Sales Operations and Demand Planning Specialist, Ford Energy

About the role

Ford Energy is a newly formed, wholly-owned subsidiary of Ford Motor Company dedicated to accelerating U.S. energy independence. Leveraging Ford’s century of manufacturing excellence and world-class battery energy storage systems (BESS) technology, Ford Energy designs, manufactures, and services grid-scale and commercial DC battery energy storage systems (BESS). The Sales Operations & Demand Planning Specialist serves as the vital link between Sales, Operations, Supply Chain, Sourcing, and Finance to enable scalable commercial growth. This role translates deal-level pipeline activity into actionable demand signals that drive Sales & Operations Planning (S&OP), executive decision-making, and operational capacity alignment.

Responsibilities

• Demand Planning & Forecast Management
  • Own consolidation, maintenance, and reporting of commercial pipeline demand data.
  • Translate sales opportunities, forecasts, and customer commitments into actionable demand signals for S&OP processes.
  • Develop and maintain demand forecasting models, assumptions, and reporting tools.
  • Monitor forecast accuracy and identify risks, constraints, and upside opportunities.
  • Support monthly, quarterly, and annual demand planning cycles.
  • Serve as the primary liaison between Sales and S&OP teams.
  • Convert deal-level information into volume, timing, and product demand requirements.
  • Partner with Operations, Manufacturing, Supply Chain, and Sourcing teams to align demand assumptions.
  • Provide visibility into customer demand trends, capacity requirements, and commercial commitments.
  • Support executive reviews and leadership decision-making through data-driven insights.
• Pipeline & Forecast Analytics
  • Manage sales pipeline reporting and forecast dashboards.
  • Standardize pipeline stage definitions and forecast confidence methodologies.
  • Create KPI dashboards, performance reports, and forecasting analytics.
  • Analyze conversion rates, sales cycle trends, and demand patterns.
  • Support strategic planning and business growth initiatives with quantitative analysis.
• NDA & Bid Support
  • Manage customer and partner Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) workflows, including tracking NDA status, approvals, execution dates, and renewals.
  • Provide Sales and Sales Operations bid support for completion of RFPs and RFIs.
• Commercial & System Enhancements
  • Manage and distribute news updates, operational announcements, and key commercial information.
  • Support implementation of CRM, forecasting, and lead management enhancements.
  • Assist with deployment and monitoring of automated lead generation tools.
  • Develop standardized operating procedures, training materials, and process documentation.
  • Identify opportunities to improve efficiency, data quality, and reporting automation.
• Stakeholder Engagement
  • Work closely with Sales, Operations, Supply Chain, Finance, Legal, and Executive Leadership.
  • Facilitate communication between commercial and operational organizations.
  • Lead or support special projects focused on growth, forecasting, and process optimization.

Requirements

• Education: Bachelor's degree in Business, Supply Chain, Finance, Operations, Engineering, or related field.
• Experience: 5+ years of experience in sales operations, demand planning, forecasting, supply chain planning, business analytics, or related functions.
• Analytical Skills: Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with demonstrated capability in handling complex datasets.
• System & Excel Expertise: Experience with Salesforce, CRM platforms, or forecasting systems, combined with advanced Microsoft Excel skills.
• Executive Presentations: Experience preparing executive-level reporting and presentations.
• Stakeholder Management: Strong communication and stakeholder management abilities with the capability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.
• S&OP Process Knowledge: Experience supporting S&OP or integrated business planning processes.
• Forecasting Methodologies: In-depth knowledge of demand planning and forecasting methodologies.
• BI Tools: Experience with Power BI, Tableau, or similar business intelligence analytics tools.
• Industry Experience: Experience in energy, manufacturing, battery storage, or industrial equipment industries.
• Digital Transformation: Familiarity with process automation and digital transformation initiatives.

Preferred Qualifications

• Leadership Attributes:
  • Combines deep business acumen with quantitative analysis to elevate demand forecast accuracy, standardize pipeline metrics, and align commercial demand with operational capacity.
  • Acts as a trusted liaison across Sales, Operations, Supply Chain, and Finance, effectively communicating insights to executive leadership and driving enterprise alignment.
  • Champions operational efficiency and data hygiene through sales process automation, standardized S&OP workflows, compliant NDA management, and continuous optimization.
  • Demonstrates meticulous attention to detail and strong project ownership to consistently deliver timely reporting and execute strategic growth initiatives.

Location & Travel

This position is based in Dearborn, Michigan, with domestic travel required as needed. This role is hybrid with a requirement to be onsite four or more days per week.

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.
• 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.

As Ford establishes a wholly owned subsidiary focused on Battery Energy Storage Systems, this role will initially be employed by Ford and is expected to transition to the subsidiary within one year. Visa sponsorship is not available for this position.