Procurement Specialist

Shinkei; El Segundo (CA); On-site; USD 85,000 - 115,000; Full time

Job summary

Shinkei Systems is seeking a Procurement Specialist to own and support sourcing across manufacturing and engineering R&D. You will manage the flow of electromechanical and robotics components that power our systems, ensuring continuity and timely procurement to keep production moving.

You will collaborate with engineering and manufacturing teams, negotiate with vendors, and maintain dashboards for real‑time visibility.

Qualifications

• Experience in procurement, supply chain, or sourcing in a hardware, robotics, or industrial environment.
• Familiarity with electromechanical, automation, or robotics components strongly preferred.
• Strong vendor management and negotiation skills.
• High attention to detail with exceptional follow‑through.
• Ability to operate in fast‑paced, ambiguous startup environments.
• Strong communication skills across both technical and non‑technical stakeholders.
• Ability to manage multiple parallel priorities without losing operational clarity.
• Proficiency with task management tools (Asana preferred).

Responsibilities

• Own end-to-end procurement for manufacturing and engineering R&D parts, including electromechanical and industrial components.
• Build and maintain strong vendor relationships to negotiate pricing, lead times, and availability.
• Proactively track all open purchase orders and follow up to prevent delays or breakdowns in supply.
• Identify, assess, and mitigate supply chain risks including backorders, shortages, and long‑lead items.
• Manage delivery issues, discrepancies, and RMAs directly with vendors through resolution.
• Source hard‑to‑find or constrained components using non‑traditional suppliers and creative sourcing channels.
• Collaborate closely with engineering and manufacturing teams to understand requirements, changes, and timing shifts.
• Ensure accurate PO creation, order tracking, documentation, and coordination with Accounts Payable.
• Partner with the Production Coordinator to maintain visibility into inventory levels and upcoming demand shifts.
• Maintain clear operational dashboards and tracking systems (Asana) for real‑time procurement visibility.

Skills

Procurement

Sourcing hardware/robotics

Vendor management

Communication

Cross-functional collaboration

Tools

Asana

Job description

About Shinkei Systems

Shinkei Systems builds technology that improves how food moves through the world. We design robotics and software systems that bring consistency, quality, and care to seafood processing—preserving value, reducing waste, and supporting more resilient supply chains. Our work operates in real-world environments where speed, precision, and reliability directly impact outcomes. This is applied work. What we build runs in production, at scale, in demanding conditions.

The Role

We are looking for a Procurement Specialist to own and support sourcing across manufacturing and engineering R&D. This role sits at the center of our physical supply chain—owning the flow of electromechanical, industrial, and robotics components that power our systems. While ~70% of procurement for the year is already completed, this role is critical in ensuring continuity, managing ongoing ordering, and building the foundation for next year’s procurement strategy at scale. You will operate with urgency, precision, and strong ownership—keeping systems moving, parts flowing, and production unblocked.

Key Responsibilities

• Own end-to-end procurement for manufacturing and engineering R&D parts, including electromechanical and industrial components
• Build and maintain strong vendor relationships to negotiate pricing, lead times, and availability
• Proactively track all open purchase orders and follow up to prevent delays or breakdowns in supply
• Identify, assess, and mitigate supply chain risks including backorders, shortages, and long‑lead items
• Manage delivery issues, discrepancies, and RMAs directly with vendors through resolution
• Source hard‑to‑find or constrained components using non‑traditional suppliers and creative sourcing channels
• Collaborate closely with engineering and manufacturing teams to understand requirements, changes, and timing shifts
• Ensure accurate PO creation, order tracking, documentation, and coordination with Accounts Payable
• Partner with the Production Coordinator to maintain visibility into inventory levels and upcoming demand shifts
• Maintain clear operational dashboards and tracking systems (Asana) for real‑time procurement visibility

What You’ll Need

• Experience in procurement, supply chain, or sourcing in a hardware, robotics, or industrial environment
• Familiarity with electromechanical, automation, or robotics components strongly preferred
• Strong vendor management and negotiation skills
• High attention to detail with exceptional follow‑through
• Ability to operate in fast‑paced, ambiguous startup environments
• Strong communication skills across both technical and non‑technical stakeholders
• Ability to manage multiple parallel priorities without losing operational clarity
• Proficiency with task management tools (Asana preferred)

How You Work

• You move fast and don’t let orders stall
• You are highly resourceful when standard channels fail
• You stay calm under supply chain pressure and solve problems directly
• You prefer ownership over escalation
• You bring structure to messy, real‑world operations

Bonus If You Have Experience With

• Robotics, hardware manufacturing, or industrial automation
• High‑mix / low‑volume supply chains
• Early‑stage startups or scaling hardware teams
• International sourcing or constrained semiconductor/electronics markets

What Success Looks Like

• Parts arrive on time and production never stalls due to procurement gaps
• Vendors are actively managed, not passively followed
• Supply risks are identified early and resolved before they become issues
• Engineering and manufacturing always have visibility into material status
• Next‑year procurement is proactively structured and de‑risked

Equal Opportunity

Shinkei Systems is an equal opportunity employer. We value diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and approaches, and are committed to building a high‑trust, high‑performance environment.