Mechanical Buyer

K2 Space; Los Angeles (CA); On-site; USD 65,000 - 100,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity in the company

Medical/dental/vision coverage

Paid time off

Job summary

K2 Space is hiring for a hands-on Supply Chain role focused on technical procurement and BOM management for high‑power satellite programs. You will source structural hardware, negotiate with suppliers, and manage vendor quality to support mission milestones.

The role requires 2+ years in aerospace supply chain or engineering, with experience reading engineering drawings and a strong grasp of inventory and BOM processes. Travel up to 25% is expected.

Qualifications

• 2+ years of experience in supply chain management or engineering in the aerospace industry.
• 2+ years of experience with commodities such as machined parts, heat pipes, capital equipment, aluminum honeycomb, tubes, tanks.
• Experience reading and interpreting technical engineering drawings.
• Strong understanding of inventory management.
• 2+ years managing bill of materials for mechanical assemblies.
• 1+ year of experience with SQL or other information processing software tool.
• Ability to collaborate in a cross-functional environment with engineering, production, and finance.
• Ability to travel up to 25% of the time.

Responsibilities

• Source structural and mechanical hardware across the satellite often on expedited lead times.
• Negotiate costs and contracts with key suppliers.
• Manage supplier quality and deliveries to ensure mission success.
• Act as the primary interface between suppliers and internal customers including: supplier onboarding, evaluation, negotiation, and project management.
• Manage Bill of Materials for mechanical and structural assemblies.
• Help implement the master planning schedule for high volume production.
• Lead clear to builds with engineering to ensure assembly milestones are completed to hit critical milestones.
• Develop internal analytics to track supply chain objectives.

Skills

Supply chain management

Engineering

Reading drawings

Inventory management

Bill of Materials

SQL

Cross-functional collaboration

Travel up to 25%

Education

Bachelor’s degree in supply chain, finance, mechanical engineering, aerospace engineering, or mathematics

Tools

SQL

BOM management software

ERP systems

Job description

K2 is building the largest and highest-power satellites ever flown, unlocking performance levels previously out of reach across every orbit. Backed by over $1 billion in total funding from leading investors including Altimeter Capital, ICONIQ, Kleiner Perkins, Lightspeed Venture Partners, Redpoint Ventures, and T. Rowe Price — and with over $1 billion in signed contracts across commercial and US government customers, we're mass-producing the highest-power satellite platforms ever built for missions from LEO to deep space.

The rise of heavy-lift launch vehicles is shifting the industry from an era of mass constraint to one of mass abundance, and we believe this new era demands a fundamentally different class of spacecraft. Engineered to survive the harshest radiation environments and to fully capitalize on today's and tomorrow's massive rockets, K2 satellites deliver unmatched capability at constellation scale and across multiple orbits.

With multiple launches in 2027 and plans to scale to 100 satellites a year, we're Building Bigger — helping develop the solar system and build toward a Kardashev Type II (K2) civilization. If you are a motivated individual who thrives in a fast-paced environment and you're excited about contributing to the success of a high-growth Series D-funded company, we'd love for you to apply.

The Role

You willbe responsible forseveral aspects of the critical supply chain organization. You willbe responsible forfinding, building, and managing the quality of parts running in ourmechanicalsupply chains. Key skills will include technical procurement of mechanical and structural hardware and Bill of Material(BOM)management for owned assemblies. You will travel tosuppliersin order tomonitorprogress and health while negotiating business contracts and price reductions over time to ensurestrategic reductions in costs over time.

