Ford Motor Company

Special Programs Buyer-Engines

Ford Motor Company$86K — $166K *
Manufacturing & Automotive
Less than 5 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • Bachelor's degree in Business or Engineering
  • 3+ years in Purchasing, Program management, or Engineering
  • Excellent project management skills with ability to manage multiple priorities
  • Strong analytical skills with proficiency in MS Excel and ERP systems
  • Strong business acumen and excellent communication skills
  • Knowledge of Purchasing policies and cost analytics
  • Technical understanding of engineering concepts

Responsibilities

  • Lead resiliency strategy and project execution for engine components
  • Act as single point of contact for Purchasing in the program team
  • Manage purchasing milestones throughout the product development lifecycle
  • Coordinate sourcing decisions between Commodity Buyers and Engineering teams
  • Track program BOM costs and ensure alignment with targets
  • Assess supplier capacity and readiness for production
  • Identify and mitigate supplier risks early in the program lifecycle
  • Ensure timely delivery of tooling and samples for engineering validation
  • Present purchasing status dashboards to leadership
  • Escalate supply or timing roadblocks with data-driven action plans

Benefits

  • Immediate medical, dental, vision and prescription drug coverage
  • Flexible family care days and paid parental leave
  • Family building benefits including adoption reimbursement and fertility treatments
  • Vehicle discount program for employees and family members
  • Tuition assistance for continuous education
  • Active employee resource groups for community and support
  • Paid time off for community service and holidays
Full Job Description
Job Description

In this 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.

Responsibilities

What you'll do...
  • 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


Qualifications

You'll have...

Minimum
  • 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 (


Even better you'll have...

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


You may not check every box, or your experience may look a little different from what we've outlined, but if you think you can bring value to Ford Motor Company, we encourage you to apply!

As an established global company, we offer the benefit of choice. You can choose what your Ford future will look like: will your story span the globe, or keep you close to home? Will your career be a deep dive into what you love, or a series of new teams and new skills? Will you be a leader, a changemaker, a technical expert, a culture builder...or all of the above? No matter what you choose, we offer a work life that works for you, including:
• 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.

This position is a salary grade 7 and ranges from $86,600-$144,900., This position is a salary grade 8 and ranges from $99,100-$166,200.

Final determination of salary grade will be based on candidate's skills and experience, and base salary will be set within the applicable range according to job scope, responsibility and competitive market value.

For more information on salary and benefits, click here: https://fordcareers.co/GSR

Visa sponsorship is not available for this position.

This position is hybrid. Candidates who are in commuting distance to a Ford hub location may be required to be onsite four or more days per week.

#LI-Hybrid

#LI-TS

About Ford Motor Company

Ford Motor Company manufactures or distributes automobiles in addition to offering financial services. The company sells to dealerships for retail sales, and for sale to fleet customers, including commercial fleet customers, daily rental car companies, and governments. Ford’s vehicle portfolio includes automobiles, buses, tractors, and trucks. Retail financing includes retail installment sale contracts for new and used vehicles, and direct financing leases for new vehicles to retail customers, government entities, daily rental car companies, and fleet customers. Finance receivables in the non-consumer portfolio include products offered to automotive dealers. Ford’s environmental initiatives include compressed natural gas, flexible fuel vehicles, electric drive vehicles, Hydrogen, PC power management, and so on. Ford Motor Company was founded by Henry Ford in 1903 and is headquartered in Dearborn, Michigan.

Ford Motor Company Careers

Join the dynamic team at Ford Motor Company, a global leader in automotive innovation and manufacturing. At Ford, we are committed to driving human progress by providing outstanding vehicles and mobility solutions. This is an exciting time to become part of our inclusive team, where job opportunities abound and growth is not just a possibility, but a promise.

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At Ford Motor Company, you will collaborate with some of the brightest minds in the industry. Our professionals are at the forefront of automotive technology, leading projects that redefine transportation and sustainability. With a culture rooted in continuous improvement and respect for all, Ford offers a workplace where leadership, diversity training, and innovation are part of everyday life.

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Engage in work that makes a difference. Ford Motor Company is pioneering developments in electrification, autonomous vehicles, and smart mobility solutions. Our team of over 190,000 employees worldwide is dedicated to crafting experiences that improve the way the world moves.

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Working at Ford means more than just having a job; it means being part of a global family. Our culture promotes teamwork, integrity, and respect—values that underpin everything we do. We believe in nurturing a diverse and inclusive environment where every employee can thrive.

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Ford Motor Company is not just a great place to work; it’s a place to build a lasting career. Our employees enjoy competitive benefits, comprehensive health care, and retirement plans that rank among the best in the industry. We support career advancement through extensive training programs and hands-on experience in the latest automotive technologies.

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Learn more about Ford Motor Company
Size
183,000 employees
Market Cap
$44.8 billion
Industry
Net Income
-$1.2 billion
Founded
1903
5 Year Trend
-2.1%
Revenue
$127.1 billion
NASDAQ

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