Principal Category Manager - PCBA

Epirus; New Mexico; On-site; USD 160,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

Epirus is seeking a Principal Category Manager to lead sourcing and supplier strategies for PCB/PCBA and related components. You will develop supplier strategies, negotiate favorable terms, and drive awards from proposal through production, ensuring competitive bids and strong supplier relationships.

You will collaborate with engineering and manufacturing teams to define specs, terms, and conditions, manage risk, and optimize total cost of ownership while supporting rapid production ramp and

Qualifications

• BS degree in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Business, Supply Chain, Operations Management or related field.
• Minimum 12 years of subcontract, commodity or supplier management experience or minimum 8 years with a Master’s degree.
• Understanding of supplier risk identification, mitigation and contingency planning.
• Direct design for manufacturing or design for quality experience.
• Previous experience in TCO analysis.
• Negotiation of price and terms, awarding and managing supplier IP or work-based products.
• Direct experience with PCB/PCBA manufacturing process flow.
• Experience managing a program and cross-functional teams.
• US Citizen and/or Permanent Resident.

Responsibilities

• Act as the sourcing and supplier expert in the PCB A space for Epirus designs.
• Collaborate across functions to identify supplier needs and negotiate pricing, terms & schedules.
• Own and manage all sourcing activities from development through production and close out.
• Review capabilities and ensure supply base capacity and quality yield for ramp-up.
• Manage supplier spend distribution and add new suppliers as needed.
• Lead supplier relationships and define escalation protocols.
• Conduct supplier analysis to inform Make vs. Buy decisions and risk assessments.
• Deliver transitions of new technologies into product development with risk management.
• Collaborate to resolve problems and advance new supplier or product offerings.
• Mentor other supply chain team members.

Skills

Subcontract management

Supplier management

Negotiation

Cross-functional collaboration

Program management

Cost and schedule management

Make vs. Buy analysis

RFQ/bid package development

Education

BS degree in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Business, Supply Chain, Operations Management or related field

8–12 years of supplier management experience or 8 years with a Master’s degree

Job description

About Epirus

Epirus is a high-growth technology company dedicated to overcoming the asymmetric challenges inherent to the future of national security. Epirus' flagship product, Leonidas, is a software-defined system built using intelligent power management techniques which allow power-hungry systems to do more with less.

Job Summary:

This is an exciting role in a growing company. The ideal candidate for thePrincipal Category Managerpositionis someone who isa skilled negotiator, has a strong strategic supplier vision, and has experience setting supplier strategies for long-term success.You willbe responsible forsourceselectionfrom proposal to execution phases, including negotiating strong positions for Epirus and building andmaintainingstrong supplier relationships.You will work with engineering to develop specifications, work statements, and terms and conditions for the procurement of specialized materials, equipment, and/or services by preparing bid packages, ensuring competition, negotiating key provisions, select suppliers, and executing the award.This individual may be required to provide input and/or share their experience in establishing internal PCBA manufacturing, including capital equipment selection, preventative maintenance schedules, process flow, and identifying potential supplier needed working with production, advanced electronics, industrial and manufacturing engineering teams.

Duties

• Act as the sourcing and supplier expert in thePCBAspace (specifically custom Epirus designs), but able to flex into multiple areas
• Collaborate across business functions toidentifysupplier needs and negotiatestrong pricing, terms & schedules with suppliers for development and production programs
• Own and managethefullsourcing and procurement activities from development through production and final contract close out, including managing and avoiding cost & schedule scope creep
• Review cross-team capabilities and ensurethe supply base hasappropriate manufacturingcapacity and quality yield to enable aggressive ramp up of production
• Manages the spend and supplier spend distribution for assigned mechanical commodities, including adding new suppliers asrequired
• Head supplier relationshipby ensuring alignment to Epirus needs, define escalation protocol, and audit and inspectsupplier’s facilitiestoaccurately assess technical capability, equipment, and capacity for rapid deployment of new product development andlong-term production
• Conduct comprehensive supplier analysis to inform ‘Make vs. Buy’ decisions, down selectan optimalsourcing plan taking short term NPI requirements andlong termproduction rates, technology replacement, price trend, market and industry position, and risk assessments into account
• Deliver a seamless transition ofviablenew technologiesinto the product development process managing risks while meeting quality, schedule, and cost goals.
• Collaborateacross multiple functionstoidentifybusiness needs, negotiate the right tradeoffs,solicitcooperationand resolve problems, and advance new supplier or product offerings.
• Mentor other supply chain team members in developing skills.
• Support other efforts, such as supply chain compliance, ERPdevelopmentand other key company projects

Required Qualifications

• BS degree inMechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Business, Supply Chain, OperationsManagementorrelated field
• Minimum of12years of subcontract, commodity or supplier management experienceOR minimum 8 years with aMaster’sdegree
• Understanding of supplier risk identification,mitigationand contingency planning
• Direct design for manufacturing or design for quality experience
• Previousexperience in TCO analysis
• Previousexperience innegotiation of price and terms and conditions, as wellasawardingand managing supplier owned IP products or products designed from a statement of work
• Direct experience and understanding of theend to endPCB/PCBA manufacturing process flow
• Experience managing a program and working with cross-functional teams
• US Citizen and/or Permanent Resident (future security clearance may berequired)

Desired Qualifications

• MBA preferred
• Aerospace/Defense experience and/or military experience
• Experience working with FAR/DFAR Experience in Earned Value Management or relatedfinancial managementexperience
• Componentelectronics manufacturing experience
• Good written and oral communication skills
• Collaborative; capable of working across all levels of the organization
• Organized; comfortable working in a fast-paced, ever-changing environment

ITAR REQUIREMENTS:

To conform to U.S. Government export regulations, applicant must be a (i) U.S. citizen or national, (ii) U.S. lawful, permanent resident (aka green card holder), (iii) Refugee under 8 U.S.C. § 1157, or (iv) Asylee under 8 U.S.C. § 1158, or be eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State.

At Epirus,you’llwork with technical peers and great people—and get first crack at some of the defining technology challenges of our time. Here, “impossible” is just a challenge.We'rea diverse, fast-growing team ofchange-makersfueling the future of energy with revolutionary solutions.

As required by the Equal Pay Transparency Act, Epirus provides a reasonable range of minimum compensation for roles that may be hired. Actual compensation is influenced by a wide array of factors including but not limited to skill set, level of experience, and specific office location.

For the state of California only, the range of starting pay for this role is:

$160,000—$189,500 USD