Responsibilities

Technical Procurement

• Source structural and mechanical hardware across the satellite often on expedited lead times
• Negotiate costs and contracts with key suppliers
• Manage supplier quality and deliveries to ensure mission success
• Act as the primary interface between suppliers and internal customersincluding:supplier onboarding, evaluation, negotiation, and project management

Material Planning

• Manage Bill of Materials formechanical and structuralassemblies
• Help implement the master planning schedule for high volume production
• Lead clear to builds with engineering to ensure assembly milestones are completed to hit critical milestones
• Develop internal analytics to track supply chain objectives

Qualifications

• 2+ years of experienceinsupply chain management or engineering in the aerospace industry
• 2+ years of experience with commodities such as machined parts, heat pipes, capital equipment, aluminum honeycomb, tubes, tanks
• Experience reading and interpreting technical engineering drawings
• Strong understanding of inventory management
• 2+ years managing bill of materialsformechanicalassemblies
• 1+ year of experience with SQL or other information processing software tool
• Ability to collaborate in a cross-functional environment with engineering, production, and finance
• Ability to travel up to 25% of the time

Nice to Have

• Bachelor’s degree in supply chain, finance,mechanicalengineering, aerospaceengineering,ormathematics
• 3+ years of technical procurement experience
• 3+ years in a new product introduction environment
• Experience reading and interpreting technical engineering drawings
• Experience implementing AS9100 or completing AS9100 audits

Compensation and Benefits:

• Base salary range for this role is $65,000 - $100,000 + equity in the company
• Salary will be based on several factors including, but not limitedto:knowledge and skills, education, and experience level
• Comprehensive benefits package including paid time off, medical/dental/vision coverage, life insurance, paid parental leave, and many other perks

If you don’t meet 100% of the preferred skills and experience, we encourage you to still apply! Building a spacecraft unlike any other requires a team unlike any other and non-traditional career twists and turns are encouraged!

If you need a reasonable accommodation as part of your application for employment or interviews with us, please let us know.

Export Compliance

As defined in the ITAR, “U.S. Persons” include U.S. citizens, lawful permanent residents (i.e., Green Card holders), and certain protected individuals (e.g., refugees/asylees, American Samoans). Please consult with a knowledgeable advisor if you are unsure whether you are a “U.S. Person.”

The person hired for this role will have access to information and items controlled by U.S. export control regulations, including the export control regulations outlined in the International Traffic in Arms Regulation (ITAR). The person hired for this role must therefore either be a “U.S. person” as defined by 22 C.F.R. § 120.15 or otherwise eligible for a federally issued export control license.

To conform to U.S. Government space technology export regulations, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) you must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S., protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State. Learn more about ITAR here.

K2 Space is an Equal Opportunity Employer; employment with K2 Space is governed on the basis of merit, competence and qualifications and will not be influenced in any manner by race, color, religion, gender, national origin/ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, mental or physical disability or any other legally protected status.

Voluntary Self-Identification

For government reporting purposes, we ask candidates to respond to the below self-identification survey.Completion of the form is entirely voluntary. Whatever your decision, it will not be considered in the hiringprocess or thereafter. Any information that you do provide will be recorded and maintained in aconfidential file.

As set forth in K2 Space ’s Equal Employment Opportunity policy,we do not discriminate on the basis of any protected group status under any applicable law.

If you believe you belong to any of the categories of protected veterans listed below, please indicate by making the appropriate selection.As a government contractor subject to the Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRAA), we request this information in order to measurethe effectiveness of the outreach and positive recruitment efforts we undertake pursuant to VEVRAA. Classification of protected categoriesis as follows:

A "disabled veteran" is one of the following: a veteran of the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service who is entitled to compensation (or who but for the receipt of military retired pay would be entitled to compensation) under laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs; or a person who was discharged or released from active duty because of a service-connected disability.

A "recently separated veteran" means any veteran during the three-year period beginning on the date of such veteran's discharge or release from active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval, or air service.

An "active duty wartime or campaign badge veteran" means a veteran who served on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service during a war, or in a campaign or expedition for which a campaign badge has been authorized under the laws administered by the Department of Defense.

An "Armed forces service medal veteran" means a veteran who, while serving on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service, participated in a United States military operation for which an Armed Forces service medal was awarded pursuant to Executive Order 12985.

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