Supply Chain Deputy

Empirical Systems Aerospace, Inc; San Luis Obispo (CA); On-site; USD 141,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health plans

PTO

Life insurance

Supplemental benefits

HSA

401k match

Paid holidays

Job summary

Empirical Systems Aerospace, Inc (ESAero) seeks a Supply Chain Deputy to drive strategic and operational procurement, planning, and inventory management in a high-mix, low-volume aerospace environment.

Reporting to the Supply Chain Manager, you will design procurement strategies, maintain KPI-driven supplier performance, and ensure DFARS/DPAS compliance while leading a procurement team and coordinating with QA/Engineering.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of experience in Supply Chain.
• Proficiency with computerized MRP/ERP systems.
• Identify and maintain key procurement KPIs.
• Negotiate subcontract terms and pricing for materials and services.
• Maintain positive relationships with qualified suppliers.
• Lead recurring cost estimation for new product ideas.
• Review cost/quantity choices for cost-effective decisions.
• Knowledge of contract manufacturing practices.
• Establish viable relationships with offshore suppliers.
• Motivate and mentor a skilled procurement team.
• Familiarity with commercial electronics building practices.
• Hands-on experience with subcontracting and outsourcing PCB assembly and cable/harnesses.
• Prior government contracting experience.

Responsibilities

• Design and implement procurement strategies across all commodities to meet growing project needs.
• Maintain KPIs to drive supplier performance with quality and on-time delivery.
• Establish and maintain strategic partnerships with key suppliers.
• Extend supplier base to enable make/buy decisions and tooling choices.
• Ensure DFARS/DPAS compliance and government contract requirements.
• Maintain an approved supplier methodology per AS9100/ISO9001.
• Collaborate with QA and Engineering to approve new suppliers.
• Monitor supplier performance and drive improvements.
• Integrate approved suppliers into product teams during development.
• Position ESAero to leverage outside resources for manufacturing needs.
• Develop inventory processes to scale with >$100M inventory and ensure accuracy.

Skills

10+ years of experience in SupplyChain

MRP/ERP systems

procurement KPI measurements

negotiate subcontract terms

supplier relationships

cost estimation

cost/quantity optimization

contract manufacturing

offshore supplier relations

lead procurement team

electronics build practices

PCB assembly and harnesses

ASCM/ISM training desirable

inventory control methods

government contracting experience

Education

Bachelor's degree

Purchasing certification (ASCM/ISM)

Tools

MRP/ERP systems

Job description

Supply Chain Deputy

Job Summary:

The Supply Chain Deputy provides strategic and operational support for all supply chain functions in a mid-sized, AS9100-certified aerospace manufacturing and R&D organization. This roleis responsible forprocurement, production planning, inventory control,logistics, and supplier quality, ensuring alignment with company growthobjectives, customer requirements, and regulatory standards.As a key member of the leadership team, this role balances hands-on execution with strategic direction—building scalable processes, strengthening supplier partnerships, and supporting both production and new product development in a high-mix, low-volume environment.

Responsibilitiesand Duties:

• Reporting to the Supply Chain Manager, this position willbe responsible forthe helping with the performance of the ESAERO purchasing process and team.

• Designsand implementprocurement strategies across all commodities to meet the needs of a growing project and manufacturing business in the aerospace and defense marketplace.

• Maintain key performance Indicators (KPI’s) to drive superior supplier performance with an emphasis on high quality parts and services delivered on time.

• Establish andmaintainstrategic partnerships with key Suppliersin accordance withESAero’sstrategy to support project and manufacturing requirements.

• Extend the capabilities of the ESAERO supply base to enable effective make/buy decisions, identification of tooling choices and the use of alternative materials, evaluation of available manufacturing methods, and the selection of high-quality subcontractors.

• Ensure the application of the highest ethical standards in all procurement transactions.

• Lead major subcontracting efforts to include wire harnesses, consigned inventory, turnkeypcba’s, and composite fabrication.

• Develop secondary sources for any sole source components and services to support production and project team future growth.

• Ensure DFARS regulations, DPAS ratings and specific government and/or Customer contract requirements are followed by procurement and flowed down to all relevant sub-contractors and suppliers.

• Maintain and refine an “approved supplier”methodologyin accordance withAS9100/ISO9001 requirements.

• Work with QA and Engineering toidentifyand approve new suppliers to meet business needs

• Monitor supplier performance and work with QA to refine this process and use the data to drive procurement choices, corrective actions, and supplier performance improvements.

