Strategic Sourcing Manager - Printed Wiring Boards

Viasat; Carlsbad (CA); On-site; USD 150,500 - 237,500; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Comprehensive health benefits

Stock incentives

Flexible working hours

Career development opportunities

Job summary

Viasat is seeking an experienced Strategic Sourcing Manager to lead sourcing and supplier management strategies for electronic components. Located in Carlsbad, California, this position focuses on optimizing costs and ensuring a resilient supply chain.

The ideal candidate will possess extensive experience in electronics manufacturing, negotiation skills, and a background in supply chain management. This role emphasizes collaboration with engineering and manufacturing teams to meet business needs and improve lead times.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of strategic sourcing, procurement, or supply chain experience.
• 5+ years managing electronic manufacturing commodities.
• Strong negotiation and contract management skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead sourcing, supplier management, and cost optimization strategies.
• Develop multi-year sourcing strategies for electronics components.
• Negotiate pricing, contracts, and service agreements.

Skills

Strategic sourcing

Supplier management

Cost optimization

Negotiation

Global supply chain management

Electronics manufacturing knowledge

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain, Business, Engineering, or related field

Tools

ERP systems

SAP

Oracle

Ariba

Job description

About us

One team. Global challenges. Infinite opportunities. At Viasat, we're on a mission to deliver connections with the capacity to change the world. For more than 35 years, Viasat has helped shape how consumers, businesses, governments and militaries around the globe communicate. We're looking for people who think big, act fearlessly, and create an inclusive environment that drives positive impact to join our team.

What you’ll do

We are seeking an experienced Strategic Sourcing Manager to lead the sourcing, supplier management, cost optimization, and supply continuity strategies for Printed Wiring Boards (PWBs), Printed Circuit Boards (PCBs), cable assemblies, wire harnesses, and related interconnect technologies. This role will partner closely with Engineering, Manufacturing, Quality, Program Management, Supply Chain and Operations to ensure a resilient, cost-competitive, and scalable supply base that supports both commercial and government programs.

The ideal candidate possesses deep commodity expertise in electronics manufacturing, supplier negotiations, cost modeling, and global supply chain management.

This is a sitebased role, employees work 3+ days (60%+) per week from a Viasat office or work location within a standard fiveday workweek.

The day-to-day

Commodity Strategy

• Develop and implement multi-year sourcing strategies for:
  • Bare PWBs
  • HDI, RF, rigid-flex, and high-speed PWBs
  • Cable assemblies
  • Wire harnesses
  • Electromechanical interconnects
  • Connectors and associated components
• Analyze market conditions, technology trends, capacity constraints, and geopolitical risks impacting the supply base.
• Create sourcing roadmaps aligned to business growth, technology transitions, and product lifecycle requirements.

Supplier Management

• Identify, qualify, and manage strategic suppliers globally.
• Lead supplier selection activities, RFQs, supplier scorecards, and business reviews.
• Establish executive-level supplier relationships to drive performance and strategic alignment.
• Develop dual-source and risk mitigation strategies for critical technologies.

Cost & Negotiation Leadership

• Lead negotiations for pricing, contracts, capacity commitments, and service agreements.
• Build should-cost models for PWBs and cable assemblies.
• Drive annual cost reduction initiatives through:
  • Design-to-cost
  • Value engineering
  • Supply base optimization
  • Competitive sourcing
  • Productivity sharing programs
• Deliver measurable cost savings and working capital improvements.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Partner with Engineering on DFM/DFX initiatives and supplier technology selection.
• Support New Product Introduction (NPI) and design transitions.
• Collaborate with Supply Chain, Manufacturing and Planning to resolve supply constraints and improve lead times.
• Work with Quality to address supplier corrective actions and continuous improvement initiatives.

Risk Management & Compliance

• Monitor supplier financial health, capacity, geopolitical exposure, and material availability.
• Develop continuity-of-supply plans for critical programs.
• Ensure compliance with:
  • FAR/DFARS requirements
  • ITAR and export regulations
  • Responsible Business Alliance (RBA) standards
  • Conflict Minerals requirements
  • CMMC and cybersecurity expectations where applicable

What you’ll need

• Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain, Business, Engineering, Operations, or related field.
• 10+ years of strategic sourcing, procurement, or supply chain experience.
• 5+ years managing electronic manufacturing commodities.
• Demonstrated expertise in:
  • Bare PWBs
  • PCB fabrication technologies
  • Cable assemblies and wire harnesses
  • EMS and contract manufacturing environments
• Strong negotiation and contract management skills.
• Experience with ERP and sourcing systems such as SAP, Oracle, and Ariba.
• Ability to travel up to 20%.
• U.S. Citizenship is required

What will help you on the job

• Experience supporting aerospace, defense, satellite, telecommunications, or high-reliability electronics industries.
• Knowledge of IPC standards including IPC-6012, IPC-A-600, IPC-A-610, and IPC/WHMA-A-620.
• Understanding of RF, high-frequency, and space-grade electronics.
• CPSM, CPSD, CPM, or equivalent professional certification.
• MBA or advanced degree.

Salary range

$150,500.00 - $237,500.00 / annually.

For specific work locations within San Jose, the San Francisco Bay area and New York City metropolitan area, the base pay range for this role is $187,000.00- $280,000.00/ annually

At Viasat, we consider many factors when it comes to compensation, including the scope of the position as well as your background and experience. Base pay may vary depending on job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. Additional cash or stock incentives may be provided as part of the compensation package, in addition to a range of medical, financial, and/or other benefits, dependent on the position offered. Learn more about Viasat’s comprehensive benefit offerings that are focused on your holistic health and wellness at https://careers.viasat.com/benefits.

EEO Statement

Viasat is proud to be an equal opportunity employer, seeking to create a welcoming and diverse environment. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, ancestry, physical or mental disability, medical condition, marital status, genetics, age, or veteran status or any other applicable legally protected status or characteristic. If you would like to request an accommodation on the basis of disability for completing this on-line application, please click here.