Sa Supply Chain Operations Manager

Lead the Supply Chain Center of Excellence (CoE) for South America, ensuring standardized, efficient and compliant processes across Direct and Indirect Purchasing, Business Office and Purchasing Systems. The role governs policies, processes and systems, secures audit and regulatory compliance, and provides performance visibility to management. A critical mandate is to lead, for South America, the business side of the I‑ERP program, driving the successful implementation and adoption of SAP S/4HANA and Ariba for Supply Chain and Purchasing, enabling data‑driven decisions and sustainable operational excellence.

Profile / Requirements

Education

• University degree in Engineering, Business Administration, Supply Chain Management, Information Systems or related field.
• Post‑graduate degree or MBA is a plus.

Professional Experience

• Solid experience in Supply Chain and/or Purchasing, preferably in a multinational and multi‑plant environment.
• Proven track record in process governance, standardization and continuous improvement.
• Demonstrated experience leading complex cross‑functional projects; prior ERP implementation experience (ideally SAP S/4HANA and/or Ariba) is strongly preferred.
• Experience with audits, compliance programs and policy/procedure management.

Technical and Functional Skills

• Strong knowledge of Purchasing and Supply Chain processes (Direct and Indirect).
• Good understanding of ERP systems; hands‑on familiarity with SAP and e‑Procurement solutions (e.g., Ariba) is highly valued.
• Experience working with Agile methodologies (e.g., Scrum, Kanban or SAFe) in project delivery, including backlog management, sprint or increment planning, and iterative delivery.
• Competence in process mapping and documentation tools; experience with KPI design and performance dashboards (e.g., Excel, Power BI or similar).
• Solid analytical skills with the ability to interpret complex data and translate it into actionable insights.

Languages

• Fluency in Portuguese and/or Spanish.

Fluency in English required for regional and global interaction.

. Competencies and Behaviors

Aligned with Ford Behaviors – Focus, Excellence and Collaboration :

• Focus
  • Sets clear priorities and focuses the organization on the highest‑value Supply Chain and I‑ERP outcomes for South America.
  • Translates strategy into an executable roadmap, ensuring resources and attention are directed to what matters most for customers and the business.
• Excellence
  • Drives disciplined execution, process rigor and high standards in policies, audits, data quality and systems usage.
  • Uses data and structured problem‑solving to deliver continuous improvement in cost, quality, timing and compliance.
  • Champions best practices and lessons learned from audits and projects, embedding them into standard work.
• Collaboration
  • Builds strong, trust‑based relationships across countries, plants and functions (Supply Chain, Purchasing, Finance, IT, global CoEs).
  • Facilitates cross‑functional alignment, resolves conflicts constructively and creates a “one team” mindset for I‑ERP and operational initiatives.
  • Communicates clearly and transparently, ensuring stakeholders are informed, engaged and heard.

Additional Behavioral Capabilities

• Change Leadership: Guides teams through transformation, particularly digital and ERP changes, with strong emphasis on communication, training and user adoption.
• Results Orientation: Delivers on commitments, manages priorities and deadlines, and ensures projects achieve expected outcomes in terms of cost, quality and timing.
• Customer and Stakeholder Focus: Balances global standards with local needs; actively listens to internal customers and provides pragmatic, value‑adding solutions.
• Integrity and Compliance Mindset: Acts as a role model for ethical behavior, policy adherence and audit readiness.

5. Key Interfaces

• Regional Purchasing, Supply Chain and Logistics teams
• Plant and Country management in South America
• Finance, Controlling and Compliance functions
• Global Supply Chain and Purchasing Centers of Excellence
• Global I‑ERP (SAP S/4HANA & Ariba) program team and IT organization
• External auditors, consultants and solution providers (as needed)

#LI-FordArgentina

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Main Activities / Key Responsibilities

• Process Governance and Standardization
  • Lead the definition, mapping, documentation and continuous improvement of end‑to‑end Direct and Indirect Purchasing processes across South America.
  • Ensure alignment with global standards, internal controls, legal and compliance requirements, harmonizing practices across countries and plants.
  • Define and monitor key performance indicators (KPIs) for Supply Chain and Purchasing processes and drive corrective/improvement actions.
• Policy, Procedure and Audit Management
  • Own and maintain regional Supply Chain and Purchasing policies, procedures, work instructions and standards, ensuring regular review and updates.
  • Plan, coordinate and support internal and external audits related to Purchasing (e.g., ISO9001, MCRP, SA DRIM, AFR campaigns, OIC Direct & Indirect Purchasing).
  • Lead the response to audit findings, define corrective actions, track implementation and embed lessons learned into processes and systems.
• Business Office Leadership
  • Manage Business Office routines for South America Supply Chain, including governance calendars, meeting preparation and action follow‑up.
  • Consolidate and analyze performance data, preparing management reports, dashboards and executive presentations that provide clear visibility of results, risks and opportunities.
  • Support regional and global leadership in strategic planning, target setting and tracking of major initiatives.
• Purchasing Systems Ownership
  • Act as regional business owner for Purchasing and Supply Chain systems and tools, in coordination with global process owners and IT.
  • Ensure robust system configuration, data quality, master data governance and proper access management.
  • Provide guidance and support to users, including issue resolution, enhancement requests and coordination of training needs.
• I‑ERP (SAP S/4HANA & Ariba) Leadership – South America
  • Lead, from the business side, the South America implementation of SAP S/4HANA and Ariba for Supply Chain and Purchasing (I‑ERP).
  • Coordinate the collection and validation of business requirements, process design and solution blueprinting, ensuring fit‑for‑purpose and standardized processes.
  • Oversee integration testing, user acceptance testing, data migration preparation and validation, cut‑over planning and post‑go‑live stabilization.
  • Develop and execute change‑management, communication and training plans to drive strong user adoption and realize expected benefits.
  • Act as key interface between regional business teams and global program/IT, ensuring timely issue resolution and decision‑making.
• Stakeholder Management and Continuous Improvement
  • Coordinate cross‑functional and cross‑country teams (Purchasing, Supply Chain, Finance, IT, Plants and Corporate functions) to ensure consistent deployment of processes and systems.
  • Identify optimization opportunities in cost, quality, lead time, compliance and data reliability; prioritize and lead or sponsor related improvement projects.
  • Promote a culture of process discipline, digitalization and continuous improvement across the South America Supply Chain organization.