Racing Parts Planning Analyst

About the Role

Help shape the future of Ford Customization and Ford Racing Parts and bring the next generation of performance and customization products to life. As a Product Planning Analyst, you'll play a key role in identifying new opportunities, influencing product strategy, and turning innovative ideas into real products that enhance the performance, capability, and personalization of Ford vehicles.

Key Responsibilities

• Product Strategy & Opportunity Identification: Identify new Ford Racing Parts product opportunities through customer insights, competitive benchmarking, aftermarket trends, and vehicle technology developments.
• Business Case Development: Develop and manage business cases, including revenue forecasts, pricing, cost analysis, profitability, and investment requirements to support new product approvals.
• Cross-Functional Leadership: Lead Cost, Feasibility & Timing (CFT) evaluations with Engineering, Purchasing, Manufacturing, Finance, Quality, and external suppliers.
• Program Planning & Execution: Manage planning deliverables, Product Change Requests (PCR), Bill of Material (BOM) documentation, and project milestone requirements. Support successful transitions from Planning to Program Management.
• Problem Solving & Risk Management: Proactively identify and resolve business case and project challenges involving cost, timing, feasibility, quality, and supplier capacity.
• Business Performance: Support revenue, profitability, and budget objectives through product portfolio analysis, sales performance monitoring, and continuous improvement opportunities.
• Leadership & Stakeholder Engagement: Present product proposals, financial recommendations, and program updates to management while collaborating with internal organizations and global business partners.

Requirements & Tech Stack

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Engineering, Finance, Marketing, or a related field, or equivalent relevant work experience.
• Experience in product planning and product strategy.
• Ability to identify product opportunities using customer insights, competitive analysis, and market trends.
• Experience analyzing product portfolios and sales performance to support revenue and profitability objectives.
• Experience developing business cases, including revenue forecasts, pricing, cost estimates, profitability, and investment requirements.
• Ability to lead cross-functional teams through cost, feasibility, and timing evaluations.
• Experience managing product planning deliverables, project milestones, and transitions between teams.
• Ability to identify and resolve risks related to cost, timing, quality, feasibility, and supplier capacity.
• Strong communication and presentation skills, with the ability to present proposals, financial recommendations, and program updates to leadership.
• Ability to collaborate effectively with internal teams, suppliers, and global business partners.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Excel, PowerPoint, Word, and project management tools.

Qualifications

Even better, you may have:

• Automotive Technical Knowledge: General understanding of one or more vehicle systems, including:
• ICE Powertrain: Engines, crate engines, superchargers, transmissions, and driveline systems.
• Hybrid / EV: Electric motors, batteries, thermal management, and control strategies.
• Chassis & Suspension: Suspension systems, lift/lowering kits, wheels, tires, and brakes.
• Interior & Exterior: Seats, steering wheels, aerodynamic components, appearance upgrades, and vehicle personalization.
• Electrical & Software: Lighting, wiring, modules, software integration, and performance calibrations.
• Automotive Aftermarket Knowledge: Familiarity with performance parts, vehicle customization, customer preferences, competitive products, and industry trends.
• Financial & Business Planning: Experience with business case development, financial modeling, demand forecasting, pricing, and profitability analysis.
• Product & Program Management: Experience developing new products, managing multiple projects, and collaborating with cross-functional teams.
• Product Development Processes: Familiarity with Ford's Global Product Development System (GPDS) or similar automotive development processes.
• Personal Attributes: Self-motivated, proactive, commercially minded, and enthusiastic about automotive performance and customization.

The ideal candidate has sufficient technical understanding to recognize customer needs, identify attractive aftermarket opportunities, and develop financially sound product proposals.

This position is hybrid with a requirement to be onsite four or more days per week.