Senior Manager, Chief of Staff

Ford; Dearborn (MI); On-site; USD 150,000 - 230,000; Full time

Job summary

Ford Motor Company is seeking an APP&R Chief of Staff to act as a high‑impact advisor and right‑hand to the APP& R Executive Director. This role coordinates staff work, ensures clarity and efficiency, and translates complex data into actionable direction.

The successful candidate combines marketing, research and consumer insights with operational execution, excels at governance and KPI setting, and partners closely with the CMO Office.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree; superb written and verbal communications skills.
• 10 years of progressive experience in business with broad Marketing and Product Development exposure in automotive.
• Experience managing teams.
• Strong organizational skills; detail-oriented project management.
• Exceptional ability to distill complex data into concise business documents and presentations.
• Ability to adapt to fast-moving environments and manage multiple priorities.
• Emotional intelligence; balance diverse personalities to reach consensus.

Responsibilities

• Lead APP&R's BOR materials creation, submission, and follow-up.
• Coordinate APP&R's 3-Year Maturity Model and support Quarterly Business Reviews.
• Facilitate annual objective setting and KPI cascading across leadership and partners.
• Serve as trusted advisor to the APP&R Executive Director and analyze critical business issues.
• Design and manage governance forums; plan agendas and ensure follow-up.
• Maintain alignment with CMO Business Office and Marketing Chiefs of Staff; complete assignments on time.
• Streamline daily operations and workflow; optimize information flow and governance processes.
• Oversee APP&R Culture Committee; support onboarding and Learning & Development.
• Lead cross-team initiatives requiring collaboration across the APP&R staff.

Skills

Communication

Leadership

Project management

Agility

Emotional intelligence

Strategic thinking

Education

Bachelor's degree

Job description

We made history and now we work to transform the future - for our customers, our communities and our families. You'll see your work on the road every day, helping people move freely and pursue their dreams. At Ford, you can build more than vehicles. Come build what matters.

Our Marketing, Sales & Service organization advances the Ford reputation as a visionary vehicle and mobility services company and helps deliver a trusted customer experience. Use your marketing, sales and service expertise to turn data-driven insights into innovative solutions that enhance sales and customer loyalty. Join us and be the eyes, ears and voice of Ford.

In this position...

The APP&R Chief of Staff (CoS) is a high-impact, strategic leadership role serving as a primary advisor and "right-hand" to the APP&R Executive Director. As a key leader within APP&R, this individual is responsible for managing the overall coordination of the staff and ensuring the team functions with clarity and efficiency. This role is not just an operator, but a strategic partner who can synthesize complex data and competing interests into actionable direction. The ideal candidate will combine high-level marketing, research and consumer insights strategic-thinking with operational, detail-oriented execution. The successful CoS will have emotional intelligence, persistence, persuasive influence, and a capacity for innovative thinking.

What you'll do...

• Business Operations Review (BOR): Lead the creation, submission and follow up for APP&R's monthly BOR materials.
• 3-Year Maturity Model: Coordinate APP&R's initiatives, key milestones, target outcomes, and support for Quarterly Business Reviews (QBR's).
• Objective Setting: Facilitate and track APP&R's development of annual objectives and KPI-setting process, cascading metrics across the leadership team and cross-functional partners where necessary
• Support to Executive Director: Serve as a trusted advisor to the APP&R Executive Director, proactively identifying and analyzing critical business issues and trends to inform best practices and ensure the team is a strategic asset to the business units and internal Ford partners. Respond promptly to all Executive Director assignments.
• Organizational Governance: Continuously improve APP&R's effectiveness and maturity level. Design and manage efficient team governance forums, including periodic All People Meetings, Team Cascades, Staff and other meetings as required. Set agendas, plan logistics, facilitate decision-making, identify topics and speakers, and ensure follow-up.
• CMO Business Office Alignment: Maintain a collaborative working relationship with the CMO Business Office and Marketing team Chiefs of Staff. Complete all CMO assignments on time and with high quality.
• Workflow Optimization: Streamline the Executive Director's daily operations and workflow, prioritizing projects and managing resources to ensure the leadership team remains focused on the highest-value initiatives. Improve team-wide information flows and processes; manage select SharePoint sites to centralize key information and increase transparency. Operationalize other technologies and process improvements as required.
• Team Development: Manage elements of the APP&R staff functions, fostering a culture of high performance, agility, and continuous learning. Oversee the APP&R Culture Committee, guiding team activities, onboarding, and Learning & Development.
• APP&R Team Initiatives: Lead new, innovative projects identified by the APP&R Staff requiring cross-team coordination and collaboration.

You'll have...

Minimum Qualifications

• - Bachelor's degree, with superb written and verbal communications skills.
• - 10 years of progressive experience in business with a broad understanding of Marketing and Product Development functions in the automotive industry.
• - Experience managing teams.
• - Strong organizational skills; conscientious, detail-oriented project manager.
• - Communication: Exceptional ability to distill complex data into concise business documents and impactful presentations.
• - Agility: Proven success in a fast-moving environment; capacity to adapt to and manage multiple shifting priorities.
• - Emotional Intelligence: Ability to read room dynamics, balance diverse personalities and reach consensus.

Even better, you may have...

• - Master's in Business Administration or marketing-related studies.
• - Executive Presence: Experience working closely with senior leadership.
• - Cross-Functional Leadership: Proven ability to facilitate rigorous, data-driven debate among cross-functional teams to reach optimal solutions that advance the organization's collective strategic objectives.
• - Strategic Problem Solving: Guided by long-term objectives; able to solve abstract problems and remove barriers to change.

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, we encourage you to a