Head of Supply Chain

Ignite Next GmbH; Blomsterdalen; Hybrid; NOK 1,480,000 - 2,009,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity via incentive plan

Relocation and immigration support

International, technical team

Gym allowance €50/month

Job summary

Lace Lithography seeks a Head of Supply Chain to build and lead our supply chain from the ground up, hands-on at first, establishing supplier relationships, processes and capabilities to support customer deployments and repeatable production. You will report to the VP of Operations and join the Operations leadership team.

The role focuses on supplier strategy, long-lead item planning, risk management and cross-functional execution with Engineering, Quality and Legal.

Qualifications

• Ten years or more in supply chain, procurement or strategic sourcing for complex, low-volume technical equipment.
• Experience managing long-lead, custom-engineered and single-source components within complex equipment programmes.
• Strong track record in strategic sourcing, supplier negotiations and supplier development.
• Ability to manage supply risks against demanding development and equipment delivery schedules.
• Sufficient technical understanding to work with engineers on complex precision hardware.
• Hands-on leadership style, building processes and supplier relationships before a dedicated team exists.
• Fluent English.

Responsibilities

• Establish and develop supplier base; negotiate agreements and partnerships.
• Manage long-lead items and capacity ahead of demand.
• Identify and mitigate supply risks and single-source dependencies.
• Industrialize suppliers from prototype deliveries to repeatable production.
• Translate evolving designs, bills of materials and schedules into actionable sourcing plans.
• Establish supplier quality and performance management.
• Design purchasing workflows and ERP roadmap alignment.
• Ensure regulatory trade compliance with Legal on approvals.
• Build a lean, scalable Supply Chain team.

Skills

Supply chain management

Procurement

Strategic sourcing

Supplier negotiations

Supplier development

Cross-functional collaboration

Technical understanding

Leadership

Fluent English

Job description

At Lace Lithography, we’re scaling up our team and looking for a passionate and sharp Head of Supply Chain to join us. In our company we build chip lithography technology that will enable the next 100 years of chip manufacturing. Founded in 2023, we’re based in Bergen (Norway) and Barcelona (Spain), and backed by some of the world’s most ambitious investors.

The role

We are moving from prototype tools to equipment deployed at customer sites. As our technology advances, another challenge becomes just as decisive: building a supply chain that can reliably deliver the specialised components and subsystems our equipment depends on.

Time is a critical constraint. Some components have development and delivery lead times measured in years. Securing capacity early, building strong supplier partnerships and managing supply risks against our equipment roadmap are central to our success.

You will build and lead our Supply Chain function from the ground up - hands-on at first, establishing the supplier relationships, processes and capabilities needed to support customer deployments and, ultimately, repeatable production.

You report to the VP of Operations and join the Operations leadership team.

What you will own

• Supplier strategy and sourcing – establish and develop our supplier base, identify critical suppliers, negotiate commercial agreements and build long-term partnerships.

• Long-lead items and capacity – manage the supply-side critical path against our equipment roadmap, securing supplier commitments and capacity ahead of demand.

• Supply risk – identify and mitigate critical dependencies, particularly single-source components, through alternative sourcing, capacity reservations and strategic inventory where appropriate.

• Supplier industrialization – work with Engineering and Quality to take critical suppliers from prototype deliveries to repeatable, controlled production.

• Cross-functional execution – translate evolving designs, bills of materials and equipment schedules into actionable sourcing plans and reliable deliveries.

• Supplier performance – establish performance management across quality, lead time, technology and cost, working closely with the Head of Quality on supplier quality assurance.

• Systems and material flow – establish purchasing workflows, supplier and material master data, inventory management, warehouse logistics and supply chain requirements within our ERP roadmap.

• Trade compliance – establish compliant import and export processes, including required documentation and controls, working closely with Legal on regulatory requirements and approvals.

• Team – build a lean, scalable Supply Chain organisation as the company grows.

What you bring

• Substantial experience (typically ten years or more) in supply chain, procurement or strategic sourcing for complex, low-volume technical equipment.

• Proven experience managing long-lead, custom-engineered and single-source components within complex, multidisciplinary equipment programmes.

• A strong track record in strategic sourcing, supplier negotiations and supplier development, including transitions from prototype components to repeatable production.

• The ability to manage supply risks and supplier commitments against demanding development and equipment delivery schedules.

• Sufficient technical understanding to work effectively with engineers specifying complex precision hardware.

• A hands-on leadership style, comfortable building processes, developing supplier relationships and solving problems before a dedicated team exists.

• Fluent English.

Experience in semiconductor equipment or adjacent precision industries, building supply chain functions, ERP or PLM implementation, export control or the European precision supplier ecosystem is an advantage, not a requirement.

How you work

• You understand that supply chain performance is built long before a purchase order is placed.

• You anticipate constraints, secure supplier commitments early and know how to balance delivery, quality, technology and cost.

• You are comfortable with evolving designs, incomplete specifications and shifting priorities.

• You build strong relationships with suppliers and engineers, challenge assumptions constructively and find practical ways to keep programmes moving.

• You combine strategic thinking with hands-on execution and take ownership when commitments are at risk.

What we offer

• The opportunity to build and lead a critical function in a pioneering semiconductor equipment company.

• A seat on the Operations leadership team, with real influence on supplier strategy, industrialization and how the company scales.

• Competitive compensation, including equity through our share incentive plan.

• An international, highly technical team with room to shape how we work.

• Relocation and immigration support, alongside our company benefits

We offer flexibility regarding your location within Europe, subject to what we can support as an employer. Proximity to Bergen or Eindhoven is an advantage. Regular presence at our sites and significant supplier-driven travel are expected, primarily within Europe.

Our team here at Lace:

…consists of amazing people who’ve joined us from all over the world, driven by intense curiosity, the urge for exploration, and a desire to push the limits of physics. We promise to offer you a place among highly motivated Lacers, present you with extremely difficult problems—and have a lot of fun solving them.

Workplace & culture:

Lace operates out of two beautiful, vibrant, and strong-willed cities. Although we are cities apart, we strive to make the team feel as one.

We don’t define values—but we have one universal expectation: Be the best team player you can be.

Perks and Benefits:

• Financial Perks
• Part of the team, part of the company
• Competitive salary + equity through our incentive plan.
• Feel-good perks
• €50 monthly gym allowance, weekly team lunches, monthly social events, and annual off-site with the whole team.
• Personal Development
• Quarterly development goals with your manager and your own budget to learn and grow.
• No journey without travelling
• We support relocation and immigration to make joining Lace as smooth as possible.

Lace Lithography is an equal opportunity employer. We welcome applications regardless of background.