PCB Supply Chain Manager

Industrious Ventures; Town of Belgium (WI); On-site; USD 68,508 - 102,762; Full time

Job summary

Aerospacelab is seeking a Supply Chain Project Manager to own end-to-end development of the PCB supplier panel for satellite programs, covering bare board procurement and PCBA/EMS. You will build a qualified, scalable supply chain and ensure at least two suppliers per PCB type.

You will analyze PCB demand, size panels, manage qualification campaigns, and drive KPI-based improvements with cross-functional teams, traveling up to 25% as needed.

Qualifications

• Engineering degree and 3–7 years in PCB/PCBA procurement or supplier management.
• Knowledge of PCB fabrication and assembly processes and related IPC standards.
• Fluent in English; French a plus.

Responsibilities

• Lead PCB demand analysis and panel strategy for all satellite programs.
• Oversee supplier qualification campaigns and NPI coordination with stakeholders.
• Define dual-source strategy and monitor supplier KPIs for cost, quality and delivery.
• Collaborate with EEE components, PCB experts, design/industrialization teams and quality.

Skills

PCB/PCBA procurement

EMS supplier management

Supplier quality engineering

Project management

English fluent

Willingness to travel

Education

Engineering degree in Electronics, Manufacturing, Production, or Supply Chain

Tools

Odoo ERP

Job description

About Aerospacelab

Our mission is supported by an ambitious vertically integrated approach: design & manufacture of small satellites combined with development of earth observation services.

Since its creation in 2018, the company has already grown substantially. Our team gathers more than 25 engineering expertise, from hardware design to software development & data science.

In 2026, Aerospacelab counts offices in Louvain-la-Neuve (Belgium), Toulouse (France), Lausanne (Switzerland) and US West Coast with more than 400 full‑time employees, with the ambition to position itself as the European leader in small satellites.

Your mission

This is a strategic role at the heart of Aerospacelab’s industrial scale‑up. As Supply Chain Project Manager, you will own the specific end‑to‑end development of ASL’s PCB supplier panel — covering both bare board procurement and PCB assembly (PCBA/EMS). Your mission is to build a robust, qualified, and scalable supply chain for printed circuit boards across all satellite programmes, enabling Aerospacelab’s constellation expansion ambitions.

You will perform a company-wide analysis of all PCBs to be manufactured, derive the annual production volumes, and determine the number and profile of suppliers required. For each PCB type, you will ensure a minimum of two fully qualified suppliers are in place — one baseline and one alternative — providing the supply chain resilience required for constellation‑scale production.

Key responsibilities

PCB Demand Analysis & Panel Strategy

• Conduct a company-wide inventory of all PCBs across all satellite programmes, consolidating BOMs and design data into a structured demand baseline.
• Derive annual PCB production volumes per board type and translate them into supplier capacity and panel sizing requirements.
• Define the target supplier panel architecture: number of suppliers, geographic spread, technology coverage, and dual‑source strategy (baseline + alternative per PCB type).
• Maintain a living PCB supply chain roadmap aligned with programme ramp‑up milestones and constellation production targets.

Supplier Qualification

Supplier qualification is the central and most critical activity of this role. For each PCB type, you will lead the full qualification process from identification to production release:

• Identify and evaluate new EMS and PCB suppliers through RFI/RFQ processes, technical audits, and manufacturing capability assessments.
• Lead New Product Introduction (NPI) phases: coordinate Design, Quality, Industrialization, and Procurement stakeholders at both ASL and supplier side to ensure smooth qualification campaigns.
• Review manufacturing data packages (Gerber files, BOM, assembly drawings, fabrication notes) and validate DFM/DFA compliance prior to qualification build.
• Define and oversee quality gate criteria at each qualification step (AOI, X‑ray, electrical/functional test, incoming inspection) in alignment with applicable standards (IPC‑A‑600, IPC‑A‑610, J‑STD‑001).
• Ensure at least one baseline and one alternative qualified supplier exist per PCB type before release to serial production.
• Establish and monitor supplier KPIs (quality, delivery, cost) and drive continuous improvement initiatives.

Cross‑functional Collaboration

You will work in close daily collaboration with:

• EEE Component experts, to align component choices with PCB manufacturability and supplier constraints.
• PCB technical experts, to validate design rules, technology readiness, and qualification strategies.
• Design and Industrialization teams, to ensure early supplier involvement and design‑for‑manufacture alignment from the earliest programme phases.
• Project Managers and Quality team, to coordinate NPI campaigns and non‑conformance resolution.

Must have

• Engineering degree in Electronics, Manufacturing, Production, or Supply Chain.
• Minimum 3–7 years of experience in PCB/PCBA procurement, EMS supplier management, or supplier quality engineering in an industrial environment.
• Solid understanding of PCB fabrication and board assembly processes (SMT, through‑hole, soldering) and related quality standards (IPC‑A‑600, IPC‑A‑610, J‑STD‑001).
• Proven project management skills: ability to drive multi‑stakeholder qualification campaigns on time and on quality.
• Experience with end‑to‑end procurement ownership: RFQ, negotiation, PO management, and delivery follow‑up.
• Fluent in English; French is a plus.
• Willingness to travel to suppliers (up to 25% of time).
• Based at Aerospacelab HQ (currently Louvain‑la‑Neuve, transferring to Charleroi).

• Background in Space, Aeronautics, Defense, or Automotive industry.
• Experience reading and interpreting technical drawings and PCB design files (Gerber, BOM).
• Odoo ERP knowledge.
• Experience in team coordination or supplier development programs.