Sr. Purchasing Manager, Commercial Chassis

Blue Bird Corporation•Troy, MI

1d•Onsite

About The Position

About Blue Bird Corporation Blue Bird (NASDAQ: BLBD) is recognized as a technology leader and innovator of school buses since its founding in 1927. Our dedicated team members design, engineer and manufacture school buses with a singular focus on safety, reliability, and durability. School buses carry the most precious cargo in the world – 25 million children twice a day – making them the most trusted mode of student transportation. The company is the proven leader in low- and zero-emission school buses with more than 25,000 propane, natural gas, and electric powered buses sold. Blue Bird is transforming the student transportation industry through cleaner energy solutions. For more information on Blue Bird’s complete product and service portfolio, visit www.blue-bird.com [https://www.blue-bird.com/]. JOB SUMMARY Reporting to the Director of Purchasing, this role is responsible for leading procurement activities supporting Blue Bird's Commercial Chassis Business Unit for RV and commercial vehicle applications. This role provides procurement leadership from early product development through sourcing, supplier readiness, validation, launch and production. The Senior Manager serves as the primary Purchasing point of accountability for the business unit and leads a team responsible for commodity sourcing, supplier development, supplier performance and program execution.

Requirements

Strong knowledge of automotive or commercial vehicle procurement and supplier management
Ability to lead complex sourcing and supplier transition activities from concept through production
Strong commercial negotiation, contract and financial analysis skills
Ability to work effectively with Engineering on supplier-supported product development
Strong leadership, coaching and organizational skills
Ability to communicate clearly with executive leadership and cross-functional teams
Strong problem-solving, risk-management and decision-making skills
Ability to perform in a high-stress, fast-paced program environment
Bachelor's degree in Business, Supply Chain Management, Engineering or a related field
Minimum of 10 years of progressive experience in purchasing, strategic sourcing, supply chain or a related manufacturing function
Minimum of 5 years of people leadership or significant procurement team leadership experience
All candidates must be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident. Candidates must be authorized to work in the United States and will be required to provide proof of employment eligibility at the time of hire.

Nice To Haves

Experience in automotive, commercial vehicle, heavy truck, RV chassis or related manufacturing
Experience supporting new product development and major product launches
Experience with APQP, PPAP, supplier development and production readiness
Advanced degree or professional purchasing/supply chain certification preferred
Ability to anticipate and understand customer needs and provide guidance
Excellent interpersonal and customer relationship skills to handle difficult and sensitive matters.
Strong project management skills. Exposure to difficult or complex projects a plus.
Ability to influence stakeholders
Effective communication and ability to communicate complex details in a clear manner.
Working in a collaborative team and balancing the needs of individual stakeholders while delivering corporate objectives.

Responsibilities

Lead procurement strategy and execution for the Commercial Chassis Business Unit, establishing priorities, sourcing plans, commercial targets and supplier actions aligned with program timing.
Work directly with Engineering from concept through production to define sourcing requirements, supplier involvement, design change points, technical assumptions and timing.
Lead sourcing decisions, supplier selection, RFQs, negotiations, contracts and commercial agreements while balancing cost, quality, delivery, technical capability and launch risk.
Lead supplier transition planning, onboarding and readiness activities for new and carryover content, including capacity, tooling, timing, quality and production readiness.
Partner with Engineering, Manufacturing, Quality, Supply Chain, Finance, Operations and Program Management to ensure procurement actions remain aligned to business and launch milestones.
Establish clear procurement milestones, executive reporting, risk tracking, escalation paths and action ownership across the Commercial Chassis portfolio.
Drive supplier performance, recovery plans and executive escalation when quality, delivery, capacity or commercial issues put program timing at risk.
Own procurement cost targets, savings plans, budget inputs and commercial assumptions; identify opportunities to leverage Blue Bird's broader supply base where technically and commercially appropriate.
Lead, coach and develop procurement professionals; establish role clarity, workload priorities, performance expectations and succession plans.
Improve sourcing, supplier engagement and procurement program-management processes to support faster decisions, stronger accountability and repeatable execution.