Description
This position applies lean principles, Gemba, value-stream mapping, industrial engineering methods, simulation, data analytics, and process standardization to identify and implement sustainable operational improvements at Ford Motor Company.
The successful candidate will help build a lean, efficient, and optimized supply chain from the supplier through the point of fit.
Responsibilities
Operational Improvement
- Conduct Gemba studies and current-state assessments across manufacturing and material-flow operations.
- Develop value-stream maps to identify bottlenecks, waste, congestion, capacity constraints, and non-value-added activities.
- Analyze labor requirements, work content, utilization, throughput, and operational capacity.
- Develop and standardize labor methods using recognized industrial engineering and work-measurement practices.
- Support process simulation and scenario analysis to identify labor, material-flow, and capacity opportunities.
- Lead Kaizen and continuous-improvement activities that improve safety, quality, delivery, cost, and productivity.
- Establish repeatable operating standards and support the deployment of best practices across multiple sites.
Material Flow and Supply Chain Optimization
- Analyze end-to-end material flow from supplier locations through warehouses, off-dock facilities, manufacturing plants, and the point of fit.
- Identify opportunities to reduce handling, travel distance, congestion, inventory, and other non-value-added activity.
- Improve material presentation, storage, routing, replenishment, dock operations, and point-of-fit delivery processes.
- Support material-cost and operational-efficiency studies at Tier 1 supplier locations.
- Work with Supplier Technical Assistance and other stakeholders to assess and improve supplier material-flow operations.
Launch and Forward-Model Support
- Support MP&L requirements development and labor analysis for forward-model and manufacturing launch programs.
- Participate in launch-readiness reviews and identify material-flow, labor, capacity, process, and infrastructure risks.
- Support supplier audits, launch reviews, and post-Job 1 operational stabilization activities.
Data, Digital Tools, and Automation
- Use data and analytics to identify operational trends, constraints, and improvement opportunities.
- Develop dashboards and performance measures that track productivity, utilization, throughput, labor efficiency, and improvement implementation.
- Apply Power BI and other analytical tools to enable fact-based operational decisions.
- Support the development and enhancement of agentic, AI-enabled, or automation solutions for opportunity identification and efficiency analysis.
- Translate complex operational data into clear recommendations for plant and functional leadership.
Cross-Functional Collaboration
- Partner with MP&L, Manufacturing, Plant Industrial Engineering, Purchasing, Supplier Technical Assistance, Finance, Launch, FPS, IT, and supplier teams.
- Facilitate cross-functional workshops to align on current-state conditions, improvement opportunities, ownership, and implementation plans.
- Communicate findings, risks, savings opportunities, and recommendations to leadership and operating teams.
- Build strong working relationships across plants, suppliers, and third-party facilities.
Qualifications
Requirements
- Bachelor's degree in Industrial Engineering or Manufacturing Engineering.
- 4+ years of experience applying industrial engineering methods in manufacturing, logistics, warehousing, material handling, or supply-chain operations.
- 2+ years of experience with discrete-event simulation or material-flow simulation tools.
- Proficiency in Power BI, Excel, SQL, Python, Alteryx, or similar data and automation tools.
- Working knowledge of:
- Lean manufacturing
- Gemba
- Value-stream mapping
- Standardized work
- Labor and productivity analysis
- Capacity and throughput analysis
- Process optimization
- Root-cause problem solving.
- Ability to analyze operational data and convert findings into practical improvement actions.
Preferred Qualifications
- Master's degree in Industrial Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, or Operations Research.
- Experience conducting work-measurement studies using MODAPTS, MOST, or comparable predetermined-motion-time systems.
- Lean Six Sigma Green Belt, Black Belt, or comparable lean certification.
- Experience developing dashboards, analytical models, automated workflows, or AI-enabled operational tools.
- Experience supporting Tier 1 supplier assessments or operational improvement activities.
Benefits
- Immediate medical, dental, and prescription drug coverage.
- Flexible family care, parental leave, new parent ramp-up programs, subsidized back-up childcare, and more.
- Family building benefits including adoption and surrogacy expense reimbursement, fertility treatments, and more.
- Vehicle discount program for employees and family members, and management leases.
- Tuition assistance.
- Established and active employee resource groups.
- Paid time off for individual and team community service.
- A generous schedule of paid holidays, including the week between Christmas and New Year's Day.
- Paid time off and the option to purchase additional vacation time.
Salary Information
- Salary grade 6: $72,480 - $121,440.
- Salary grade 7: $84,480 - $141,360.
- Salary grade 8: $96,720 - $162,120.