Strategic Sourcing Manager

Aitech Defense Systems is renowned for its innovation in rugged embedded systems, designed to operate reliably in the challenging environments of military, defense, aerospace, and space applications. Founded in 1983, Aitech has a rich history of pioneering advancements such as the world’s first conduction-cooled MIL-SPEC VMEbus board and has continually evolved its product line to include state-of-the-art SBCs, GPGPU-based AI applications, and advanced cybersecurity for mission-critical systems.

Joining us means you’ll be working at the forefront of technology with projects that span across land, sea, air, and space, supporting some of the top prime contractors in the industry. This opportunity will allow you to contribute to groundbreaking projects and push the boundaries of embedded computing technology.

The Strategic Sourcing Manager ensures strategic decision-making when it comes to sourcing, in coordination with Engineering on technical requirements. They evaluate purchasing decisions on supply, outsourcing, and procurement for the organization. The Strategic Sourcing Manager develops strong supplier relationships and negotiates contracts to ensure reliability and future growth for the organization.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Creating and evaluating sourcing strategies and procedures and improving on them.
• Alignment of sourcing strategy with business and program goals.
• Analysis and calculation of strategies for cost reduction.
• Analysis of spending by supplier and commodity categories.
• Analysis of global and regional supplier markets for emerging trends.
• Identify potential new suppliers and evaluate their market positioning, scalability, and any potential business constraints.
• Align RFI and RFP processes to Aitech’s supplier selection criteria.
• Provide risk assessments including potential supply disruptions, geopolitical instability, and compliance risks.
• Develop contingency plans and diversify supplier base to minimize single source dependency.
• Look beyond just purchase price to evaluate lifecycle costs (freight, duties, maintenance, and downtime). Factor in operational efficiency, reliability, and lead times.
• Negotiate contracts with suppliers consisting of favorable terms on pricing, warranty, etc. Include clauses for performance monitoring, penalties, and dispute resolution.
• Partner with Quality to regularly assess supplier performance and monitor KPI’s.
• Maintaining supplier relationships and developing stronger partnerships with them.

Education/Experience:

• Bachelor’s Degree in Business, Supply Chain, or a related field or equivalent experience
• At least 10 years of procurement experience in Aerospace and Defense.
• APICS or ISM certification a plus
• Prior or current security clearance a plus
• Must be well-versed in ITAR regulations
• QAD experience a plus

Minimum Requirements:

• In depth knowledge of MRP and ERP Systems.
• Candidates must have a sense of urgency, excellent organizational skills, and attention to detail.
• Clear vision of sourcing strategies and their alignment to organizational goals and objectives.
• Strong communication and collaboration skills for the building and maintaining of positive relationships with internal and external stakeholders.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills for dealing with complex sourcing scenarios.
• Technical and functional knowledge and skills when it comes to sourcing, especially within their industry.
• Innovative thinking and creativity skills to find better ways of sourcing goods and services.
• Strong leadership and communication skills.
• Excellent collaboration and negotiation skills.
• Organizational and time management skills.
• Ability to lead a cross-functional team in various kinds of sourcing projects.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office Excel, knowledge of JIRA a plus.

The expected annual salary range for this role is $110,000 - $140,000 a year.

Please note the salary information shown above is a general guideline only. Salaries are based upon candidate skills, experience, and qualifications, as well as market and business considerations.