Materials Program Manager

About the role

Starting Base Salary Range of $105,000 to $120,000 (DOE)

Responsibilities

• Identify, evaluate, and onboard new suppliers to support new product development and strategic technology initiatives
• Lead supplier scouting activities for new materials, components, manufacturing technologies, and capacity solutions
• Conduct supplier capability assessments focused on technical competency, scalability, quality systems, financial stability, and operational readiness
• Build and maintain strategic supplier relationships during early-stage product development
• Partner with Engineering and Product teams to align supplier capabilities with product performance and design requirements
• Drive supplier selection decisions using cost, risk, quality, manufacturability, and schedule considerations
• Support design reviews, engineering change management, and manufacturing transfer activities
• Ensure supplier deliverables meet development and commercialization timelines
• Lead alignment between Engineering, Operations, Manufacturing, Quality, Finance, and suppliers
• Facilitate issue resolution related to supplier readiness, qualification, capacity, and launch execution
• Develop and communicate program status, risks, mitigation plans, and supplier performance metrics to leadership
• Influence design and sourcing decisions to improve manufacturability, scalability, and total cost
• Coordinate supplier qualification and validation activities including APQP, PPAP, FMEA, capability studies, and quality audits
• Develop sourcing contingency and dual-source strategies for critical technologies and materials
• Identify and mitigate supply continuity, geopolitical, capacity, and single-source risks
• Ensure suppliers meet compliance, sustainability, regulatory, and ethical sourcing requirements
• Support cost modeling, should-cost analysis, and commercial negotiations in partnership with Procurement or Supply Chain teams
• Provide market intelligence regarding supplier technologies, industry trends, capacity constraints, and emerging risks
• Support make-versus-buy decisions and long-range sourcing strategies for future products

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Optics, Operations, Supply Chain, Business, or related discipline
• 7+ years of experience in supplier development, sourcing, manufacturing, engineering program management, or NPI
• Experience sourcing and qualifying new suppliers for technically complex products
• Strong program and project management skills
• Experience working with Engineering, Manufacturing, Operations, and Quality organizations
• Strong analytical, communication, negotiation, and relationship-management skills
• Ability to travel domestically and internationally as required

Qualifications

• Preferred Experience in optics, aerospace, defense, industrial manufacturing, electronics, semiconductor, automotive, or medical device industries
• Knowledge of APQP, PPAP, Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, and supplier quality systems
• Experience supporting products from concept through production launch
• MBA or advanced technical degree

Skills

• Supplier development
• Sourcing
• Materials readiness
• New product introduction (NPI)
• Supplier qualification and risk management
• Program and project management
• Supplier selection
• Cost modeling
• Commercial negotiations
• Market intelligence
• Make-versus-buy decisions
• Long-range sourcing strategies

Benefits

• Affordable health and dental insurance
• Strong commitment to training and professional development including an internal skills development program for all manufacturing team members
• Generous tuition reimbursement program
• Company contributions up to 8.5% of base pay into a 401K retirement account
• Profit sharing
• Great product discounts (to name a few)

Pay

$105,000 to $120,000 DOE

Schedule

Normal office environment with occasional exposure to manufacturing environment. Expected travel will be 20%-30% (domestic and international).