Department: Supply Chain & Operations
Reports to: Vice President of Operations
Location: Scotts Valley, CA or Remote (United States)
The Director of Procurement & Strategic Sourcing is a leadership role responsible for shaping and executing Universal Audio's global sourcing strategy, supplier ecosystem, and material availability. This position transitions tactical material management into a strategic sourcing engine, optimizing total cost of ownership (TCO), supplier performance, and supply chain resilience to support growth goals. You will lead supplier negotiations, new product introduction, procurement integration, inventory policy optimization, and cross-functional S&OP alignment with Engineering, Finance, and Operations.
We are open to candidates in the United States. Candidates located in commutable distance to our HQ, Scotts Valley, CA are a plus.
Responsibilities Strategic Sourcing & Category Management- Develop and execute multi-year sourcing strategies across direct electronics, electro-mechanical components, and key Contract Manufacturers (CMs/JCMs).
- Direct cost-reduction initiatives through volume leverage, dual-sourcing roadmaps, yield optimization, and should-cost modeling.
- Lead contract negotiation and lifecycle management for master service agreements (MSAs), pricing, capacity reservations, and lead-time SLAs.
- Conduct supplier risk assessments, capacity modeling, and contingency planning to ensure business continuity.
Supply Planning & Inventory Strategy- Partner with Sales, Finance, and Operations on S&OP to translate long-range demand forecasts into execution-ready supply plans.
- Establish inventory policies across the global warehouse and CM network, balancing inventory turns, buffer stock, and material availability.
- Oversee material flows throughout the product lifecycle, managing Engineering Change Orders (ECO) and End-of-Life (EOL) excess & obsolescence (E&O) risk.
Cross-Functional Collaboration & New Product Introduction (NPI) Support- Collaborate with R&D and Engineering during NPI to drive Design for Manufacturability/Cost (DFM/DFC), supplier selection, and early ramp availability.
- Align procurement, production, and warehouse teams to standardize material handling, receiving, and inventory control protocols.
- Define and measure supplier scorecard KPIs (On-Time In-Full, Quality/Yield, Cost Variance, and Lead Time compliance).
Leadership & Organizational Development- Build, mentor, and scale a high-performing sourcing, procurement, and materials planning team.
- Drive process maturation, leveraging ERP/MRP tools (NetSuite) to automate replenishment, purchase order workflows, and exception reporting.
Qualifications- Leadership: 4+ years in a senior management or director-level role leading strategic sourcing and material planning teams.
- Technical Expertise: Advanced proficiency with ERP/MRP systems (e.g., NetSuite, SAP) and PLM software (e.g., Arena).
- Skills: Strong contract law knowledge, advanced financial/analytical modeling skills, and demonstrated success managing Contract Manufacturers (CMs/ODMs) globally.
Education/Experience- 10+ years of progressive procurement, strategic sourcing, and supply chain management experience within high-tech hardware, audio electronics, or consumer electronics manufacturing.
- Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain Management, Business, Engineering, or equivalent; MBA or APICS/CPIM certification preferred.
UA Salary Range of Pay: $150,000 - $170,000/year
Base salary pay will be based on the cost of labor for the city/state in which the new hire resides, at the time of hire.
UA offers competitive benefits: Profit sharing, Medical/Dental/Vision, 401K Safe Harbor Contribution, Stock Options, Flexible time-off (PTO/Sick Leave/Company Holiday Time-off), etc.
