Purchasing Specialist

Purchasing Specialist

Star Catcher is seeking a proactive, sharp, and highly organized individual to manage our procurement workflows. The Purchasing Specialist will handle the daily lifecycle of an order, build and maintain professional relationships with suppliers, and ensure everything arrives on time and within budget.

• Purchasing Execution: Create Purchase Orders (POs), submit them to vendors, and track every shipment until it is physically received and verified at our facility.
• Vendor Management: Build and maintain professional relationships with suppliers; negotiate basic terms, request formal quotes, and hold vendors accountable to delivery dates.
• Lead Time Tracking: Proactively monitor order statuses and alert engineering and leadership of any potential delays that could impact project timelines.
• Financial Accuracy: Reconcile invoices with packing slips and POs to ensure we are billed correctly before passing documentation to the finance team.
• Inventory Oversight: Work closely with the operations team to monitor stock levels and trigger re-orders for mission-critical supplies before they run out.
• Process Improvement: Develop and refine digital filing systems and workflows to make the purchasing process more efficient as the company scales.

Minimum Qualifications

• 1–2 years of experience in a role involving purchasing, inventory management, logistics, or high-volume administrative coordination.
• Strong Negotiation & Math Skills: Ability to compare complex quotes and ensure unit pricing and shipping costs align with our budget.
• Excellent Communication: Professional and assertive communication style for navigating vendor delays and internal team requests.
• Extreme Attention to Detail: A "double-check everything" mindset, particularly when dealing with technical part numbers and quantities.
• Time Management: Ability to prioritize urgent "hot" orders while maintaining steady progress on long-lead-time items.
• Resourcefulness: A knack for finding hard-to-reach parts or alternative suppliers when a standard vendor is out of stock.
• Passion for Space: A desire to contribute to the success of an aerospace company and learn the technical side of the industry.

Ideal Experience

• Bachelor's degree in related field
• Proficiency in Google Workspace (Drive, Docs, Sheets) or Microsoft 365 for tracking orders, managing contracts, and setting follow-up reminders
• Experience using Slack or similar platforms for real-time internal coordination and status reporting
• Ability to use Excel or Google Sheets to create trackers, compare vendor pricing, and run basic spend reports
• Comfort with ambiguity and the ability to build processes from scratch rather than just following a manual
• Basic understanding of shipping terms (e.g., freight, lead times, and customs)

Benefits

We offer a highly competitive benefits package including access to comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage, 401(k) retirement plan, life insurance, and paid parental leave, in addition to other benefits. Star Catcher is an Equal Opportunity Employer; employment with Star Catcher is governed on the basis of merit, competence and qualifications and will not be influenced in any manner by race, color, religion, gender, national origin/ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, mental or physical disability or any other legally protected status. All offers of employment at Star Catcher are contingent upon results of a thorough background check and your ability to provide proof of eligibility to work in the US.

Equal Opportunity Employer

Star Catcher is an Equal Opportunity Employer; employment with Star Catcher is governed on the basis of merit, competence and qualifications and will not be influenced in any manner by race, color, religion, gender, national origin/ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, mental or physical disability or any other legally protected status. All offers of employment at Star Catcher are contingent upon results of a thorough background check and your ability to provide proof of eligibility to work in the US.

Background Check

To conform to U.S. Government space technology export regulations, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), you must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S., protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State.