Procurement & Supplier Development Associate (Supply Chain)

AgniKul Cosmos; Chennai District; On-site; INR 1,200,000 - 2,400,000; Full time

Job summary

AgniKul Cosmos in Chennai is seeking a procurement-oriented professional who thrives on grounding supplier networks, factory visits, and aggressive cost reduction. This role demands hands-on sourcing across aerospace and related manufacturing sectors, with extensive travel to supplier sites and close collaboration with engineering teams.

You will negotiate terms, develop alternate vendors, and drive supplier audits to ensure reliable, cost-effective supply chains for rapid scale-up.

Qualifications

• 0-5 years of experience in sourcing, procurement, vendor development, supply chain.
• Comfortable with supplier visits and factory floors.
• Strong commercial negotiation skills.
• Ability to read manufacturing drawings and processes.
• Proven history of cost reductions.
• Fast-paced startup environment adaptability.

Responsibilities

• Identify, evaluate, and develop suppliers across aerospace, automotive, industrial, fabrication, machining, electronics, and related sectors.
• Travel extensively to supplier locations and industrial clusters to assess manufacturing capabilities.
• Negotiate commercial terms, lead times, payment conditions, tooling costs, and long-term supply agreements.
• Create competition between suppliers and drive cost reductions.
• Build alternate vendor ecosystems to reduce risk and improve supply reliability.
• Work closely with engineering teams to understand requirements and convert them into sourcing strategies.
• Conduct supplier audits, capability assessments, and commercial evaluations.
• Develop deep understanding of manufacturing processes and cost structures.
• Resolve supply bottlenecks, quality concerns, and delivery issues directly with vendors.
• Support rapid scaling of operations through strong supplier relationships and execution.

Skills

Supplier development

Negotiation

Cost reduction

Sourcing strategy

Factory visits

Engineering collaboration

Supply chain

Job description

ABOUT

We are not looking for someone who manages purchase orders from a laptop. We are looking for someone who can build supplier networks, negotiate aggressively, reduce costs, and solve sourcing problems on the ground.

If you enjoy visiting factories more than attending meetings, this role is for you.

Agnikul Cosmos is a company incubated at IIT Madras and we build rockets that can take satellites up to 500 kg to Lower Earth Orbit (LEO). In May 2024, we successfully completed our maiden launch from our own launchpad (India's first private launchpad). The launch has proven all the new technologies developed by Agnikul and also earned recognition from Honourable Prime Minister of India.

We are not looking for someone who manages purchase orders from a laptop. We are looking for someone who can build supplier networks, negotiate aggressively, reduce costs, and solve sourcing problems on the ground.

If you enjoy visiting factories more than attending meetings, this role is for you.

This Role Is NOT For You If

• You prefer desk-based procurement.
• Most of your experience is creating POs, updating ERP systems, or tracking approvals.
• You are uncomfortable with supplier visits and commercial negotiations.
• You prefer process management over execution.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Identify, evaluate, and develop suppliers across aerospace, automotive, industrial, fabrication, machining, electronics, and related manufacturing sectors.
• Travel extensively to supplier locations and industrial clusters to assess manufacturing capabilities.
• Negotiate commercial terms, lead times, payment conditions, tooling costs, and long-term supply agreements.
• Create competition between suppliers and continuously drive cost reduction opportunities.
• Build alternate vendor ecosystems to reduce risk and improve supply reliability.
• Work closely with engineering teams to understand requirements and convert them into sourcing strategies.
• Conduct supplier audits, capability assessments, and commercial evaluations.
• Develop deep understanding of manufacturing processes and cost structures.
• Resolve supply bottlenecks, quality concerns, and delivery issues directly with vendors.
• Support rapid scaling of operations through strong supplier relationships and execution.

Requirements

• 0-5 years of experience in sourcing, procurement, vendor development, supply chain.
• Comfortable spending significant time on supplier visits and factory floors.
• Strong commercial negotiation skills.
• Ability to understand manufacturing processes, fabrication, machining, industrial components, and engineering drawings.
• Proven history of achieving measurable cost reductions.
• High ownership and willingness to solve problems independently.
• Comfortable working in fast-paced startup environments.

Preferred Skills

• Experience in aerospace, automotive, heavy engineering, industrial manufacturing, electronics manufacturing, or defence sectors.
• Supplier development or vendor audit experience.
• Understanding of cost estimation and manufacturing economics.