Supply Chain Engineer, Mechanical

gitai; Los Angeles (CA); On-site; USD 125,000 - 165,000; Full time

Job summary

GITAI is hiring a Supply Chain Engineer, Mechanical, to own the manufacturing and supplier path for mechanical parts and assemblies. You will work with mechanical engineers to interpret drawings, GD&T, materials, tolerances, and test requirements, and determine the fastest practical manufacturing path.

You will qualify suppliers for machining, sheet metal, fabrication, and testing, manage RFQs, and negotiate pricing and lead times.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, or closely related field.
• 3+ years of experience in mechanical/manufacturing engineering, technical sourcing, supplier development, or supply chain for physical hardware.
• At least 1 year as an internal employee at a VC-backed hardware startup during Seed/Series A/B stage.
• Strong ability to read mechanical drawings and GD&T, materials, tolerances, and design intent.
• Experience working with suppliers on complex mechanical parts, assemblies, or subsystems from RFQ through delivery.
• Ability to assess supplier capability and make decisions across manufacturability, quality, lead time, cost, and iteration speed.
• Strong supplier negotiation skills and ability to build new supplier relationships without large-company leverage.
• U.S. citizenship is required for work with U.S. government customers.

Responsibilities

• Own sourcing and supplier execution for mechanical parts, assemblies, and subsystems from engineering release through manufacturing, testing, and delivery.
• Work directly with mechanical engineers to understand drawings, GD&T, materials, tolerances, design intent, and test requirements.
• Select appropriate manufacturing and testing paths including existing, new suppliers, or internal capabilities.
• Find and qualify suppliers for machining, sheet metal, fabrication, additive manufacturing, and specialized testing.
• Own RFQs, quote evaluation, supplier selection, pricing and lead-time negotiation, and purchase execution.
• Evaluate manufacturability, supplier capability, cost, lead time, and iteration speed; propose faster paths when beneficial.
• Drive suppliers through delivery and resolve schedule, quality, and manufacturing issues.

Skills

Sourcing experience

GD&T reading

Supplier negotiation

Manufacturing process knowledge

Education

Bachelor's degree in Mechanical/Aerospace/Manufacturing Engineering

Job description

Who We Are

GITAI is a vertically integrated space and defense company building the next generation of hardware for low-Earth-orbit missions.

At our core is the space robotics technology that has defined GITAI from the beginning. A small, highly capable engineering team applies that foundation across satellite buses, in-orbit servicing robotics, and mission hardware for applications such as Earth observation. Today, a major focus of our work is supporting U.S. national security missions, particularly through proliferated LEO satellite constellations and other next-generation space systems.

We design, build, integrate, and test much of our hardware in-house. Electrical, mechanical, software, manufacturing, integration, and test teams work closely together, allowing a small team to own complete systems rather than isolated components. This vertical integration helps us move quickly, learn directly from hardware, and shorten the path from architecture to a working system.

We are still early. The systems, the company, and the market are all being built at the same time. Requirements change, technical problems are often ambiguous, and many answers do not yet exist. We are looking for exceptional engineers and operators who want broad ownership, can work across disciplines, and are willing to stay close to the hardware until the mission succeeds.

Your Mission

As a Supply Chain Engineer, Mechanical at GITAI, you will own the manufacturing and supplier path for mechanical parts, assemblies, and subsystems. You will work directly with mechanical engineers, understand the intent behind their designs, and determine the fastest practical way to manufacture and test the hardware. That may involve an existing supplier, a new machine shop or specialized vendor, a different manufacturing process, or work performed internally at GITAI. You should be able to review a drawing, understand the critical features and manufacturing challenges, and quickly recommend a path forward. Your work should allow GITAI to run more design, build, test, and redesign cycles in less time.

What You'll Drive

• Own sourcing and supplier execution for mechanical parts, assemblies, and subsystems from engineering release through manufacturing, testing, and delivery.
• Work directly with mechanical engineers to understand drawings, GD&T, materials, tolerances, design intent, and test requirements.
• Select the right manufacturing and test path, including existing suppliers, new suppliers, and internal GITAI capabilities.
• Find and qualify suppliers for machining, sheet metal, fabrication, additive manufacturing, special processes, mechanical assemblies, and specialized testing.
• Own RFQs, quote evaluation, supplier selection, pricing and lead-time negotiation, and purchase execution.
• Evaluate manufacturability, supplier capability, cost, lead time, and iteration speed, and recommend changes when a different approach will move hardware faster.
• Drive suppliers through delivery, resolving schedule, quality, and manufacturing issues directly when they arise.
• Build a supplier network that supports rapid engineering iteration and continuously improve how GITAI gets mechanical hardware made and tested.

What We're Looking For

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, or a closely related engineering field.
• 3+ years of relevant experience in mechanical engineering, manufacturing engineering, technical sourcing, supplier development, or supply chain for physical hardware.
• At least 1 year of full-time experience as an internal employee at a VC-backed hardware startup while the company was at Seed, Series A, or Series B stage.
• Strong ability to read mechanical drawings and understand GD&T, materials, tolerances, manufacturing processes, and mechanical design intent.
• Experience working directly with suppliers on complex mechanical parts, assemblies, or subsystems from RFQ through delivery.
• Ability to assess a supplier's technical capability and make practical decisions across manufacturability, quality, lead time, cost, and engineering iteration speed.
• Strong supplier negotiation skills and the ability to develop new supplier relationships without relying on the purchasing leverage of a large company.
• Strong engineering judgment and willingness to use new suppliers, processes, tools, or internal capabilities when they provide a better path.
• U.S. citizenship is required due to the nature of GITAI's work with U.S. government customers and programs.

Location & Employment Details

Location: Torrance, CA, onsite. Occasional travel to supplier and test sites is expected based on program needs.

Employment Type: Full-Time, Exempt

Typical Work Hours: Monday to Friday, approximately 9:00 AM-6:00 PM onsite. Flexibility is expected based on mission schedules and program needs.

Compensation

Base Salary: $125,000-$165,000 per year

Final compensation will be determined based on experience, technical dept