Buyer - Exterior Front End Modules

We made history and now we work to transform the future – for our customers, our communities and our families. You'll see your work on the road every day, helping people move freely and pursue their dreams. At Ford, you can build more than vehicles. Come build what matters.

About the role

The Ford Supply Chain team is at the heart of our global transformation. We don’t just buy parts; we build resilient, competitive, and technologically advanced supply strategies and networks. As the Buyer for Exterior Front End Modules, you will own the commercial strategy for a diverse and rapidly evolving portfolio (including grille modules, bumper modules, cooling modules, and more). You will join a collaborative team of experienced exterior buyers, taking full ownership of your unique assemblies and supplier relationships sourcing the highest quality parts from around the globe while ensuring the best total cost and on-time delivery. By bridging the gap between cutting-edge automated assembly, bill of process design, and commercial execution, you will directly influence the bottom line of our Ford/Lincoln portfolio.

Responsibilities

• Strategic Sourcing & Commodity Leadership
  • Design & Execute Sourcing Strategies: Develop, implement, and champion the North American sourcing strategy for all Exterior Front End Module portfolio (including grille modules, bumper modules, cooling modules, and more).
  • Manage the Commodity Business Plan: Ensure continuous alignment, review, and adherence to the North American Exterior Front End Module Commodity Business Plan to support long-term sourcing stability.
  • Launch Management: Develop and manage detailed commercial timing plans for upcoming vehicle programs, ensuring supplier onboarding and cost targets align with critical program milestones.
• Commercial & Financial Excellence
  • Drive High-Value Negotiations: Lead end-to-end commercial negotiations with suppliers, covering production parts and lifecycle services.
  • Deliver Cost Optimizations: Proactively identify and execute commercial cost-saving initiatives. Evaluate supplier cost-increase requests, utilizing fact-based negotiation and market data to mitigate avoidances.
  • Data-Driven Decision Making: Conduct comprehensive business case studies, including landed cost studies, total cost of ownership (TCO) analyses, directed sourcing analysis, and quality cost evaluations to guide executive sourcing decisions.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration & Supplier Relations
  • Partner with Key Stakeholders: Act as the commercial bridge between Product Development (PD), Design Studio, Quality (STA), Finance, and Vehicle Operations to deliver optimal quality, cost, and delivery (QCD) objectives.
  • Cultivate Supplier Partnerships: Build, maintain, and leverage strong, professional relationships with key global suppliers to foster innovation and secure supply priority.
  • Resolve Supply Bottlenecks: Actively work with cross-functional teams in resolving complex commercial, quality, or delivery issues that impact production.
  • Executive Presentation: Prepare and confidently present sourcing strategies, business cases, and risk-mitigation plans to senior executive leadership.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s Degree in Supply Chain Management, Business Administration, Engineering, or a related field.
• 5+ years of experience in purchasing, procurement, strategic sourcing, account management or commercial contract negotiation.
• Strong analytical skills with a proven ability to evaluate large datasets, synthesize complex financial data, and present clear, actionable recommendations.
• Excellent communication, interpersonal, and relationship-building skills, with a track record of collaborating across diverse, cross-functional teams.
• Availability to work in our hybrid model (4 days on-site in Dearborn, MI, with 1 day optional remote).

Preferred Qualifications

• 8+ years of strategic procurement or supply chain experience, preferably within the automotive or manufacturing sectors.
• Prior experience sourcing complex assemblies / modules with exterior commodities.
• Master’s Degree (MBA or Master’s in Supply Chain/Engineering).
• Proven project management skills with a strong discipline for process, timelines, and execution.
• Proficiency with advanced data tools (complex Excel modeling, Power BI, etc.) and enterprise sourcing systems (SAP experience is a plus).

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

Pay

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.

Schedule

This position is hybrid with a requirement to be on-site four or more days per week.