Engineering Specialist, WIP Scheduler, Ford Energy

Ford, Inc; Kentucky; On-site; USD 74,000 - 145,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, vision coverage

Paid parental leave

Vehicle discount program

Tuition assistance

Paid time off

Job summary

Ford Motor Company is seeking a skilled Materials/Production Controller to manage end-to-end production orders, WIP, and inventory in a high-volume manufacturing setting. You will ensure MES and ERP data stay aligned, resolve material and scheduling discrepancies, and drive continuous improvement through reporting, automation, and disciplined processes.

You will coordinate with manufacturing, warehousing, logistics, quality, and finance to confirm material readiness, maintain master data, and

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Logistics, Supply Chain Management, Operations, Engineering, or a related field required.
• Experience in production control, WIP scheduling, materials planning, inventory management, parts control, logistics, manufacturing operations, or a related field preferred.
• Experience working with ERP, MES, materials-planning, inventory-management, or production-control systems.
• Proficiency in spreadsheets and business reporting tools; experience with Power BI, automation tools, or similar analytics platforms preferred.
• Strong understanding of production order execution, material flow, inventory transactions, WIP control, and reconciliation processes.
• Strong analytical, organizational, communication, follow-up, and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities, maintain accurate records, and work effectively across internal teams in a fast-paced production environment.
• Strong attention to detail, sound judgment, and the ability to identify, communicate, and elevate material, scheduling, inventory, and system-data risks.

Responsibilities

• Monitor production orders, WIP, parts availability, and inventory levels to align with production schedules.
• Develop and communicate production, parts, and material schedules based on demand and availability.
• Coordinate with internal stakeholders to confirm material availability and production readiness.
• Track material movement and production-order status in MES and ERP.
• Identify and resolve material shortages and inventory discrepancies; escalate as needed.
• Maintain MES and ERP master data including BOMs, routings, and production orders.
• Support inventory accuracy through cycle counts and audits.
• Prepare reports and dashboards on WIP, inventory, schedule adherence, and material usage.
• Use Power BI to improve visibility and automate reporting.

Skills

Production control

WIP scheduling

Materials planning

Inventory management

Parts control

Logistics

Manufacturing operations

Analytical skills

Communication

Problem-solving

Education

Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Logistics, Supply Chain Management, Operations, Engineering, or a related field

Tools

Power BI

ERP systems

MES systems

Spreadsheets

Automation tools

Job description

In this position...You will manage and improve the end-to-end execution of production orders, work-in-process (WIP), material flow, parts availability, and inventory control in a high-volume manufacturing environment. You will ensure physical operations and system data remain aligned across MES and ERP platforms; resolve material, scheduling, and inventory discrepancies; and support continuous improvement through reporting, automation, and disciplined process execution.

What you'll do...

• Monitor production orders, WIP, parts availability, inventory levels, open requirements, scheduled receipts, and material usage to ensure alignment with production schedules and operational priorities.
• Develop, maintain, and communicate production, parts, and material schedules based on demand, material availability, and business requirements.
• Coordinate with production, warehousing, logistics, quality, finance, and other internal stakeholders to confirm material availability, delivery timing, and production readiness.
• Track material movement and production-order status through completion, maintaining timely and accurate updates in MES, ERP, and other applicable systems.
• Identify, investigate, and resolve material shortages, overdue materials, excess inventory, inventory discrepancies, and other risks to production continuity; elevate issues and coordinate corrective actions as needed.
• Monitor and control production order creation, execution, completion, and closure in MES and ERP systems to maintain accurate system and operational alignment.
• Perform daily material and WIP reconciliations, verifying that system records align with on-site material and product status through transaction review, accounting review, and physical verification.
• Maintain MES and ERP master data, including bills of material, routings, material records, production orders, and related scheduling information.
• Support inventory accuracy through cycle counts, transaction reviews, discrepancy investigations, and weekly, monthly, quarterly, and annual inventory audits.
• Review demand and production changes and adjust material plans, production orders, schedules, and operational priorities as necessary.
• Prepare, maintain, and communicate reports and dashboards related to WIP, inventory, parts status, schedule adherence, work-order performance, material usage, variance adjustments, shortages, and potential production impacts.
• Use reporting and automation tools, including Power BI or similar platforms, to improve visibility, reduce manual work, strengthen data integrity, and support operational decision-making.
• Investigate root causes of recurring issues involving material control, production execution, inventory accuracy, or system integration; implement sustainable corrective actions and process improvements.
• Refine and enforce end-to-end material lifecycle processes, from work-order issuance through production execution, accounting closure, and inventory reconciliation.
• Maintain clear records of schedules, shortages, discrepancies, corrective actions, and resolution status.
• Support cross-functional departments with ordering and tracking replacement parts as needed.
• Follow all company procedures and applicable safety, quality, inventory-control, accounting, and recordkeeping requirements.
• Perform other related duties as assigned.

You'll have...

• Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Logistics, Supply Chain Management, Operations, Engineering, or a related field required.
• Experience in production control, WIP scheduling, materials planning, inventory management, parts control, logistics, manufacturing operations, or a related field preferred.
• Experience working with ERP, MES, materials-planning, inventory-management, or production-control systems.
• Proficiency in spreadsheets and business reporting tools; experience with Power BI, automation tools, or similar analytics platforms preferred.
• Strong understanding of production order execution, material flow, inventory transactions, WIP control, and reconciliation processes.
• Strong analytical, organizational, communication, follow-up, and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities, maintain accurate records, and work effectively across internal teams in a fast-paced production environment.
• Strong attention to detail, sound judgment, and the ability to identify, communicate, and elevate material, scheduling, inventory, and system-data risks.

Even better, you may have...

• Experience supporting parts availability, schedule adherence, and production continuity in a high-volume manufacturing environment.
• Experience maintaining and reconciling MES and ERP data, including bills of material, routings, work orders, material records, or inventory transactions.
• Experience identifying and resolving material shortages, overdue materials, inventory discrepancies, or production constraints.
• Experience leading or supporting physical inventory counts, cycle counts, inventory audits, and reconciliation activities.
• Experience using Power BI or other digital tools to develop operational dashboards, automate reporting, or improve process visibility.
• Experience conducting root-cause analysis and implementing process improvements related to material control, WIP management, inventory accuracy, or production execution.
• Experience collaborating effectively with production, warehousing, logistics, quality, finance, and other internal business partners.
• Experience supporting efforts to reduce expediting, production downtime, manual processes, inventory variances, or excess inventory.

You may not check every box, or your experience may look a little different from what we've outlined, but if you think you can bring value to Ford Motor Company,

As an established global company, we offer the benefit of choice. You can choose what your Ford future will look like: will your story span the globe, or keep you close to home? Will your career be a deep dive into what you love, or a series of new teams and new skills? Will you be a leader, a changemaker, a technical expert, a culture builder or all of the above? No matter what you choose, we offer a work life that works for you, including:

• Immediate medical, dental, vision, and prescription drug coverage
• 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
• Generous vacation time, sick/personal time, and paid holidays, including between Christmas Eve and New Years Day

This position is a salary grade 6 and 7 ranges from $74,300-$144,900.

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.

For more information on salary and benefits, click here: https://fordcareers.co/GSR

Visa sponsorship is not available for this position.

Candidates for positions with Ford Motor Company must be legally authorized to work in the United States. Verification of employment eligibility will be required at the time of hire.

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, color, age, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability status or protected veteran status. In the United States, if you need a reasonable accommodation for the online application process due to a disability, please call 1-888-336-0660.

Company: 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.