Manager, Procurement (Machining)

Responsibilities

• Lead, develop, and performance-manage a team of 3–5 buyers or sourcing professionals supporting machining commodities
• Own and execute the overall commodity strategy for machining, including supply base development, sourcing plans, supplier segmentation, capacity planning, and risk mitigation
• Establish supplier selection strategies that balance speed, quality, technical capability, cost, capacity, and long-term scalability
• Act as the primary escalation point for machining supplier issues, including schedule recovery, quality concerns, commercial disputes, capacity constraints, and delivery risks
• Partner closely with Engineering, Manufacturing, Quality, Planning, Program Management, Finance, and Operations to align sourcing execution with production and program priorities
• Develop, track, and improve KPIs related to sourcing cycle time, supplier on-time delivery, cost performance, quote turnaround, quality performance, and supplier responsiveness
• Drive competitive sourcing events, RFQs/RFPs, supplier negotiations, contract execution, and long-term agreement strategies for machining spend
• Lead supplier business reviews and performance management routines to drive accountability and continuous improvement
• Identify and qualify new machining suppliers to support increasing production demand, technical complexity, and schedule requirements
• Optimize procurement and sourcing processes to improve speed, agility, data integrity, and scalability as Vast transitions from development to production
• Challenge requirements, identify cost and schedule opportunities, and partner with technical teams to improve manufacturability and sourcing outcomes
• Support make-versus-buy evaluations, supplier capacity assessments, and sourcing risk reviews for critical hardware
• Ensure supplier execution supports quality management system requirements, including AS9100, ISO9001, or equivalent aerospace manufacturing standards
• Build organizational capability through coaching, prioritization, training, and development of team members
• Provide clear visibility to senior leadership and other department leaders on supplier performance, sourcing risks, recovery plans, and commodity health
• Identify and implement scalable improvements to support company growth, production readiness, and long-term supply chain resilience

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Supply Chain, Engineering, Operations, or a related field; or equivalent relevant experience
• 7+ years of experience in procurement, sourcing, supply chain, supplier management, or a related field
• Experience sourcing machined components or managing machining suppliers in a hardware manufacturing environment
• Demonstrated experience leading teams, mentoring buyers or sourcing professionals, or managing procurement execution through others
• Experience developing commodity strategies, supplier selection plans, or sourcing strategies for complex technical commodities
• Experience negotiating pricing, terms, lead times, capacity commitments, or supplier agreements
• Experience managing supplier escalations related to delivery, quality, cost, capacity, or contractual performance
• Experience developing or managing KPIs related to supplier performance, procurement execution, sourcing cycle time, cost, or delivery
• Ability to operate effectively in a fast-paced, ambiguous, and high-growth manufacturing environment
• Strong communication skills with experience engaging technical stakeholders and senior leadership