Buyer, Packaging Materials

About the role

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.

Responsibilities

• Identify and execute cost reduction opportunities across packaging, service supply, and related commodity categories
• Evaluate and mitigate supplier cost increase requests through data-driven analysis and negotiation
• Develop and implement sourcing strategies to improve cost, quality, and delivery performance
• Lead end-to-end sourcing activities, including RFQs, supplier selection, and contract execution for new and existing parts
• Manage supplier relationships, driving accountability for performance, capacity, and continuous improvement
• Ensure adherence to supplier quality requirements and support resolution of quality or delivery issues
• Drive improvements in service supply availability, packaging efficiency, and material flow
• Partner with suppliers to optimize packaging solutions, reduce waste, and improve transportation and handling efficiency
• Support launch readiness and ensure timely sourcing and availability of new parts
• Collaborate with supply chain, operations, finance, engineering, and commercial teams to align sourcing strategies with business objectives
• Leverage cross-functional insights to identify opportunities for cost optimization, supplier consolidation, and process improvement
• Cross-functional collaboration
• Coordinate across functions to ensure effective execution of sourcing decisions and supplier strategies
• Performance Monitoring & Analytics
• Analyze supplier performance, cost structures, and operational data to identify trends, risks, and improvement opportunities
• Track and report savings performance, realized vs. forecasted results
• Drive continuous improvement through data-driven decision-making and performance management

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain, Business, or a related field, with 5+ years of experience in purchasing, sourcing, or procurement and ownership of supplier relationships and spend categories
• 5+ years of proven ability to deliver measurable cost savings through strategic sourcing, supplier negotiations, and demand optimization, including managing spend portfolios and tracking forecasted vs. realized results
• Strong analytical capability, including evaluating supplier cost structures (materials, labor, overhead, logistics, packaging) to drive cost control and mitigate increases
• Demonstrated success managing complex commodities and developing effective sourcing strategies in a fast-paced environment
• Excellent project management, communication, and stakeholder influence skills, with the ability to collaborate cross-functionally and drive results
• Self-motivated, highly organized leader with strong problem-solving skills and the ability to operate independently while contributing to team success

Qualifications

• Experience supporting or driving packaging and/or kitting optimization initiatives
• Exposure to service parts supply chains, returnable packaging, or logistics/packaging operations
• Familiarity with material flow optimization and cost-efficiency improvements in packaging or distribution environments

Skills

• Strategic sourcing
• Supplier negotiations
• Cost control
• Project management
• Communication
• Stakeholder influence
• Problem-solving

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

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

The 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.