Senior Buyer - Electrical & Vehicle Systems Strategy

Blue Bird Corporation; Troy (MI); On-site; USD 110,000 - 160,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental & vision insurance

401(k) matching

Continued professional development

Job summary

Blue Bird Corporation in Troy, MI, seeks a Senior Buyer, Electrical, Controls & Vehicle Systems to lead strategic sourcing for electrical architecture, distribution, and related vehicle systems, balancing technology-driven sourcing with risk mitigation.

This role will own critical commodities such as wire harnesses, control modules, sensors, climate and cockpit systems, and will drive supplier transitions with Engineering, Quality, Manufacturing, and Program Management.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain, Business, Engineering, Operations Management, or related field
• 7+ years of supply chain, purchasing, operations, planning, or supplier management experience
• 3+ years of strategic sourcing, commodity management, supplier management, or purchasing experience within automotive, commercial vehicle, heavy truck, aerospace, or similar complex manufacturing environments; electrical, electronics, controls, or vehicle systems experience preferred
• 2+ years leading cross-functional projects, crisis management initiatives, supplier transition, or supplier development teams
• Must be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident

Responsibilities

• Commodity Strategy & Sourcing: Develop and execute comprehensive sourcing strategies for the Electrical, Controls & Vehicle Systems portfolio to optimize total cost of ownership (TCO), quality, delivery, and supply continuity.
• Supplier Risk & Electronics Continuity: Lead operational risk management for highly constrained commodities; serve as the primary escalation point for critical electronics and wire harness shortages, establishing swift cross-functional recovery teams.
• Contract & Technology Negotiation: Lead multi-million-dollar contract negotiations, multi-year supply agreements, and pricing structures with tier-1 automotive electronics, harness fabricators, controls, and vehicle systems suppliers.
• Supplier Performance & Technical Recovery: Monitor On-Time Delivery (OTD) and quality metrics; lead 8D root-cause investigations and corrective action plans directly with supplier facilities when component quality or delivery targets are missed.
• Lifecycle & Capacity Mapping: Conduct regular supplier capacity reviews, sub-tier electronic component risk assessments, and vulnerability mapping to safeguard against semiconductor or global electronic supply chain shocks.
• Program Launch & Supplier Transition: Lead purchasing activities supporting new product introduction and supplier transition, including sourcing readiness, commercial closure, tooling, capacity validation, APQP/PPAP execution, and production launch readiness in partnership with Engineering, Quality, Manufacturing, and Program Management.
• Resilience Planning: Proactively identify single-source electrical and electronic components and critical vehicle systems; develop dual-sourcing, validation, component-substitution, or manufacturing contingency strategies to mitigate supply risk.
• Operational Reporting & Mentorship: Maintain operational KPI dashboards, manage component cost tracking, and mentor junior buyers and operational specialists within the purchasing department

Skills

Electrical architectures

Electronics supply chain

Sourcing & negotiation

Operational recovery

Quality & engineering literacy

ERP systems (SAP/Oracle/Infor)

Education

Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain/Engineering/Operations Management

MBA or Master’s degree (optional)

Tools

SAP

Oracle

Infor

Excel

Job description

Blue Bird Corporation in Troy, MI, seeks a Senior Buyer, Electrical, Controls & Vehicle Systems to lead strategic sourcing for electrical architecture, distribution, and related vehicle systems, balancing technology-driven sourcing with risk mitigation.

This role will own critical commodities such as wire harnesses, control modules, sensors, climate and cockpit systems, and will drive supplier transitions with Engineering, Quality, Manufacturing, and Program Management.