Procurement Manager

We are looking for an experienced Procurement Manager to lead sourcing strategy and supplier partnerships for a fast-paced manufacturing environment in Vista, California. This role will shape procurement decisions across materials, components, equipment, and services while working closely with technical and operational teams to support product development and production growth. The ideal candidate brings strong commercial judgment, global supplier management expertise, and the ability to reduce cost while strengthening supply continuity and compliance.

Responsibilities:
• Create and implement sourcing plans for raw materials, purchased parts, capital assets, and external services across global supply markets.
• Direct supplier selection, qualification, onboarding, and ongoing relationship management, with particular attention to partners located in Asia, including China.
• Manage complex commercial discussions covering pricing structures, long-term agreements, payment conditions, shipping terms, warranty coverage, and contractual risk provisions.
• Build dual-source strategies and proactive contingency plans to minimize exposure related to capacity constraints, geopolitical developments, quality concerns, and transportation disruptions.
• Lead cost improvement efforts by analyzing total cost of ownership and identifying savings opportunities throughout the supplier network.
• Work closely with Engineering, Research and Development, Manufacturing, Quality, and Program teams to align supplier capabilities with development builds and production scale-up needs.
• Verify supplier preparedness for pilot operations and volume manufacturing by assessing capacity, process stability, and quality system effectiveness.
• Oversee supplier performance through structured business reviews focused on cost, quality, delivery, service levels, and responsiveness.
• Partner with Legal and Finance to maintain contract compliance, manage commercial risk, and ensure adherence to company policies and procurement systems such as NetSuite or comparable platforms.
• Prepare procurement updates and sourcing performance summaries for executive leadership, and conduct supplier visits or audits as needed to support qualification and ongoing performance management.• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Supply Chain Management, Business, Materials Science, or a related discipline.
• At least 7 years of strategic sourcing or procurement experience within a manufacturing setting.
• Proven ability to lead supplier negotiations, deliver measurable cost savings, and implement effective supply risk reduction strategies.
• Experience managing international suppliers, including suppliers based in Asia.
• Strong analytical, communication, and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to influence cross-functional decision-making.
• Background in lithium-ion battery manufacturing or battery supply chains is preferred.
• Mandarin language proficiency, both written and spoken, is strongly preferred.
• Experience in aerospace, defense, or another highly regulated industry, as well as support for pilot-to-production transitions, is preferred.