Third Party Manager

GM • Flint, MI

1d • Onsite

About The Position

The Role: The 3rd Party Manager is the primary GM contact for all third‑party material service providers (e.g., warehousing facilities, VAA, logistics providers) supporting Flint Assembly – Global Supply Chain (GSC). This role ensures third‑party operations meet GM SPQRCE expectations (Safety, People, Quality, Responsiveness, Cost, Environment) while supporting stable production, launches/model changes, and continuous improvement through GMS/Lean principles, standard work, and data‑driven decision making.

Requirements

• 5+ years of relevant experience in third‑party management, material management, logistics, or plant operations in an automotive or similar manufacturing environment.
• Demonstrated understanding of GMS/Lean Manufacturing, standardized work, and continuous improvement tools.
• Strong analytical skills with the ability to interpret operational and financial data to drive decisions.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office and key GM systems such as MGO, SAP/Ariba, PPS/PPD, WMS, SPPS, PFCM and related material/finance tools, or the ability to learn them quickly.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills; able to influence and coordinate across GM functions and external suppliers.
• Proven ability to work independently, manage multiple priorities, and demonstrate managerial courage when addressing supplier performance and escalations.
• Must be able to work on a rotating/flexible shift (1st, 2nd or 3rd), as well as overtime and weekends, as needed.

Nice To Haves

• Prior experience as a Material Group Leader, 3rd Party Manager, or equivalent leadership role in GSC or plant operations.
• Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain, Industrial Engineering, Business, Operations Management, or equivalent experience.
• Experience supporting launches, model changes, or major engineering change events with external suppliers and VAA operations.
• Familiarity with Appendix H/SOR requirements, warehouse and sequencing operations, and security/scrap control expectations for third‑party‑managed sites.
• Training or certification in structured problem‑solving (e.g., Red X, 8D, Six Sigma), project management, or Lean.

Responsibilities

• Own overall performance of third‑party material service providers supporting Flint Assembly, ensuring they meet GM SPQRCE expectations for safety, people, quality, responsiveness, cost, and environment.
• Act as the single point of contact for third‑party operational issues, representing performance in daily huddles and driving fast issue resolution to protect production throughput.
• Ensure third‑party sites follow GM safety, environmental, and ergonomic standards; respond to incidents and lead corrective actions with suppliers and GM stakeholders.
• Ensure third‑party compliance with GM quality systems, SOR/Appendix H requirements, audits, and governance for security, scrap, material control, and packaging/container integrity.
• Coordinate launches, model changes, engineering changes, and major events with third‑party providers, aligning capacity, layouts, manpower, and implementation of change points to plant requirements.
• Optimize material flow and logistics by monitoring delivery and responsiveness, resolving daily issues, and driving improvements such as shuttle reduction and trailer utilization.
• Manage third‑party scope, contracts, and budgets, including SORs, business cases, invoice validation, and cost‑reduction initiatives to meet annual productivity and cost commitments.
• Maintain and execute standardized work (e.g., Standard Task Sheet – STS) for the 3rd Party Manager role and drive GMS/Lean initiatives (waste elimination, standardized work, layered audits, OPEX/BPD projects) at third‑party sites.
• Build strong relationships with third‑party leadership and key GM stakeholders (GSC, Production, Quality, Engineering, Finance, Purchasing) to enable transparent communication, strong audit performance, and continuous improvement.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level