Ps&L Automation Manager

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.

In this position...

In this role, you will be supporting the engineering services team within Parts Supply & Logistics (PS&L) within Ford's Customer Service Division (FCSD). Whoever is selected for this position will be at the forefront of Ford operational innovation, working on advanced technology solutions intended to drive enhanced safety, quality, and efficiency for our distribution and packaging business.

Key aspects of the position include developing network automation strategy, building out and presenting executive level financial business cases, performing vendor/technology evaluation, hands on implementation of selected solutions, and post implementation support of those solutions in collaboration with other key PS&L departments.

Those interested in this role should be prepared for a fast-paced environment, managing 5-10 key projects at any given time, spending most days within a Ford operations facility problem solving or project management, and willing to travel for at least 1 week+ per month while being based out of southeast Michigan.

In this role, you will be supporting the engineering services team within Parts Supply & Logistics (PS&L) within Ford's Customer Service Division (FCSD). In this very exciting role, you will be tasked with driving our business forward by leading the equipment automation team for Ford's North American distribution and packaging network - representative of 18M square feet of operations across 28 unique facilities. Key aspects of the position include developing network automation strategy, building out and presenting executive level financial business cases, performing vendor/technology evaluation, hands on implementation of selected solutions, and post implementation support of those solutions in collaboration with other key PS&L departments. This role will require strong partnership/collaboration with leadership from the following areas: site operations, enterprise technology, purchasing, finance, safety, ergonomics, engineering services, and Ford manufacturing.

What you'll do...

• Review technology and advanced automation solutions, performing strategic vendor evaluation and selection.
• Complete and present detailed financial business cases associated with strategic initiatives to demonstrate return on investment in collaboration with Finance to FCSD leadership.
• Lead project management efforts to support large and small scale initiatives, supporting projects from strategic inception to physical execution and post launch support, working cross functionally with operations, IT, finance, purchasing, and safety team members.
• Lead collaboration and benchmarking efforts both internally at Ford with the manufacturing organization and externally with industry and non-industry players to identify best in world solutions to and maintain PS&L's competitiveness.
• Support FCSD operations globally with continuous improvement efforts, potential changes to material handling strategies, and space optimization techniques. Collaborating with operations leadership on project strategy, funding, and execution.
• Work cross functionally with other Ford organizations such as purchasing, finance, manufacturing, and labor affairs.
• Perform internal purchasing functions to generate requisitions and gain necessary approvals to execute POs, process invoices, and reconcile discrepancies.
• Identify deficiencies in existing material flow and storage strategies, provide recommendations for automation based on data supported analysis.
• Support systems integration between identified solutions and the SAP EWM software that runs our North American distribution and packaging network.
• Leverage project management skills to hit launch dates/deadlines, staying within budget, and overcoming obstacles within a high paced environment.
• Perform detailed root cause analyses- PDCA/A3/etc. to help diagnose proper solutions for systemic challenges.
• Candidates should expect to be onsite at a metro Detroit PS&L operations facility 3-4 days per week, with locations varying day to day.
• Candidates should expect frequent travel to various North American PS&L operations facilities and to travel for GEMBA benchmarking with other OEMs and equipment vendors.

What you'll do...

• Review technology and advanced automation solutions, performing strategic vendor evaluation and selection.
• Complete and present detailed financial business cases associated with strategic initiatives to demonstrate return on investment in collaboration with Finance to FCSD leadership.
• Lead project management efforts to support large and small scale initiatives, supporting projects from strategic inception to physical execution and post launch support, working cross functionally with operations, IT, finance, purchasing, and safety team members.
• Lead collaboration and benchmarking efforts both internally at Ford with the manufacturing organization and externally with industry and non-industry players to identify best in world solutions to and maintain PS&L's competitiveness.
• Support FCSD operations globally with continuous improvement efforts, potential changes to material handling strategies, and space optimization techniques. Collaborating with operations leadership on project strategy, funding, and execution.
• Work cross functionally with other Ford organizations such as purchasing, finance, manufacturing, and labor affairs.
• Perform internal purchasing functions to generate requisitions and gain necessary approvals to execute POs, process invoices, and reconcile discrepancies.
• Identify deficiencies in existing material flow and storage strategies, provide recommendations for automation based on data supported analysis.
• Support systems integration between identified solutions and the SAP EWM software that runs our North American distribution and packaging network.
• Leverage project management skills to hit launch dates/deadlines, staying within budget, and overcoming obstacles within a high paced environment.
• Perform detailed root cause analyses- PDCA/A3/etc. to help diagnose proper solutions for systemic challenges.
• Candidates should expect to be onsite at a metro Detroit PS&L operations facility 3-4 days per week, with locations varying day to day.
• Candidates should expect frequent travel to various North American PS&L operations facilities and to travel for GEMBA benchmarking with other OEMs and equipment vendors.