Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Supply Chain Management, or related field; Master's degree or certifications preferred.
7+ years of experience in procurement, supply chain, or supplier management.
5+ years of hands-on technical sourcing or supplier development experience in manufacturing.
Proven track record of qualifying new suppliers and managing corrective actions.
Experience with external manufacturing partners and strong supplier relationship management skills.
Familiarity with machining, fabrication, welding, and other manufacturing processes.
Strong communication and problem-solving skills, with a focus on cross-functional collaboration.
Responsibilities
Identify, evaluate, and qualify new suppliers based on manufacturing capabilities and performance criteria.
Lead supplier onboarding and development to meet quality and delivery expectations.
Manage purchase orders and resolve supplier-side issues proactively to avoid schedule impacts.
Collaborate with Engineering to address technical supplier issues and escalate critical concerns.
Conduct supplier performance assessments and hold suppliers accountable to standards.
Oversee relationships with external manufacturing partners and coordinate complex production routes.
Champion continuous improvement initiatives in sourcing and supplier quality processes.
Benefits
Full Medical, Dental, and Vision coverage with HSA Employer Contributions for eligible plans.
On-site amenities including a full gym, coffee bars, and free EV charging stations.
401k with profit sharing and advisory services.
Company-sponsored life insurance and employee assistance programs.
Generous paid time off, holidays, and an anniversary holiday.
Full Job Description
You own engineering-led supplier strategy for our most complex, highest-impact programs-architecting supply chain excellence, mentoring sourcing talent, and resolving critical manufacturing challenges that directly drive competitive advantage. As the Senior Supplier Development Specialist, you bridge Engineering and Procurement at a strategic level, leveraging deep technical expertise to unlock supplier innovation, accelerate program execution, and align capabilities with our most ambitious quality, cost, delivery, and design objectives.
How you will make an impact:
The Senior Supplier Development Specialist owns the supplier-facing side of sourcing and order execution. This role identifies, qualifies, and develops suppliers; manages supplier relationships and performance; and coordinates cross-functionally with Engineering, Quality, and Production to keep orders moving and resolve supplier-side issues before they impact schedule. The role acts as the quality gatekeeper for the supplier base and partners with Engineering on manufacturability, specification, and supplier-capability questions.
Identify, evaluate, vet, and qualify new suppliers across diverse manufacturing capabilities (machining, fabrication, welding, finishing, plastics processing, raw material supply) against cost, capacity, quality, and reliability criteria.
Establish supplier capability profiles and performance benchmarks.
Lead supplier onboarding and development programs to align new suppliers with company quality expectations, documentation requirements, and delivery commitments from initiation.
Conduct supplier site visits, capability assessments, and risk evaluations covering manufacturing processes, quality systems, capacity, and financial stability.
Order Execution & Issue Resolution:
Serve as the primary point of contact for orders moving through production/ Manage purchase order through delivery, monitor quality, cost, and schedule performance, and resolve supplier-side issues (delays, nonconformances, capacity constraints) before they impact schedule.
Partner with Engineering to resolve technical or specification-related supplier issues, translating between supplier constraints and engineering requirements. Escalate design-critical or customer impacting issues to Engineering.
Lead first article review with Engineering, Quality, and Production; drive root-cause discussion and track corrective actions for fit, finish, and performance issues.
Coordinate with production planning to align supplier commitments with build schedules and communicate project priorities to suppliers so the highest-priority items receive appropriate focus and resources.
Supplier Performance & Accountability:
Hold suppliers accountable to established quality and delivery standards and cost objectives.
Track, assess, and communicate supplier risks including long lead times, capacity constraints, sole-source exposure, quality concerns, financial stability, cost escalation, and performance trends.
Document supplier performance trends and bring recurring issues to Engineering/Quality leadership for systemic fixes.
Maintain comprehensive and accurate supplier information in procurement and ERP systems, including capability profiles, performance metrics, lead-time data, and quality history.