• Facilitate the inclusion of approved Suppliers to the integrated product teams throughout the product development process.

• Help in positioning ESAERO to be able toleverageoutside resources, especially in the areas of printed circuit assembly, wireharnessesand composite fabrication.

• Establish andmaintaina supplier base to support new products from prototype to ramped production with consistently high-quality components and services.

• Identifyand approve outside resources for key engineering services to meet overflow requirements and enable intelligent make/buy decisions.

• Work with finance/accounting toensuretimelycollection and recording ofpurchasingcommitments and invoices.

• Generates andmaintainsprocesses that enableaccuratephysical and NetSuite inventory

• Generates andmaintainsprocesses that enable our inventory systems to scale efficiently and accurately manage >$100M of inventory

• Works closely with finance and projects to rectify inventory errors

• Works with projects to ensure good inventory practices are being followed, trains these practices

• Supports project inventory disposition and closeout

• Identifiesand implements opportunities to reduce non-value-addedtime associated with inventory management and movement

• Develops processes around consistent use and naming of inventory Locations and Bins

• Supports process development around inventory tagging/marking such as labels, barcodes, etc. that better enable high-volume production

• Owns inventory cycle counts and corrects root causes of inventory errors

• Regularly performs internal audits of inventory processes (FAR requirement)

• Helps projects navigate and follow FAR and DFARS-required inventory practices from procurement to consumption or disposition

• Works with QA and project teams to develop processes that better enable traceability of material from receipt to consumption

• Lead a small team to clean-up existing inventory in our facilities

Required Qualifications and Skills:

• 10+ years of experience in Supply Chain.

• Proficiencywith computerized MRP/ERP systems isrequired

• Ability toidentifyandmaintainkey performance measurements for procurement.

• Ability to help negotiate subcontract terms and conditions and pricing for materials and services

• Responsible formaintainingpositive relationships with qualified Suppliers

• Ability to lead recurring cost estimation efforts for new product idea

• Ability to review cost/quantity choices and make cost effective decisions

• Knowledge of contract manufacturing practices.

• Ability to find andestablishviablerelationships with offshore Suppliers

• Ability to motivate and mentor a skilled procurement team

• Familiarity with commercial electronics building practices and components

• Hands-on experience with subcontracting and outsourcing printed circuit board assembly and cable/ harnesses isa must

• Bachelor’s degree is required.Formal purchasing certification is required.Association for Supply Chain Management (ASCM) or Institute for Supplier Management (ISM) training and/or certification is desirable.

• Understanding of inventory control methods and production control techniques

• Prior government contracting experience isrequired.

Comprehensive Benefits & Perks:

• Health & Wellness:Choose from three health, dental, and vision plans - including a100% employer-paid optioncovering both employees and their families.

• Paid Time Off:Enjoy120 hours of PTO, 80 hoursaccruedplus anadditional40 hours of holiday break payin addition to Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and New Year’s Day off.

• Life Insurance:$25,000 employer-paid life insurance policy, with theoptiontopurchaseadditionalcoverage for employees and their families.

• Supplemental Coverage:Access optional benefits such as Critical Illness, Hospital Indemnity, Accident Insurance, and Critical Illness with Skin Cancer coverage.

• Health Savings Account (HSA):Take advantage of a tax-advantaged HSA to manage medical expenses.

• Retirement Savings:401(k) with a company matchto support your financial future.

• Paid Holidays:Enjoy 9paid holidays throughout the year.

• Work Environment:A casual dress code, complimentary snacks,and a welcoming company culture.

• Ideal Location:Work in an area that offers an outstanding quality of life -a perfect place to live, work, and play!

Company Overview:

Empirical Systems Aerospace, Inc (ESAero) is a leader in aerospace engineering, product development, and manufacturing, dedicated to delivering high-quality, innovative, and cost-effective solutions to the industry. We specialize incutting-edgesystem design, rapid product development, precision manufacturing, comprehensive testing, and technology demonstrations to support the evolving needs of the aerospace community. Committed to excellence, on-time delivery, and continuous growth, we invest in infrastructure to expand our manufacturing and aftermarket capabilities whilemaintainingthe highest standards of engineering services.

AtESAero, wedon’tjust build products, we engineer solutions that propel

the aerospace industry forward.

This position is fully on-site atESAeroin San Luis Obispo, CA

ESAerois an equal opportunity employer.
E-Verify participationrequiredfor employment.

AllESAeropositions require US citizenship or US resident status.
Must be able to pass background check and drug test.
Hiring Range:$141,000 - $180,000 Salary/Exempt