Senior Buyer, Controls and Vehicle Systems

Job Category
:
Procurement

Requisition Number
: SENIO
004794

• Posted :
  October 8, 2026
• Full-Time
• On-site

Showing 1 location

About Blue Bird Corporation

Blue Bird (NASDAQ: BLBD) is recognized as a technology leader and innovator of school buses since its founding in 1927. Our dedicated team members design,engineer and manufacture school buses with a singular focus on safety, reliability, and durability. School buses carry the most precious cargo in the world –25 million children twice a day – making them the most trusted mode of student transportation.

The company is the proven leader in low- and zero-emission school buses with more than 25,000 propane, natural gas, and electric powered buses sold. Blue Bird is transforming the student transportation industry through cleaner energy solutions. For more information on Blue Bird’s complete product and service portfolio, visit  .

JOB SUMMARY:

Reporting to the Senior Manager,Purchasing, the Senior Buyer, Electrical, Controls & Vehicle Systemsis responsible for leading strategic sourcing, commercial negotiation, supplier transition, and operational continuity for vehicle electrical architecture, electrical distribution systems, electronic components, controls, and assigned vehicle systems. This role serves as the commercial owner for critical commodities including wire harnesses, electrical distribution, control modules, switches, sensors, climate and cockpit systems, and related integrated vehicle systems.

The position balances technology-driven sourcing with rigorous operational risk mitigation, serving as the primary escalation point forcomponentshortages, long lead-time electronic constraints, supplier recovery, and supply continuity planning to ensure successful launch and continuous production.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Commodity Strategy & Sourcing:
  Develop and execute comprehensive sourcing strategies for the Electrical, Controls & Vehicle Systems portfolio tooptimizetotal cost of ownership (TCO), quality, delivery, and supply continuity.
• Supplier Risk & Electronics Continuity:
  Lead operational risk management for highly constrained commodities; serve as the primary escalation point for critical electronics and wire harness shortages,establishing swift cross-functional recovery teams.
• Contract & Technology Negotiation:
  Lead multi-million-dollar contract negotiations, multi-year supply agreements, and pricing structures with tier-1 automotive electronics, harness fabricators, controls, and vehicle systems suppliers.
• Supplier Performance & Technical Recovery:
  Monitor On-Time Delivery (OTD) and quality metrics; lead 8D root-cause investigations and corrective action plans directly with supplier facilities whencomponentquality or delivery targets are missed.
• Lifecycle & Capacity Mapping:
  Conduct regular supplier capacity reviews, sub-tier electroniccomponentrisk assessments, and vulnerability mapping to safeguard against semiconductor or global electronic supply chain shocks.
• Program Launch & Supplier Transition:
  Lead purchasing activities supporting new product introduction and supplier transition, including sourcing readiness, commercial closure, tooling, capacity validation, APQP/PPAP execution, and production launch readiness in partnership with Engineering, Quality, Manufacturing, and Program Management.
• Resilience Planning:
  Proactivelyidentifysingle-source electrical and electronic components and critical vehicle systems; develop dual-sourcing, validation, component-substitution, or manufacturing contingency strategies to mitigate supply risk.
• Operational Reporting & Mentorship:
  
  Maintain operational KPI dashboards, managecomponentcost tracking, and mentor junior buyers and…