About This RoleAs a Supply Chain Manager (also known as Buyer/Planner/Commodity Manager/Sourcing Manager), you will play a critical role in ensuring the seamless planning and procurement of high-quality space systems components. In this fast-paced, dynamic environment, you'll work closely with engineering, production, and quality teams to source, evaluate, and manage suppliers of specified commodities used in spacecraft assembly, propulsion systems, and other space hardware.
You will be responsible for managing the end-to-end planning and procurement process-from identifying quantities, potential suppliers, negotiating contracts, and ensuring on-time deliveries. As Varda continues to innovate and expand, your ability to source parts that adhere to strict performance and reliability criteria will directly contribute to the success of our mission to bring space-based manufacturing into the next era.
Responsibilities- Send RFQs, place POs, run open order report meetings with key suppliers.
- Develop understanding of supplier capacity, lead times, and cost trends
- Work closely with supply chain engineering to develop a preferred supplier network to minimize cost and lead time
- Work closely with design engineering teams to understand upcoming design releases and part changes
- Build strong relationships with suppliers and negotiate pricing and lead times to meet mission milestones
- Identify part supply constraints that may impact production schedule and create mitigation plans
- Maintain part and planning master data to accurately reflect lead-times and stock levels
- Support purchasing of various commodities and inventory operations as needed
Basic Qualifications- 5+ years of experience in supply chain management
- Bachelor's degree in the field of Supply Chain, Engineering, Business, or Finance
- Experience translating engineering designs into demand and supply plans
- Extensive experience using MES/ERP software
- Highly effective relationship building skills, and the ability to interact and work effectively with many levels of employees and suppliers
- Willingness to travel up to 50% of the time
Preferred Qualifications- Strong knowledge of one or more of the following commodities: plastics machining, mechanisms, or propulsion
- Highly adept understanding of common manufacturing processes and machines including mills, lathes, waterjet, laser cutters, sheet metal fabrication, etc
Pay Range- Salary range: $125,000 - $169,000/per year
- Leveling and base salary is determined by job-related skills, education level, experience level, and job performance
- You will be eligible for incentives in the form of stock options and/or long-term cash awards
- This role is on-sitein El Segundo, CA
ITAR Requirements- Varda, like all employers, must ensure that its employees working in the United States are lawfully authorized to work in the U.S. Additionally, our employees are exposed to and have access to certain export-controlled items. At present, some of our technology to which employees have access requires a license to be exported to individuals other than "U.S. Persons" as defined in U.S. export regulations. Because our employees are provided access to export-controlled items, our current policy is to only hire "U.S. persons" who are permitted to have access to our technology without an export license.
"US person" means: U.S. citizen, U.S. lawful permanent resident, or protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3) (i.e., individual admitted to the U.S. as a refugee or granted asylum in the U.S.)
Learn more about the ITAR here.
Benefits- Exciting team of professionals at the top of their field working by your side
- Equity in a fully funded space startup with potential for significant growth (interns excluded)
- 401(k) matching (interns excluded)
- Unlimited PTO (interns excluded)
- Health insurance, including Vision and Dental
- Lunch and snacks provided on site every day. Dinners provided twice a week.
- Maternity / Paternity leave (interns excluded)
