Aerospace & Defense: Strategic Sourcing Director

InvestedintheMission; Berthoud (CO); On-site; USD 187,000 - 234,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Unlimited PTO - Vacation, Sick, and 
B

Paid Parental and Adoptive Leave

Medical, Dental and Vision Insurance

Tax Advantage Accounts (HSA/FSA)

Short and Long Term Disability

Basic Life, AD&D

401k with Company Match

Equity Grants in the Company

Job summary

Ursa Major, based in Berthoud, Colorado, seeks a Director of Strategic Sourcing & Procurement to lead direct materials, supplier quality, and supplier engineering across aerospace programs. The role partners with Engineering, Production, Quality, Program Management, and Finance to ensure supply continuity, cost competitiveness, and program success, with up to 50% travel.

You will drive sourcing strategy, supplier performance, and regulatory compliance (ITAR/EAR, AS9100), while building scalable

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain, Business, Engineering, Operations, or related field.
• 10+ years of progressive experience in strategic sourcing, procurement, supply chain, supplier development, or supplier engineering within aerospace, defense, propulsion, missiles/munitions, space systems, or other highly regulated advanced manufacturing environments.
• Proven experience leading procurement and supplier management functions in a complex, cross-functional organization.
• Strong expertise in strategic sourcing, supplier negotiations, cost management, and procurement operations.
• Demonstrated experience supporting the transition of complex aerospace, defense, propulsion, missile, munitions, or similarly technical hardware from development/NPI into production and increasing manufacturing rates.
• Strong understanding of manufacturing processes, technical drawings, specifications, and quality systems.
• Experience with ERP/MRP systems and procurement planning tools.
• Strong leadership and team management experience.
• Excellent analytical, communication, negotiation, and stakeholder management skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead the end-to-end procurement function, including strategic sourcing, supplier management, supplier quality, and supplier engineering initiatives with an initial emphasis on supporting the scale-up of SRM, hypersonic and in-space propulsion programs.
• Develop and execute sourcing strategies that support the transition from development and qualification through LRIP and rate production, balancing the speed required for emerging programs with the rigor required for mature customer programs.
• Establish category management strategies across critical propulsion and aerospace commodities, including energetic materials, specialty chemicals and raw materials, complex machined components, cases/structures, nozzles and thermal systems, castings/forgings, valves, electronics/avionics, and other long-lead components.
• Build and maintain a high-performing supplier base capable of supporting aerospace and defense manufacturing requirements, including scalability, quality, delivery, and cost targets.
• Lead supplier engineering efforts to improve supplier process capability, product conformity, and manufacturing readiness.
• Manage supplier performance metrics, including on-time delivery, quality performance, responsiveness, and cost reduction initiatives.
• Partner closely with Engineering and Manufacturing teams to support new product introduction (NPI), qualification activities, first article inspections (FAI), and supplier readiness for production ramp.
• Drive supplier development and continuous improvement initiatives using root cause analysis, corrective actions, and process improvement methodologies.
• Identify and mitigate supply chain risks, including long-lead material constraints, single-source dependencies, geopolitical concerns, and supplier capacity limitations.
• Lead contract negotiations, pricing strategies, and supplier agreements to optimize cost, lead time, and commercial terms.
• Ensure procurement and supplier management activities comply with aerospace and defense regulatory requirements, including ITAR/EAR and AS9100 standards.
• Develop deep knowledge of ERP/MRP systems to improve procurement process including material visibility, purchasing efficiency, and inventory performance
• Partner cross-functionally with Quality, Operations, Planning, Program Management, and Finance to align procurement strategies with production and customer delivery commitments
• Drive process standardization, procurement policy improvements, and scalable systems to support organizational growth
• Lead, mentor, and develop a high-performing procurement and supplier engineering team, fostering accountability and continuous improvement
• Provide regular reporting and strategic insights to executive leadership regarding supplier performance, material availability, procurement risk, and cost trends
• Other duties as assigned

Skills

Strategic sourcing

Supplier negotiations

Cost management

Procurement operations

ERP/MRP systems

Leadership

Analytical skills

Stakeholder management

Communication

Education

Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain/Business/Engineering/Operations

MBA/MS (advanced degree)

Tools

ERP/MRP systems

Job description

Ursa Major, based in Berthoud, Colorado, seeks a Director of Strategic Sourcing & Procurement to lead direct materials, supplier quality, and supplier engineering across aerospace programs. The role partners with Engineering, Production, Quality, Program Management, and Finance to ensure supply continuity, cost competitiveness, and program success, with up to 50% travel.

You will drive sourcing strategy, supplier performance, and regulatory compliance (ITAR/EAR, AS9100), while building scalable