Purchasing Project Specialist

Blue Bird Brand; Fort Valley (GA); On-site; USD 65,000 - 85,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, and vision insurance

14 paid holidays

Vacation time

401k matching

Job summary

Blue Bird Corporation, located in Fort Valley, Georgia, is seeking a skilled Project Specialist to enhance supply chain efficiency and support improvement initiatives. The ideal candidate will have a Bachelor’s degree and 3+ years of experience in project management.

The position offers competitive benefits, including medical, dental, and vision insurance, along with 401k matching. If you're passionate about optimizing processes in a dynamic environment, we want to hear from you!

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in supply chain, project management or equivalent experience.
• 3+ years of experience working as a project specialist or project manager.
• U.S. citizen or permanent resident required.

Responsibilities

• Support continuous improvement projects and cost reduction efforts.
• Implement continuous improvement initiatives to enhance procurement efficiency.
• Prepare reports and presentations to finance and purchasing management.

Skills

Data analysis

MS Office skills

Collaboration

Project management

Communication skills

Education

Bachelor's degree in supply chain or project management

Job description

Overview

Blue Bird (NASDAQ: BLBD) is recognized as a technology leader and innovator of school buses since its founding in 1927. Our dedicated team members design, engineer and manufacture school buses with a singular focus on safety, reliability, and durability. School buses carry the most precious cargo in the world – 25 million children twice a day – making them the most trusted mode of student transportation. The company is the proven leader in low- and zero-emission school buses with more than 25,000 propane, natural gas, and electric powered buses sold. Blue Bird is transforming the student transportation industry through cleaner energy solutions. For more information on Blue Bird’s complete product and service portfolio, visit www.blue-bird.com.

Job Summary

Support various improvement/standardization initiatives. Support Sr. Purchasing Manager with key performance indicator (KPI) tracking and cost measures reporting. Manage capex projects for plant expansion and capacity improvements. Ensure ongoing coordination between internal stakeholders: purchasing, finance, engineering, maintenance, accounts payable and internal controls. Department support by performing tasks including, but not limited to, invoice hold report, general system maintenance tasks, supplier negotiations, supplier quote analysis, supplier terms review, and financial modeling to represent the best fully landed cost decision for Blue Bird purchasing.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Support continuous improvement projects and cost reduction efforts related to Blue Bird supply chain.
• Implement continuous improvement initiatives to enhance procurement efficiency.
• Prepare timely reports and presentations to finance and purchasing management highlighting key financial insights.
• Maintain files and other documents to support business compliance and ISO certification.
• Research and address identified purchasing gaps related to compliance and risk management.
• Create and track supply chain success metrics through advanced business analytics.
• Partner with project teams to ensure departmental milestones are met in a timely and accurate fashion.
• Track and report MRO purchasing KPIs and targets for cost measures and supply agreements including but not limited to the hold report and spend under contract.
• Perform other duties as expected.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Ability to create and track large data sets, analyze trends, and present to track success over multiple metrics.
• Intermediate to advanced level skills in MS Office application reporting tools.
• Collaboration with cross-functional teams and presentation of complex data to a wide variety of stakeholders.
• Prioritization and performance in a dynamic, fast-paced environment.
• Organized and detail-oriented.
• Ability to build and maintain strong relationships with internal customers.
• Strong project management skills in a high-intensity production environment.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills.

Basic Education and Experience Required

• Bachelor’s degree in supply chain, project management or equivalent experience.
• 3+ years of experience working as a project specialist or project manager.
• All candidates must be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident.

Preferred Education and Experience

• 3+ years of automotive or manufacturing project management experience.

Benefits

• Medical, dental and vision insurance; 14 paid holidays; vacation time; and 401k matching.

Work Conditions

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Office environment and production environment.
• Must work in a manufacturing environment with exposure to heat, cold and noise.
• Fast‑paced production area with moving objects and sheet metal.
• Occasional periods of standing or sitting for extended periods of time.
• You must wear appropriate PPE when and where required.
• Frequent weeks working 40+ hours.
• Frequent communication with people throughout the day.

Equal Opportunity

Blue Bird is an equal opportunity employer and makes employment decisions on the basis of merit. We strive to have the best available talent in every job based on the knowledge, skills and abilities each person brings. Blue Bird is committed to compliance with all applicable laws providing equal employment opportunities. This commitment applies to all persons involved in company operations and prohibits unlawful discrimination in all forms.

All candidates must be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident. Candidates must be authorized to work in the United States and will be required to provide proof of employment eligibility at the time of hire.

Equal Opportunity Employer. This employer is required to notify all applicants of their rights pursuant to federal employment laws. For further information, please review the Know Your Rights notice from the Department of Labor.