Supply Chain Manager

Vendra (YC S24); San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 90,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

Vendra is expanding its operations team with a Supply Chain Manager to own the discovery, qualification, and onboarding of new CNC machine shops and additive manufacturing shops across the United States.

Vendra’s customer demand is growing—particularly in aerospace and defense—and we continuously expand and improve our network of high-quality U.S. manufacturers with capacity. This is a high-impact, boots-on-the-ground role that influences Vendra’s ability to scale.

Qualifications

• Knowledge of supplier discovery, qualification, onboarding processes.
• Understanding of machining processes, materials, tolerances, and finishes.
• Experience with regulated environments (aerospace/defense preferred).

Responsibilities

• Build a pipeline of qualified CNC shops (3–5 axis) across the U.S.
• Build a pipeline of polymer and metal additive manufacturing suppliers.
• Target suppliers aligned with aerospace, defense, and high-spec hardware requirements.
• Evaluate supplier capabilities, capacity, and specialization (materials, tolerances, part size, finishing).
• Travel to visit key shops and build long‑term relationships.
• Own supplier qualification & onboarding: assess capabilities, quality systems, documentation controls, and compliance (ITAR/EAR, certs, FAIRs).
• Build and optimize supplier network: monitor capacity, strengths, gaps, and feed data into supplier matching to improve RFQs.

Skills

Supply chain

Supplier management

Manufacturing operations

CNC machining

Additive manufacturing

Aerospace/defense

Job description

We’re expanding our operations team with a Supply Chain Manager to own the discovery, qualification, and onboarding of new CNC machine shops and additive manufacturing shops across the United States.

Vendra’s customer demand is growing - particularly in aerospace & defense - and we need to continuously expand and improve our network of high-quality U.S. manufacturers with available capacity. This is a high impact, “boots on the ground” role that directly influences Vendra’s ability to scale.

What you’ll do

What we’re looking for

We’re expanding our operations team with a Supply Chain Manager to own the discovery, qualification, and onboarding of new CNC machine shops and additive manufacturing shops across the United States.

Vendra’s customer demand is growing - particularly in aerospace & defense - and we need to continuously expand and improve our network of high-quality U.S. manufacturers with available capacity. This is a high impact, “boots on the ground” role that directly influences Vendra’s ability to scale.

Expand Vendra’s U.S. CNC Machining and Additive Manufacturing Supplier Network

• Build a strong pipeline of qualified 3-, 4-, and 5-axis shops
• Build a strong pipeline of polymer and metal additive manufacturing suppliers
• Target suppliers aligned with aerospace, defense, and high-spec hardware requirements
• Evaluate supplier capabilities, capacity, and specialization (materials, tolerances, part size, finishing, etc.)
• Travel to visit key shops and build long‑term relationships

Own Supplier Qualification & Onboarding

• Evaluate suppler capability and quality through reviews and test parts
• Assess quality systems (ISO 9001, AS9100, documentation controls, etc.)
• Validate ability to meet traceability, documentation, and compliance requirements (ITAR/EAR, certs, FAIRs, etc.)
• Ensure suppliers are fully production-ready before receiving high‑value RFQs and orders

Build and Optimize Vendra’s Supplier Network

• Understand real‑time supplier capacity, technical strengths, and constraints across our network
• Identify capability gaps (large‑format machining, tight GD&T performance, specific materials or finishes, etc.)
• Collect and analyze supplier performance metrics (on‑time delivery, quality, quoting speed, communication, program complexity, etc.)
• Feed structured performance data back into Vendra’s supplier matching system to improve how RFQs are routed and matched to the best‑fit shop

What success looks like (in order of importance)

• Supplier quality and on‑time delivery remain extremely high as we scale
• Vendra consistently has the capacity to support customer demand without bottlenecks
• New CNC shops are onboarded quickly and become reliable production partners
• We have strong geographic and capability coverage across the U.S.
• Our supplier base becomes a long‑term strategic advantage
  

What the ideal candidate looks like

• 2‑5 years of experience in supply chain, sourcing, manufacturing operations, or supplier management
• Experience working directly with CNC machine shops or precision manufacturers
• Strong understanding of machining processes, tolerances, materials, and finishes
• Comfortable reviewing technical drawings and assessing manufacturability
• Experience qualifying suppliers in regulated environments (aerospace/defense preferred)
• Willingness to travel to visit suppliers in person

Nice to have (not required)

• Experience working with aerospace, defense, robotics, or advanced hardware companies
• Familiarity with regulated manufacturing environments (ITAR/EAR, AS9100, traceability, FAI reports, etc.)
• Background in mechanical engineering, manufacturing, supply chain, or industrial operations
  

Why should you join Vendra?

• We’re growing fast, and we’re a trusted manufacturing partner for companies like Anduril, Shield AI, Relativity Space, and K2 Space
• You’ll be shaping the sales and customer trajectory to build a category‑defining company in manufacturing
• You’ll work in an environment where your contributions will have immediate, tangible impact on revenue and success
• You will have tremendous growth opportunities because we want our early hires to lead future organizations