Supplier Operations / Manufacturing Project Manager
Location: Warren, MI
Schedule: Hybrid, 3 days onsite per week
Travel: Up to 75% domestic and international travel, sometimes on short notice
Pay: $60.00-$65.60/hour (depending on experience & benefits)
Employment Type: W2 Contract
Position Overview
We are seeking an experienced Supplier Operations / Manufacturing Project Manager to support critical supply and manufacturing issues within a large automotive organization. This role works cross-functionally with Purchasing, Engineering, Supplier Quality, Logistics, Manufacturing, and external suppliers to resolve urgent production and delivery challenges.
The ideal candidate has a strong automotive manufacturing background and experience working directly with suppliers to address capacity constraints, throughput issues, equipment/tooling failures, delivery shortages, and production disruptions. This position requires strong problem-solving skills, executive-level communication, and the ability to travel to supplier locations on short notice.
Responsibilities
- Lead cross-functional calls and activities related to critical supplier issues, capacity constraints, production disruptions, and business transfers
- Serve as a liaison between Purchasing, Engineering, Supplier Quality, Manufacturing, Logistics, and supplier organizations
- Investigate the root causes of supplier delivery and production problems and coordinate timely recovery plans
- Develop and implement corrective actions for critical manufacturing and supply issues
- Evaluate supplier capacity, throughput, OEE, inventory, material flow, lead times, and overall manufacturing performance
- Identify process improvements and opportunities to improve supplier delivery performance and reduce lead times
- Support suppliers experiencing equipment failures, tooling issues, production interruptions, or other unexpected constraints
- Work with supplier risk teams on financially or operationally challenged suppliers
- Manage multiple complex and time-sensitive supplier cases with a high level of autonomy
- Provide frequent updates, reports, and presentations to management and executive leadership
- Support standardized work and proactive strategies designed to identify and mitigate future supply risks
Required Qualifications
- 5+ years of relevant professional experience in automotive manufacturing, purchasing, supply chain, supplier quality/development, program or product management, logistics, or product development
- Strong understanding of manufacturing operations and supplier performance
- Experience troubleshooting complex manufacturing, capacity, delivery, or supply-chain issues
- Strong analytical, problem-solving, communication, and stakeholder-management skills
- Ability to manage multiple urgent issues and changing priorities independently
- Ability to communicate effectively with suppliers, manufacturing teams, engineers, and senior leadership
- Valid passport
- Ability to travel up to 75% domestically and internationally, including travel on short notice
Preferred Qualifications
- Bachelor's degree in Business, Supply Chain, Finance, Engineering, or a related field
- 5+ years of automotive manufacturing operations experience
- 3+ years of machining and/or die-casting operations experience
- Experience with capacity planning, throughput, OEE, inventory management, material handling, and manufacturing process improvement
- Experience developing and implementing supplier corrective actions and recovery plans
- Background in supplier quality, supplier development, supplier manufacturing, or automotive launch environments
- Strong presentation skills with experience communicating issues and recovery plans to multiple levels of leadership
Ideal Background
Candidates with experience as a Supplier Development Engineer, Supplier Quality Engineer (SQE), Supplier Operations Manager, Manufacturing Engineer, Supplier Performance Manager, Supply Chain Engineer, or Automotive Program Manager may be especially well aligned.
Why This Opportunity?
This position offers the opportunity to work on high-impact automotive supply issues and collaborate directly with suppliers, manufacturing plants, engineering teams, and senior leadership. You'll play a critical role in restoring supplier performance, protecting production, and resolving complex manufacturing challenges across a large automotive supply network.
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