Strategic Senior Buyer, Powertrain & Chassis

Blue Bird Corporation; Troy (MI); On-site; USD 90,000 - 140,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Continued Professional Development

Medical/Dental/Vision insurance

14 paid holidays

Vacation time

401k matching

Job summary

Blue Bird Corporation is seeking an experienced Senior Buyer for Powertrain & Chassis Systems in the United States. You will lead strategic sourcing, contract negotiations, and lifecycle management for engine, powertrain, transmission, and chassis components to ensure cost efficiency and supply continuity.

In this role you will drive supplier risk management, collaborate across Engineering and Operations, and mentor junior buyers while delivering strong cost performance and timely product

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain, Business, Engineering or related field.
• 3+ years leading projects, crisis management initiatives, or operational teams.
• 3+ years of strategic sourcing, commodity management or purchasing in automotive/heavy manufacturing.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute sourcing strategies for Powertrain & Chassis portfolios to optimize TCO, quality and delivery.
• Lead supplier risk management and crisis response in high‑pressure manufacturing environments.
• Negotiate multi‑million-dollar contracts, LTAs and pricing with major tier‑1 suppliers.
• Monitor OTD and quality governance; drive 8D investigations and corrective actions.
• Conduct capacity reviews, tooling assessments and vulnerability mapping to identify risks.
• Support new product introductions and supplier transitions, including APQP/PPAP.
• Drive dual‑sourcing and contingency plans for high‑risk components.
• Develop KPI dashboards and mentor junior buyers.

Skills

Powertrain knowledge

Negotiation

Supply chain

ERP systems

Excel data analysis

Crisis management

Education

Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain, Business, Engineering

MBA preferred

Tools

SAP

Oracle

Infor

Job description

Blue Bird Corporation is seeking an experienced Senior Buyer for Powertrain & Chassis Systems in the United States. You will lead strategic sourcing, contract negotiations, and lifecycle management for engine, powertrain, transmission, and chassis components to ensure cost efficiency and supply continuity.

In this role you will drive supplier risk management, collaborate across Engineering and Operations, and mentor junior buyers while delivering strong cost performance and timely product