Supply Chain & Contract Manufacturing Manager

Position Summary

Sapphire Technologies is seeking a Supply Chain & Contract Manufacturing Manager to build and lead the supply network for advanced high-speed rotating machinery serving energy and data-center infrastructure applications.

About the Role

Develop a global supply chain for technically complex products involving precision machining, castings, rotors, motors, magnetic bearings, power electronics, PCB assemblies, sensors, and custom electromechanical assemblies.

Why Join Sapphire

Impact Directly influence product cost, quality, delivery, manufacturability, and Sapphire’s ability to execute a major production scale-up supporting rapidly growing data-center infrastructure.

Requirements

• What Success Looks Like in the First 90 Days:
  • Establish Supply Chain Control
  • Develop the sourcing and contract-manufacturing strategy for prototype, validation, and production builds.
  • Map the bill of materials, suppliers, lead times, tooling needs, capacity constraints, and single-source risks.
  • Create a costed BOM baseline and identify the highest-value cost-reduction opportunities.
  • Implement clear reporting for material readiness, supplier risk, cost, quality, and delivery.
• First 180 Days:
  • Select, qualify, and onboard contract-manufacturing and critical-component suppliers.
  • Secure materials, tooling, capacity, and supplier commitments for production-intent builds.
  • Lead supplier and CM readiness reviews covering quality, process capability, capacity, delivery, and change control.
  • Negotiate commercial terms and establish recovery plans for delivery, cost, or quality gaps.
  • Support pilot builds, and resolution of supplier-related issues.
• First Year:
  • Enable Production Scale-Up
  • Establish a scalable contract-manufacturing and supplier network capable of supporting rapid growth.
  • Implement CM and supplier scorecards covering delivery, quality, yield, scrap, cost, inventory, and capacity.
  • Execute cost-reduction, dual-source, and supplier-development roadmaps.
  • Establish production planning, inventory, logistics, and capacity-expansion processes.
  • Support product launch and create a forward plan for continued scale-up.

Core Responsibilities

• Lead contract-manufacturer selection, qualification, onboarding, launch, and performance management.
• Develop sourcing strategies for precision machined parts, castings, rotating assemblies, motors, magnetic-bearing components, power electronics, PCBAs, sensors, and custom assemblies.
• Own commercial negotiations, long-term agreements, tooling investments, and supplier capacity commitments.
• Build should-cost models and lead value engineering, cost reduction, and make-versus-buy analyses.
• Partner with engineering to drive DFM, DFA, component standardization, and supply-chain readiness before design release.
• Coordinate material readiness for prototype, validation, certification, pilot, and production builds.
• Partner with quality to establish supplier qualification, inspection, corrective-action, and change-control requirements.
• Develop dual-source and continuity plans for critical components and technologies.
• Monitor supplier and CM performance and lead recovery efforts when quality, cost, or delivery objectives are missed.
• Establish forecasting, inventory, safety-stock, logistics, and production-capacity plans.
• Provide leadership with clear reporting on supply readiness, cost, capacity, risk, and corrective actions.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Supply Chain, Operations, Business, or a related discipline.
• Eight or more years of experience in supply chain, procurement, manufacturing, or operations.
• Demonstrated experience selecting and managing contract manufacturers.
• Experience launching and scaling complex electromechanical or industrial products.
• Strong knowledge of BOM management, ERP/MRP systems, strategic sourcing, supplier qualification, capacity planning, inventory management, and cost modeling.
• Experience negotiating supplier, tooling, and manufacturing agreements.
• Proven ability to manage global suppliers and lead cross-functional execution.
• Strong commercial judgment, communication, and problem-solving skills.

Preferred Experience

• High-speed rotating machinery, compressors, motors, industrial equipment, HVAC, or data-center cooling.
• Power electronics, PCB assemblies, sensors, and control hardware.
• Precision castings, machining, rotor assemblies, and electric-machine manufacturing.
• New-product introduction and rapid production scale-up.
• Contract-manufacturer transfer and production-line launch.
• Supplier audits, process-capability reviews, and ISO 9001 quality systems.
• International sourcing and logistics.
• APICS CPIM or CSCP certification; MBA is beneficial.

Leadership Attributes

• Strong ownership and accountability.
• Critical thinking and commercial judgment.
• Bias for execution and early risk identification.
• Ability to influence suppliers and internal teams without direct authority.
• Comfort operating in a fast-moving and evolving program.
• Clear, candid, and data-driven communication.
• Commitment to building long-term supplier partnerships.

Benefits

• Competitive benefits package including paid vacation, paid sick time, comprehensive health benefits, and a 401(k) retirement plan with company match.