Senior Manager, Fulfillment Delivery Team

The Leader of the Fulfillment Delivery Team is responsible for directing a rapid-response team that deploys to supplier locations when near-term supply stability is at risk. This leadership role owns the operating rhythm, prioritization, escalation, and execution discipline required to restore reliable material flow to meet Ford production requirements. The leader ensures team members are prepared to travel on short notice, conduct effective supplier assessments, identify gating issues, coordinate cross-functional support, and communicate supplier recovery status with clarity and urgency.

This leadership role requires significant travel to supplier locations based on business needs and supply risk. The leader should be prepared to deploy personally or direct team deployment on short notice, often within 24 to 48 hours, and should expect the team to operate within a high-travel model of approximately 80%. Work may require extended hours during critical supplier recovery events, including daily issue reviews, after-hours status reporting, escalation support, and leadership briefings.

• Lead the Fulfillment Delivery Team in rapid deployment to supplier locations when near-term delivery, production, or material flow stability is at risk.

• Establish and manage the team’s deployment model, ensuring team members are prepared to travel on short notice, typically within 24 to 48 hours.

• Prioritize supplier assignments based on production risk, customer impact, constrained part availability, timing exposure, and escalation severity.

• Direct a high-travel operating model, with anticipated team travel up to 80% based on business need and supplier risk.

• Set expectations for supplier Gemba reviews to ensure the team observes actual conditions, validates constraints, and understands the problem at the source.

• Ensure value stream maps are developed for supplier material flow and production processes to identify bottlenecks, waste, handoff issues, and process gaps.

• Lead the definition of gating issues preventing stable production or delivery, including root cause, risk exposure, affected part numbers, quantity at risk, and timing impact.

• Drive execution of interim corrective actions required to achieve short-term stability and protect Ford production volume. 

• Ensure supplier production is aligned with Ford priorities so constrained output is directed to the highest-priority vehicle and plant builds.

• Partner with Manufacturing, Supply Chain, Purchasing, Logistics, Suppliers, and Customer Operations to resolve material risks.

• Develop dashboards and KPI reporting to enable fact-based decision-making and operational transparency.

• Lead daily operational recovery reviews focused on deep problem solving for critical parts, production impacts, and customer priorities.

• Maintain leadership oversight of the action registry to ensure issues, owners, countermeasures, due dates, and completion status are accurate and actively managed.

• Own recurring leadership communications, including night letters, that clearly define the problem statement, root cause, risk, interim corrective actions, permanent corrective actions, timing, and directly responsible individuals.

• Ability to travel and be at off-site locations for extended periods of time

• Demonstrated leadership experience in supplier delivery performance, material flow, production operations, manufacturing constraint management, or supply chain recovery.

• Strong ability to lead teams in high-urgency, ambiguous, and fast-changing supply disruption environments.

• Experience directing shop-floor assessments, supplier Gemba reviews, value stream mapping, and production flow analysis.

• Strong knowledge of structured problem solving, root cause analysis, interim corrective actions, permanent corrective actions, OEE concepts, and Lean Mgt. principles.

• Ability to influence and coordinate cross-functional teams, including manufacturing, supplier technical assistance, product development, purchasing, logistics, operations leadership, and supplier leadership.

• Strong executive communication skills with the ability to provide concise, timely, fact-based, and actionable updates to senior leaders and stakeholders.

• Ability to establish operating rhythms, manage action registries, drive accountability, and close gaps through disciplined follow-up.

• High sense of urgency, ownership, judgment, and adaptability with the ability to make timely decisions that protect production continuity.

• Coaching mindset with the ability to develop team capability in supplier assessment, problem solving, escalation, and communication discipline.