional project management.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Business or Engineering
• 3+ plus years of experience in Purchasing, Program management or Engineering
• Excellent project management skills with the ability to manage multiple competing priorities under tight deadlines.
• Strong analytical skills (sourcing evaluations, business case studies, etc.) with proficiency in MS Excel/Office Suite (e.g., data queries, VLOOKUPs, Pivot Tables) and ERP (e.g., SAP, Teamcenter).
• Strong business and commercial acumen and excellent written and verbal abilities.
• Strong working knowledge of Purchasing policies, procedures, and systems.
• Cost analytics (understand commodity cost drivers, part cost breakdowns, Gap-to-OCE)
• Ability to understand technical concepts.
• An ability to travel on company business as required (<10%)

Nice To Haves

• MBA preferred
• Understanding of product development lifecycle (GPDS), APQP, and PPAP processes.

Responsibilities

• Lead resiliency strategy development and project execution across a defined bundle of engine components / suppliers.
• Serve as the single point of contact (SPOC) for Purchasing within the cross-functional program team.
• Manage and track purchasing milestones in alignment with the overall product development lifecycle (e.g., APQP, PPAP, and launch phases).
• Coordinate with Commodity Buyers and Engineering teams to execute sourcing decisions that align with both program requirements and global commodity strategies.
• Track and manage the program’s Bill of Materials (BOM) cost, ensuring alignment with target costs and business case assumptions.
• Assess supplier capacity and manufacturing readiness to support pre-production builds, prototype phases, and ramp-up to volume production.
• Identify potential supplier risks (financial, capacity, timing) early in the program lifecycle and develop robust mitigation plans.
• Coordinate supplier tooling progress and ensure timely delivery of samples for engineering validation.
• Maintain and present program purchasing status dashboards (covering sourcing status, tooling, cost-to-target, and risk) to leadership.
• Escalate critical supply or timing roadblocks through the appropriate channels with clear, data-driven action plans.

Benefits

• Immediate medical, dental, vision and prescription drug coverage
• Flexible family care days, paid parental leave, new parent ramp-up programs, subsidized back-up child care 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: Mid Level