Senior Subcontracts Manager - Industrial Manufacturing

Socket.dev; Houston (TX); On-site; USD 120,000 - 170,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive compensation package

In-person, on-site work at Houston HQ

Job summary

Piping Technology & Products, based in Houston, Texas, seeks a Subcontracts Manager with deep experience in industrial manufacturing. You will lead the full lifecycle of subcontracting, translate drawings into scopes, and negotiate terms to ensure on-time, on-budget delivery while protecting the company’s commercial interests.

You will collaborate across Operations, Engineering, QE, Supply Chain, and Finance to assess supplier capabilities, monitor performance, and implement corrective actions

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in engineering or related field; equivalent directly relevant experience may be considered.
• At least 15 years of progressive experience working directly with and managing industrial manufacturing firms, subcontractors, or fabrication suppliers.
• Demonstrated working knowledge of cutting, fitting, welding, machining, and fabrication processes, including the ability to assess shop capability, labor requirements, production flow, constraints, and realistic lead times.
• Extensive experience developing scopes of work, issuing and evaluating requests for quotation, negotiating terms, administering subcontracts, managing changes, and resolving performance issues.
• Ability to read and interpret engineering drawings, bills of material, specifications, tolerances, welding requirements, inspection criteria, and production schedules.
• Strong cost analysis, negotiation, risk assessment, documentation, and contract administration skills.
• Clear written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to provide concise status reports and escalations with practical recommendations.
• Ability and willingness to travel to subcontractor and supplier facilities as required.

Responsibilities

• Lead full subcontracting lifecycle from make-or-buy input, market research, bidder qualification, RFQ, bid leveling, negotiation, award, kickoff, execution, change management, closeout, and final performance review.
• Develop clear scopes of work by translating drawings, bills of material, specifications, codes, inspection requirements, schedules, and commercial terms into complete subcontract packages with defined deliverables and acceptance criteria.
• Document scope changes, evaluate cost and schedule impacts, negotiate equitable adjustments, resolve disputes, and prevent unauthorized work.
• Assess subcontractors' equipment, capacity, labor, supervision, procedures, certifications, quality systems, and demonstrated ability to perform cutting, fitting, welding, machining, and fabrication.
• Identify, qualify, develop, and rationalize subcontractors to improve capacity, technical capability, geographic coverage, responsiveness, and business continuity.
• Negotiate pricing, lead times, payment terms, warranties, remedies, freight responsibilities, tooling, material ownership, intellectual property, and risk allocation.
• Perform cost analysis and risk assessment to support sound commercial decisions.
• Establish milestones and scorecards; monitor safety, quality, cost, schedule, responsiveness, and documentation; and lead recovery plans for late or nonconforming work.
• Maintain frequent contact with subcontractor leadership and shop personnel, conduct site visits, review production status, verify material and resource readiness, and remove constraints before they affect delivery.
• Partner with Quality and Engineering to confirm applicable drawings, welding procedures, welder qualifications, material traceability, inspection and test plans, nondestructive examination, dimensional requirements, and code or customer specifications.
• Communicate risks, commitments, forecasts, and corrective actions to internal stakeholders and maintain accurate records.
• Coach team members in disciplined subcontract management practices.

Skills

Contract negotiation

Supplier management

Reading engineering drawings

Cost analysis

Risk assessment

Project management

Leadership

Education

Bachelor's degree in engineering or related field

Tools

ERP systems

Procurement software

Scheduling tools

Document control tools

Job description

Piping Technology & Products, based in Houston, Texas, seeks a Subcontracts Manager with deep experience in industrial manufacturing. You will lead the full lifecycle of subcontracting, translate drawings into scopes, and negotiate terms to ensure on-time, on-budget delivery while protecting the company’s commercial interests.

You will collaborate across Operations, Engineering, QE, Supply Chain, and Finance to assess supplier capabilities, monitor performance, and implement corrective actions