Senior Buyer/Planner

Pyka · Alameda, CA · Yesterday

On-sitePurchasing$96k–$120k/yrFull-time

About Pyka

Pyka’s goal is to provide society with a new form of safe, clean, and cost-effective transportation enabled by autonomous electric aviation. They apply their technologies to industries where autonomous electric aircraft can be useful, starting with the highest value and most dangerous jobs. They design, develop, and manufacture an ecosystem of technologies including proprietary flight control software, avionics, high power density motors, motor controllers, batteries, and custom carbon-fiber composite airframes. Today, they supply autonomous electric aircraft for cargo transport and crop protection to real-world customers across four separate continents and have secured industry-first regulatory approvals from the FAA.

About Role

Pyka is seeking a talented Supply Planner/Buyer to join their team as they revolutionize autonomous electric aircraft. Your expertise will play a critical role in ensuring that all of Pyka’s teams, from Production through Flight Operations, have the parts, assemblies, and tools that they need in order to build, test, and iterate. You will play a critical role in improving the agility and sustainability of Pyka’s Supply Chain, Logistics, and Manufacturing processes.

Responsibilities

Manage the full procurement lifecycle, from timely order placement and payment to ensuring the delivery of critical parts, assemblies, and supplies for all internal teams (R&D, Flight Operations, Manufacturing, Facilities, and Software) using established payment accounts.
Act as the primary point of contact for external vendors, fostering strong working relationships and proactively communicating to resolve complex supply chain issues, delivery discrepancies, and quality concerns in partnership with internal stakeholders.
Maintain the integrity and accuracy of the ERP systems and master data by ensuring all critical data, including part costs, shipment details, confirmed arrival/delivery dates, quotes, POs, invoices, vendor contacts, certifications, and performance metrics, are consistently linked and up-to-date.
Manage supply chain impact for engineering changes, minimizing scrap/rework costs and aligning component phase-in/phase-out dates across the shop floor.
Conduct strategic market research and execute Request for Quotations (RFQs) to secure competitive pricing and favorable terms for all critical and high-value components and equipment.
Proactively provide clear and regular communication to internal stakeholders (including Production, Engineering, and Finance) on the status of high-priority orders, potential supply chain risks, and cost changes to facilitate effective departmental planning.
Own the alignment between production schedules and material availability by regularly analyzing MRP signals, establishing safety stock parameters, reorder points, and economic order quantities.
Identify single-source supply vulnerabilities across critical components and establish robust dual-sourcing and stocking strategies to eliminate single points of failure.

Preferred Qualifications

3-5 years of experience in Manufacturing/Production, Inventory, or Supply Chain, ideally with a focus on Procurement
Experience with vendor selection and optimization
Experience with Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems, especially Odoo
Understanding of engineering BOMs and product structures
Experience in aviation
Extremely high attention to detail, strong multitasking and organizational skills
Ability to prioritize multiple competing tasks
Customer oriented with strong presentation skills
Impeccable communication skills, including speed of responsiveness and ability to clarify and condense complex information

Compensation & Benefits

$96,000–$120,000 per year base salary + equity
Employer-sponsored health, dental and vision insurance
FSA with employer matching
401(k)
Paid holidays, generous PTO, and additional unpaid time off
Voluntary short-term disability, long-term disability, and life insurance
Pre-tax commuter benefits
Free catered lunch and plenty of snacks

Company Policies

Export Control Requirements: This position requires access to technology, software, and other information that is subject to governmental access control restrictions, due to export controls. Employment in this position is conditioned on the continued availability of government authorization to authorize release of such items, to the extent required, including without limitation an export license, or other documentation required to establish authorization to receive access to such items.