Supply Chain Specialist

Responsibilities:

• Execute and manage purchase orders (POs) for mechanical parts, electronic components, PCBs, and custom assemblies; track orders from placement to delivery and proactively expedite parts to prevent production delays.
• Manage daily vendor communications regarding pricing, lead times, and delivery schedules, and maintain accurate, up-to-date records of this data.
• Monitor and manage inventory levels to balance production demands with working capital targets.
• Coordinate inbound logistics and resolve shipping, customs, or receiving discrepancies.
• Evaluate potential and active suppliers based on cost, capacity, reliability, and technological capabilities; conduct supplier scorecards and performance reviews.
• Identify and qualify additional sources for critical components to build a resilient, multi-sourced supply chain, including supporting new product introduction (NPI) as products move from R&D into full-scale production.
• Collaborate with Quality and Engineering to ensure incoming materials meet aerospace and robotics specifications; manage NCMRs and drive CAPAs with suppliers to resolve issues at the root cause.
• Serve as the primary liaison between external suppliers and internal cross-functional teams (R&D, Hardware Engineering, Production, and Finance).
• Ensure supply chain decisions and suppliers support company and customer compliance requirements (e.g., NDAA, Blue UAS).
• Identify opportunities for process improvement, cost reduction, and efficiency gains across the procurement cycle.

Required Qualifications:

• 3+ years of experience in procurement, purchasing, or supply chain roles within a hardware manufacturing environment (aerospace, robotics, or electronics strongly preferred).
• Hands-on experience placing and managing purchase orders for electronic components, PCBs and PCB assemblies, machined and fabricated parts, and custom assemblies.
• Ability to read and interpret engineering documentation, including bills of materials, drawings, and specifications, well enough to communicate requirements clearly to vendors.
• Familiarity with incoming quality processes such as receiving inspection, non-conforming material reports (NCMRs), and corrective and preventive actions (CAPAs), including counterfeit part avoidance and component traceability practices common to aerospace supply chains.
• Strong negotiation and vendor communication skills, with the follow-through to expedite critical parts under schedule pressure.
• Organized and self-directed, comfortable owning the full procurement cycle on a small team.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience with NDAA compliant sourcing, Blue UAS requirements, export controlled (ITAR/EAR) hardware handling, or broader defense and government supply chain compliance.
• Experience with international logistics, customs clearance, and HTS classification.
• Experience in low-volume, high-mix manufacturing environments where flexibility matters as much as unit cost.