Senior Buyer & Strategic Sourcing Specialist

Accountabilities:

• Own the end-to-end purchasing process for hardware, components, materials, and other operational requirements, from requisition through delivery.
• Source, evaluate, negotiate with, and manage suppliers to optimize cost, quality, lead times, availability, and commercial terms.
• Lead RFP and RFQ processes for strategic sourcing, major components, contract manufacturing, and other procurement requirements.
• Negotiate pricing, payment terms, minimum order quantities, lead times, and other supplier agreements.
• Manage purchase orders, order confirmations, delivery schedules, expedites, and supplier follow-up.
• Partner with Engineering, Program, and Production teams to understand bills of materials, production schedules, engineering changes, and upcoming material requirements.
• Support new product introductions by incorporating sourcing and material requirements early in the development process.
• Proactively identify supply constraints, long-lead items, component obsolescence, and supplier risks before they affect programs or customer delivery.
• Manage DMSMS and component obsolescence risks through mitigation strategies such as alternative sourcing and lifetime buys.
• Monitor inventory requirements and purchasing trends to improve material availability while minimizing excess and obsolete inventory.
• Track key supply chain metrics, including supplier performance, lead times, on-time delivery, purchase price variance, and material availability.
• Partner with Finance to ensure purchasing decisions align with budgets, forecasts, and approval processes.
• Support the shipment of production hardware and equipment to customers and field teams when required.
• Manage supplier selection, qualification, performance, ongoing relationships, and Approved Supplier List maintenance.
• Maintain supplier documentation, including certifications, vendor surveys, W-9s, and other required records.
• Ensure purchase orders include applicable Supplier Quality Requirements and contractual flowdowns.
• Maintain receiving documentation such as packing slips, Certificates of Conformance, and incoming inspection records within procurement systems.
• Support counterfeit parts prevention, authorized distributor sourcing, supplier corrective actions, and non-conformance resolution.
• Ensure procurement activities comply with applicable company, customer, contractual, quality, and regulatory requirements.
• Improve procurement workflows, documentation, reporting, operating processes, and data accuracy across business systems.
• Identify manual or inefficient processes and implement improvements that increase visibility, predictability, and scalability across procurement and supply chain operations.

Requirements:

• 5+ years of experience in purchasing, procurement, strategic sourcing, supply chain, or a related function.
• Experience purchasing technical components, electronics, hardware, manufactured goods, or similar materials.
• Strong supplier management and negotiation experience covering pricing, lead times, commercial terms, and supplier performance.
• Experience working with bills of materials, purchase orders, inventory, and ERP, MRP, or procurement systems.
• Ability to understand technical requirements and collaborate effectively with Engineering, Manufacturing, Production, Program, and other technical teams.
• Strong analytical, organizational, and problem-solving skills with exceptional attention to detail.
• Ability to identify supply chain risks early and take ownership of mitigation efforts with a strong sense of urgency.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to build productive relationships across technical, operational, and business teams.
• Ability to operate effectively in a fast-paced, high-growth environment where priorities may shift quickly.
• Experience with RFPs, RFQs, supplier bidding processes, and commercial proposal evaluation.
• Experience sourcing electronic components, PCBAs, mechanical components, contract manufacturing, or other hardware-related materials is preferred.
• Experience in aerospace, defense technology, government contracting, manufacturing, or another regulated industry is preferred.
• Experience with NetSuite and Jira is preferred.
• Familiarity with FAR/DFARS requirements and government contracting procurement practices is preferred.
• Experience with AS9100 supplier quality, supplier audits, supplier performance programs, DMSMS, or component obsolescence is preferred.
• Experience building or improving procurement processes within a scaling organization is preferred.
• Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain Management, Business, Operations, Engineering, or a related field is preferred.
• Ability to regularly work from the organization's headquarters in Rosslyn, Virginia.

Benefits:

• Opportunity to take ownership of both tactical purchasing and strategic sourcing activities.
• Hands-on role with significant impact on procurement scalability, supplier performance, and supply chain resilience.
• Opportunity to collaborate closely with Engineering, Hardware, Manufacturing, Program, and Finance teams.
• Exposure to technical hardware, electronics, manufacturing, and regulated supply chain environments.
• Opportunity to build and improve procurement processes within a growing organization.
• Mission-driven, fast-paced work environment.
• Inclusive workplace committed to equal employment opportunity.