FPM Engineering Operations/Business Office

We are the movers of the world and the makers of the future. We get up every day, roll up our sleeves and build a better world -- together. At Ford, we’re all a part of something bigger than ourselves. Are you ready to change the way the world moves?

In this position...

We are looking for a Business Operations Specialist to manage the operational needs of the Engineering and Program Teams. Program Teams include Production Vehicle or Racing Programs (e.g. NASCAR/NHRA, Sports Car, Off-Road, Formula 1 or other competition/customer racing programs. The Business Operations Specialist's responsibilities include managing the assigned business and operational elements of the engineering team which may include managing facility needs, purchase orders, part orders, financial reporting, audit reporting/compliance, cycle plan, resolving supplier invoicing/payment issues, vehicle management, ongoing optimization of processes, collaborating with the team, and additional issue resolution as program needs arise.

To be successful, you should have perseverance, patience, be committed to improving processes, maintain detailed organization and able to ensure accuracy with timely execution under demanding timelines. Ultimately, a top-notch candidate should have excellent organizational, people management, and problem-solving skills.

This is an onsite position located primarily in Allen Park, MI or the potential for Concord, NC.

What you'll do...

• The Engineering Operations Specialist will support the Engineering Teams as assigned; directly reporting to the Business Operations Manager to maintain consistent and appropriate processes across the Engineering Organization.
• Regular interaction with the respective Engineering Managers, Program Managers, Business Owners, and external partners as required to support engineering needs.
• Support the interface with multiple Ford internal teams including Internal Control, Supply Chain, Finance, OGC, Trademark Licensing, Confidentiality, Risk Analysis and Vehicle Programs.
• Work directly with the Operations Team, Buyers and Finance team as necessary to support Engineering and Program Team needs and ensure internal alignment with corporate processes.
• Complete governance and document retention aligned with internal control requirements; conduct sample audits as necessary to ensure compliance to corporate controls testing.
• Author purchase requests for program business owners using SAP Ariba, which includes authoring, reviewing and updating the submission documents (SOW, SSRL, RFQ, etc.) as appropriate, creating the requisition in Ariba and following up on the approvals for each request to ensure timely execution.
• Collaborate directly with the Buyer to support compliance, accuracy and timely processing of purchase orders.
• Support supplier issues related to Ford system interface, invoicing, access and additional issues as they arise.
• Author and process any JDA / NDA / Confidentiality documents as necessary.
• Manage the Engineering Finance interface with reporting, forecasts and tracking for assigned cost center(s).
• Support Engineering needs of the Program teams.
• Schedule Engineering team topics into the weekly meeting cadence to support issue resolution.
• Resolve supplier issues as they arise, including SAP Ariba User Interface issues, invoice problems and ensuring payments are processed and received as appropriate.
• Resolve issues with Accounts Payable as needed.
• Process manual payments as necessary.
• Support GSDB code creation and issues resolution between supplier and Supply Chain.
• Support Motorsports overall spending summary and monthly budget reviews.
• Support Finance reviews, monthly Forecast updates, CaR submissions, Accruals, etc. as necessary.
• Support Program Team’s logistics, resources, timelines, etc. as necessary.
• Support Internal Control audits and compliance testing.
• Support Engineering meeting forums as needed.

You'll have...

• Bachelor’s degree required. Technical, Finance or Business Degree.
• 6+ years of Automotive experience related to Program/Project Management, Engineering, and Product Development.
• Experience working with leaders of multidisciplinary team to resolve issues, technical or otherwise.
• Able to succeed in a fast-paced, passionate work environment that requires quick turn-around.
• Detailed, Self-Organized and able to manage multiple assignments simultaneously.
• Proficient using Excel, Outlook, Word and the suite of Microsoft Office programs.
• Experienced and skilled interfacing with computer software, ability to learn new programs including but not limited to SAP Ariba, DocuSign, ELMS, FMS, GPIRS and other systems.