Buyer, Electronics, Interconnect & General Procurement

Loft Orbital; United Arab Emirates; On-site; AED 240,000 - 360,000; Full time

Job summary

Loft Orbital is seeking a hands-on procurement professional to own electronics and interconnect sourcing for aerospace-grade programs in the UAE. You will manage RFQs, supplier selection, and contract awards while driving category strategies and lead-time reductions.

The role combines strategic category work (60–70%) with daily PO management, expediting, and supplier coordination (30–40%). You will collaborate with engineering, quality, and finance to ensure timely delivery and cost

Qualifications

• 3-6 years of procurement experience in manufacturing or industrial environments.
• Proven ability to manage high-volume tactical procurement activities while balancing strategic sourcing responsibilities.
• Experience sourcing electronics, PCB/PCBA, cable and wire harnesses, connectors, electro-mechanical components, or the technical aptitude to rapidly develop expertise in these categories.
• Ability to engage confidently with both suppliers and engineering teams on technical sourcing decisions.
• Experience within aerospace, defense, space, or another highly regulated industry.
• Working knowledge of AS9100, AS9102 First Article Inspection (FAI), counterfeit-part prevention, Certificates of Conformance (CoC), and material traceability requirements.
• Ability to interpret engineering drawings, Bills of Materials (BOMs), specifications, and other technical documentation.
• Experience collaborating closely with Engineering and Design-to-Manufacturing (D2M) teams on component selection, approved alternates, and obsolescence management.
• Experience establishing and managing procurement contract mechanisms, including blanket purchase orders, purchase contracts, and framework agreements.
• Understanding of procurement automation and continuous improvement initiatives to streamline repeat purchasing activities.
• Strong analytic and communication skills, with the ability to develop sourcing recommendations and present them to technical, commercial, and leadership stakeholders.
• Experience developing and presenting category strategies to cross-functional teams.
• Proficiency with ERP systems, preferably NetSuite, for procurement and supplier management.
• Experience working with global suppliers across multiple time zones.
• UAE-based with valid residency and work authorization.
• Ability to work effectively in a full-time, on-site environment.

Responsibilities

• Own sourcing activities for electronics and interconnect categories, including wire harnesses, connectors, PCBs, PCBAs, and electrical components.
• Identify, evaluate, and onboard suppliers through RFQs, commercial negotiations, supplier selection, and contract awards.
• Develop and maintain the sourcing strategy for assigned categories, including supply base mapping, dual-source planning, localization opportunities, cost optimization, and lead-time reduction.
• Present category strategies and sourcing recommendations to Engineering, Quality, Finance, and leadership stakeholders.
• Partner with Engineering and Design-to-Manufacturing (D2M) teams on component selection, approved alternates, obsolescence management, and design-for-sourcing improvements.
• Coordinate First Article Inspection (FAI) activities with Engineering and Quality to support successful supplier qualification.
• Lead supplier qualification activities in accordance with the Orbitworks Approved Supplier List (ASL) process.
• Support the development of local UAE suppliers in line with localization and In-Country Value (ICV) objectives.
• Manage the full purchase order lifecycle in NetSuite, including requisition review, PO creation, technical and quality flow-down, supplier acknowledgements, expediting, and delivery tracking.
• Procure indirect goods and services, including marketing, communications, office services, facilities, and operational consumables.
• Establish and manage procurement automation mechanisms such as blanket purchase orders, purchase contracts, framework agreements, Not-to-Exceed (NTE) POs, and Vendor Managed Inventory (VMI) arrangements.
• Work closely with Production and Material Planning to align procurement activities with the master production schedule and proactively mitigate shortages and long-lead risks.
• Resolve supplier delivery, quality, and commercial issues while maintaining an accurate discrepancy tracker.
• Maintain accurate, compliant, and audit-ready procurement records within NetSuite to support AS9100 requirements.
• Collaborate with the wider SCM buying team by providing category coverage and workload support as required.
• Support broader SCM operations, including inventory cycle counts, logistics coordination, receiving activities, and NetSuite reconciliations when needed.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives across SCM by developing standardized templates, improving procurement processes, and reinforcing NetSuite data discipline

Skills

Procurement

Tactical buying

Supplier follow-up

Category strategy

Analytical skills

Communication

Tools

NetSuite

Job description

Role Overview

This role owns sourcing for the electronics and interconnect category — wire harnesses, connectors, PCBs, PCBAs, and electrical components — while carrying full tactical procurement load across direct and indirect categories as OW scales from first launch toward multi-program production.