External Manufacturing Management:
Manage supplier relationships with outside machine shops, fabrication shops, welding and finishing vendors, plastics processors, and other contract manufacturing partners across prototypes, tools, fixtures, and complex externally manufactured assemblies.
Orchestrate complex outsourced manufacturing routes involving multiple suppliers and process handoffs; sequence cut, machine, fabricate, weld, finish, inspect, and delivery steps to meet schedule and quality requirements.
Coordinate RFQ activities for externally manufactured items: select suppliers to quote, collect quotes, compare pricing and lead-times, and recommend awards, in partnership with Procurement and Engineering.
Manage day-to-day supplier communication, quote follow-up, and outsourced manufacturing coordination with outside machine shops.
Own standardization of supplier paths and preferred sourcing approaches for external manufacturing partners; drive repeatability through routing standardization and documentation requirements.
Relationship Management & Continuous Improvement:
Build and maintain strong relationships with key suppliers to improve responsiveness, drive collaboration, and flag risk early.
Champion continuous improvement in sourcing and supplier-quality processes; identify and implement process improvements and best practices.
Monitor industry trends, supplier capacity, and supply chain developments; bring relevant intelligence to sourcing and quality decisions.
Mentor junior team members on supplier management and quality best practices.
The skills and experience you'll need:
The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required to successfully function in this position. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Supply Chain Management, or a related field is required. Master's degree or certifications in ASQ or Technology Management strongly preferred.
7+ years of progressive experience in procurement, supply chain, supplier management or related engineering/manufacturing environments.
5+ years of hands-on technical sourcing, supplier coordination, or supplier development experience in a manufacturing or engineering environment.
Demonstrated track record of qualifying new suppliers and managing supplier corrective action processes.
Demonstrated experience working with machine shops, fabrication shops, contract manufacturers, and other external manufacturing partners; track record of successful supplier relationships and supplier development.
Working familiarity with common outside-manufacturing processes (machining, fabrication, welding, finishing, plastics processing) sufficient to support technical design and manufacturing decisions alongside Engineering, and to coordinate scope, sequencing, and delivery across multiple vendors.
Working knowledge of quality systems (nonconformance processes, CAPA, supplier scorecards); ASQ or CQE-adjacent experience a plus but not required.
Strong cross-functional communication skills; comfortable serving as the bridge between vendors, Engineering, and Production without needing to own technical decisions personally.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills; demonstrated ability to translate technical requirements, design intent, and quality expectations clearly to diverse audiences including engineers, suppliers, and leadership.
Strong problem-solving, negotiation, and relationship-management skills; track record of building and maintaining productive long-term supplier relationships.
Demonstrated leadership ability with cross-functional teams; experience mentoring or developing junior team members.
Excellent organizational skills and demonstrated ability to manage multiple suppliers, concurrent projects, technical issues, and competing priorities in a fast-paced, complex environment.
Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite and ERP systems. Experience with sourcing tools, procurement systems, or supplier quality management systems preferred.
Advanced experience with supplier audits, supplier performance evaluations, first article review, supplier issue resolution, and supplier development programs.
Experience with supply chain risk assessment, sole-source risk mitigation, capacity planning, and supplier financial analysis preferred.
Project management experience, especially managing complex externally manufactured products or large capex builds, is a plus.
This is an on-site role based out of our headquarters in Camarillo, CA.
Don't meet every single requirement? Apply anyway.
What we can offer you:
Full Medical, Dental and Vision coverage with HSA Employer Contributions for eligible plans
Additional Perks- HQ Onsite Full Gym, Ultramodern Coffee Bars, Free EV Charging Stations, Employee Discounts
401k, Profit Sharing, 401k Advisory Services
Company Sponsored Life Insurance
Employee Assistance Program
Paid Time Off, Paid Holidays, Anniversary Holiday
Ready to make an impact? Let's talk.
US BASE PAY SCALE $119,700 - $151,200
The base pay scale for this role is what Meissner reasonably expects to pay for the position although actual pay may vary from this scale depending on an applicant's experience.
