Principal Strategic Sourcing

Vast is looking for a Principal Strategic Sourcing to the Senior Director of Supply Chain to lead complex sourcing and supply chain strategies supporting the development and production of human-rated space systems.

The Principal Strategic Sourcing Manager will serve as a senior individual contributor and subject matter expert within Supply Chain, owning high-impact sourcing strategies, solving complex supplier and program challenges, and influencing cross-functional decisions across Engineering, Manufacturing, Quality, and Program teams. This role requires the ability to operate independently in a fast-paced NPI environment, develop solutions where established processes may not yet exist, and create scalable strategies that improve the broader organization.

This will be a full-time, exempt position located in our Long Beach location.

Responsibilities:

• Own category strategies for critical hardware, balancing cost, speed, quality, and risk
• Lead high-stakes sourcing events end to end, including negotiating long-term agreements, capacity reservations, and rate-ramp commitments with executive-level supplier counterparts
• Build should-cost and total-cost-of-ownership models that capture tooling, NRE, qualification, and yield, not just unit price
• Work with Engineering early on make-vs-buy, design-to-cost, and design-for-manufacturability decisions
• Find, qualify, and develop new suppliers, including non-traditional and commercial suppliers, to reduce single-source risk and add capacity
• Keep sourcing and contract flow-downs compliant with ITAR/EAR, AS9100, and customer requirements
• Mentor and train sourcing managers, buyers, and analysts through deal reviews, coaching, and workshops, and help build the playbooks and tools we scale on

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Supply Chain, Engineering, or a related field
• 7+ years of progressive experience in strategic sourcing, procurement, or supply chain in aerospace, space, defense, or another high-complexity manufacturing environment
• Proven record of delivering significant cost, schedule, and risk-reduction results on complex, high-spend categories
• Advanced negotiation skills, including with sole-source and strategic suppliers at the executive level
• Strong analytical skills, including spend analysis, TCO, and should-cost modeling
• Experience negotiating and managing long-term agreements, commercial terms, and supplier contracts
• Working knowledge of AS9100 and ITAR/EAR as they apply to sourcing and supplier management
• Demonstrated experience mentoring, coaching, or training colleagues
• Strong communication and cross-functional influence skills, with the ability to work closely with Engineering, Manufacturing, Quality, Finance, and Legal
• Comfort operating quickly with incomplete information and changing requirements

Preferred Skills & Experience:

• Experience sourcing prototype, development, and production machined hardware in an NPI environment
• Experience with value engineering, should-cost analysis, supplier development, and supply base optimization
• Experience influencing engineering, manufacturing, and executive stakeholders without direct authority
• Proficiency with ERP systems, RFQs/RFPs, and supplier contract management
• Excellent communication, organizational, and problem-solving skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities

Additional Requirements:

• Ability to travel up to 20% of the time
• Willingness to work evenings and/or weekends to support critical mission milestones

Pay Range: California

$177,120-$251,424 USD

We calibrate level and compensation to the selected candidate's experience and demonstrated capability. We welcome applicants across a range of experience levels to apply.

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS
Base salary will vary depending on job-related knowledge, education, skills, experience, business needs, and market demand. Salary is just one component of our comprehensive compensation package. Full-time employees also receive company equity, as well as access to a full suite of compelling benefits and perks, including: medical, dental, and vision coverage for employees and dependents, generous paid time off; up to 20+ days of vacation for exempt staff and up to 10+ days of vacation for non-exempt staff with the ability to cash-out unused vacation annually, paid parental leave, short and long-term disability insurance, life insurance, access to a 401(k) retirement plan, ClassPass credits, personalized mental healthcare through Spring Health, and other discounts and perks. We also take pride in offering exceptional food perks, with snacks, drip coffee & onsite barista, cold drinks, and dinner meals remaining free of charge, and lunch subsidized as part of Vast's ongoing commitment to providing high-quality meals for employees.