The RoleYou are our first Head of Supply Chain, reporting to the CTO. Your mandate: the supply base never limits how fast we build and deploy robots.
You'll build the function from the ground up (the team, the supplier base, the planning engine and the tools) and run it on data and engineering judgment, not spreadsheets. You'll build strong relationships and partnerships with our suppliers so they grow as we grow, sit at the table from first CAD, and drive cost down initatives.
What you'll ownSourcing and the Asia supply base- Set commodity strategy across mechanical, electrical and electronic components
- Eliminate single sources on critical components. Qualify second sources in Asia and onshore where it makes sense
- Develop suppliers into partners that add capacity and grow with us
- Select and manage contract manufacturers
- Negotiate contracts, pricing and capacity, and drive BOM cost down every quarter
Procurement and planning- Own purchasing end to end
- Turn the build plan into a supply plan: MRP, long-lead buys, safety stock and clear-to-build
- Own supply chain's role in the ECO process: cost, lead-time and inventory impact, cut-ins and supplier notifications
- Own the supply chain systems and decide what we build, buy or automate next
Logistics and trade- Inbound freight from Asia and outbound shipping to customers in the US and Canada
- Customs, tariffs, landed cost and hazmat compliance
- 3PL partners
How you'll work- Inside NPI, at the table from first CAD, not handed a frozen BOM
- No silos with Engineering, Manufacturing or Quality
- Build your own tools to track supplier risk, lead time and cost in real time
The two systems you'll buildYou'll build these with your team and run the supply chain on them.
1. Line-down prevention: the line never stops for a part- One live view from deployment schedule to dock: build plan, BOM, inventory, open POs and supplier capacity
- Early warning on shortages, with an owner and recovery plan
- Supplier health scoring and automatic expedite, buffer and second-source triggers
2. Cost-down engine: cost goes down every quarter by design- Should-cost models and true landed cost, so we negotiate from facts
- A savings pipeline tracked from idea to realized savings
- Cost and sourcing risk fed back into design early
What success looks like in year one- 90 days: Supply base mapped by commodity, with risk, lead time and capacity for every critical part. Team hired or in flight
- 6 months: Second sources shipping for our highest-risk components. Supply base ready for our second product line
- 12 months: No supplier limits a build at target rate. BOM cost on a committed downward path. Supply plan, scorecards and cost tracked live
Your teamYou'll inherit a small, hands-on group and build the rest: supplier development and engineering in the US and China, contract manufacturing, electronics sourcing, purchasing, planning and logistics.
We run a lean core and scale with contractors. You decide the shape.
Who you are- You've taken a hardware supply chain from startup to volume production, ideally in robotics or complex electromechanical systems
- You know electromechanical commodities, from fabricated and cast parts to electronics, motion and power
- You've developed suppliers in Asia in person and can tell one that can scale from one that can't
- You've managed contract manufacturers and taken real cost out through negotiation and design changes
- You've led NPI sourcing from early design through ramp
- You build and lead teams, and still get your hands dirty
- You negotiate hard and keep the relationship
- You're technical enough to challenge engineers on design-for-supply
- You're able to travel internationally, about 25% of the time
Strong signals- You've stood up ERP/MRP or supply chain tooling from nothing, and know when not to
- You've moved work to contract manufacturers and made it stick
- You've worked across US, Canada and Asia operations
This role is not for you if- You need established processes and a large team to be effective
- You think supply chain starts when Engineering releases the BOM
Benefits- Fully employer-covered health insurance, so you're protected without the premium.
- A managed 401(k) to help you plan for the future.
- Generous time off: unlimited PTO and all federal holidays off.
- Regular in-office meals and team social events throughout the year.
$220,000 - $280,000 a year
How we hireWe care more about what you've built than years or titles. In interviews you'll walk us through a supply base you built, a supplier you turned around and a negotiation you won.
Compensation$220,000 to $280,000 base, depending on experience, plus equity. On-site in Watertown, MA.