It is a both-hands role: one hand builds multi-month category strategies, coordinates FAI campaigns, and presents sourcing recommendations to engineering, finance, and leadership, while the other runs the daily PO rhythm — requisitions to purchase orders, expediting, frame agreements and blanket orders, indirect buys, and tight coordination with production and material planners. Honest split: roughly 60-70% tactical execution, 30-40% category building, flexing with launch campaigns and program tempo.

The person who succeeds treats no task as beneath them — presenting a category strategy one week, helping close a cycle count or untangle a NetSuite reconciliation the next. They work most closely with the peer buyer (mechanical), material & production planners, Engineering/D2M, Quality, and Finance.

Responsibilities

• Own sourcing activities for electronics and interconnect categories, including wire harnesses, connectors, PCBs, PCBAs, and electrical components
• Identify, evaluate, and onboard suppliers through RFQs, commercial negotiations, supplier selection, and contract awards
• Develop and maintain the sourcing strategy for assigned categories, including supply base mapping, dual-source planning, localization opportunities, cost optimization, and lead-time reduction
• Present category strategies and sourcing recommendations to Engineering, Quality, Finance, and leadership stakeholders
• Partner with Engineering and Design-to-Manufacturing (D2M) teams on component selection, approved alternates, obsolescence management, and design-for-sourcing improvements
• Coordinate First Article Inspection (FAI) activities with Engineering and Quality to support successful supplier qualification
• Lead supplier qualification activities in accordance with the Orbitworks Approved Supplier List (ASL) process
• Support the development of local UAE suppliers in line with localization and In-Country Value (ICV) objectives
• Manage the full purchase order lifecycle in NetSuite, including requisition review, PO creation, technical and quality flow-down, supplier acknowledgements, expediting, and delivery tracking
• Procure indirect goods and services, including marketing, communications, office services, facilities, and operational consumables
• Establish and manage procurement automation mechanisms such as blanket purchase orders, purchase contracts, framework agreements, Not-to-Exceed (NTE) POs, and Vendor Managed Inventory (VMI) arrangements
• Work closely with Production and Material Planning to align procurement activities with the master production schedule and proactively mitigate shortages and long-lead risks
• Resolve supplier delivery, quality, and commercial issues while maintaining an accurate discrepancy tracker
• Maintain accurate, compliant, and audit-ready procurement records within NetSuite to support AS9100 requirements
• Collaborate with the wider Supply Chain Management (SCM) buying team by providing category coverage and workload support as required
• Support broader SCM operations, including inventory cycle counts, logistics coordination, receiving activities, and NetSuite reconciliations when needed
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives across SCM by developing standardized templates, improving procurement processes, and reinforcing NetSuite data discipline

Must-Have Skills (Requirements)

• 3-6 years of procurement experience in manufacturing or industrial environments, including hands-on tactical buying, purchase order management, expediting, and supplier follow-up
• Proven ability to manage high-volume tactical procurement activities while balancing strategic sourcing responsibilities
• Experience sourcing electronics, PCB/PCBA, cable and wire harnesses, connectors, electro-mechanical components, or the technical aptitude to rapidly develop expertise in these categories
• Ability to engage confidently with both suppliers and engineering teams on technical sourcing decisions
• Experience within aerospace, defense, space, or another highly regulated industry
• Working knowledge of AS9100, AS9102 First Article Inspection (FAI), counterfeit-part prevention, Certificates of Conformance (CoC), and material traceability requirements
• Ability to interpret engineering drawings, Bills of Materials (BOMs), specifications, and other technical documentation
• Experience collaborating closely with Engineering and Design-to-Manufacturing (D2M) teams on component selection, approved alternates, and obsolescence management
• Experience establishing and managing procurement contract mechanisms, including blanket purchase orders, purchase contracts, and framework agreements
• Understanding of procurement automation and continuous improvement initiatives to streamline repeat purchasing activities
• Strong analytic and communication skills, with the ability to develop sourcing recommendations and present them to technical, commercial, and leadership stakeholders
• Experience developing and presenting category strategies to cross-functional teams
• Proficiency with ERP systems, preferably NetSuite, for procurement and supplier management
• Experience working with global suppliers across multiple time zones
• UAE-based with valid residency and work authorization
• Ability to work effectively in a full-time, on-site environment

Nice-to-Have Skills

• Experience managing both direct and indirect procurement categories, including services, facilities, office operations, and marketing spend
• Previous experience in a startup, scale-up, or new manufacturing facility where procurement processes and systems were being established
• Demonstrated ability to thrive in fast-paced, evolving environments with a proactive, process-improvement mindset
• Experience building, standardizing, and improving procurement processes and operational workflows