Operations Manager

Ford; Dearborn (MI); Hybrid; USD 113,000 - 213,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, and prescription drug

Flexible family care & parental leave

Vehicle discount program for employees

Tuition assistance

Employee resource groups

Paid time off for community service

Paid holidays including Christmas–New 

Option to purchase additional vacation

Job summary

Ford in Dearborn, MI seeks a senior leader to direct full lifecycle vehicle logistics, ensuring vehicles are upfitted, routed efficiently, and delivered to meet dealer, commercial, and retail commitments. You will design and operate the Ship-Thru, Drop Ship, and Upfitter networks and lead cross-functional teams.

This role focuses on governance, cost control, and digital tools adoption, tracking KPIs like ETA accuracy and throughput, and presenting executive dashboards.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering, supply chain management, logistics, business, quality management, operations, or related field.
• Strong written and oral communication skills; presenting to senior leadership.
• Proficiency in Excel and PowerPoint; analytics mindset; experience leveraging AI tools to enhance productivity.
• Ford QLS and AVS familiarity preferred.

Responsibilities

• Oversee vehicle upfit and operations.
• Engineer and implement logistics processes to reduce bottlenecks, transit times, and inventory aging.
• Direct full lifecycle vehicle logistics operations from routing to delivery; meet dealer, commercial, and retail commitments.
• Collaborate with plants, carriers, upfitters, suppliers, railroads, and 3PL providers; deliver executive-ready updates and KPI reviews.

Skills

Excel

PowerPoint

Analytics

AI tools

Communication

Change management

Cross-functional

Decision making

Independent work

Education

Bachelor’s degree in engineering, supply chain management, logistics, business, quality management, operations, or related field

Tools

Ford QLS

AVS

Job description

In this position ...

• Oversee vehicle upfit and operations.
• Engineer and implement logistics processes that eliminate operational bottlenecks, reduce transit/dwell times, and minimize finished vehicle inventory aging.
• Direct full lifecycle vehicle logistics operations, ensuring vehicles are efficiently routed, processed, upfitted, and delivered to meet dealer, commercial, and retail customer commitments.

What you will do ...

Network Strategy & Logistics Operation

End-to-End Execution: Direct full lifecycle vehicle logistics operations, ensuring vehicles are efficiently routed, processed, upfitted, and delivered to meet dealer, commercial, and retail customer commitments.
Specialized Network Management: Drive the strategic design and continuous optimization of Ship-Thru, Drop Ship, and Upfitter networks to expand logistics flexibility, shorten fulfillment cycles, and unlock revenue opportunities.
Launch & Account Readiness: Spearhead cross-functional operational readiness, process design, and launch execution for major commercial fleet accounts, new vehicle lines, and evolving Ford Pro business models.
Operational Continuity: Provide operational oversight and support during non-standard operating windows (weekends, off-shifts, holidays) to maintain seamless alignment with plant production schedules.

Operational Excellence & Continuous Improvement
Cycle Time & Dwell Reduction: Engineer and implement logistics processes that eliminate operational bottlenecks, reduce transit/dwell times, and minimize finished vehicle inventory aging.
Performance Metrics & Analytics: Track and optimize core performance indicators, including ETA accuracy, milestone reliability, transit performance, and miss-ship prevention.
Root-Cause & Corrective Actions: Lead structured problem-solving initiatives to identify root causes and execute corrective countermeasures for miss-ships, routing errors, inventory discrepancies, and system disruptions.

Partner Collaboration & Stakeholder Engagement
Ecosystem Alignment: Build collaborative partnerships across plants, carriers, upfitters, suppliers, railroads, and 3PL providers to clear operational hurdles and optimize vehicle velocity.
Executive Communication: Deliver executive-ready briefings, KPI dashboards, business cases, and operational reviews for NAVL and Ford Pro senior leadership.
Cross-Functional Team Leadership: Coach, mentor, and guide cross-functional teams, fostering a culture of accountability, continuous improvement, and knowledge sharing.

Governance, Technology & Financial Stewardship
Operational Governance: Oversee routine operational reviews, DCC/ZCC reporting cadence, and action-plan tracking to ensure full alignment with strategic targets.
Financial Management: Govern logistics expenditures, including the review and approval of premium freight, spot-buy authorizations, cost recovery, and budget management to deliver cost savings.
Digital Transformation & Systems: Partner with IT and software vendors to define functional requirements, deploy logistics visibility tools, and lead multi-plant technology rollouts without disrupting daily operations.

You'll have ...

o Bachelor’s degree in engineering, supply chain management, logistics, business, quality management, operations, or a related field or equivalent combination of relevant education and experience.
oStrong written and oral communication skills: you will be speaking or presenting to Senior Ford Leadership, regularly
oAbility to positively influence change
oAbility to handle complexity and multi-tasking
oAbility to work with cross-functional groups to resolve concerns
oStrong organizational skills required
oAbility to make decisions and work independently
oProficiency in Excel (required), PowerPoint (required), Analytics/Data-mining mindset, experience leveraging AI tools to enhance work productivity
oFord system QLS, AVS, understanding preferred

Even better, you may have...

oInterface with other Ford departments (FCSD, Marketing & Sales, Finance, Plants)
oInterface with industry groups (other OEMs, AIAG)

o Material Planning & Logistics (MP&L) experience (highly preferred)
oPlant Operations Understanding (highly preferred)
oTravel required – Approximately 25%; overnights required if plant assigned is not in SE Michigan area. Travel frequency may increase during launches and other plant campaign activities
oMeetings with Ford Teams around the globe require early or late arrivals and departures

• Immediate medical, dental, and prescription drug coverage

• Flexible family care, parental leave, new parent ramp-up programs, subsidized back-up childcare 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.

This position is a leadership salary grade 6 and ranges from $112,680-212,760.

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 committed to a culturally diverse workforce. 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. This position is hybrid with a requirement to be onsite four or more days per week.