Strategic Buyer - Advanced Manufacturing

Position Overview
The Strategic Buyer, Advanced Manufacturing is a procurement-focused role responsible for sourcing, contracting, and supporting the implementation of capital equipment, automation, equipment integrations, custom engineered solutions, prototypes, and other investments that expand PacSci EMC's advanced manufacturing capabilities. The role is approximately 75% procurement and 25% project management, with project-management responsibility centered on coordinating multiple supplier delivery schedules and procurement timelines. The role owns commercial execution from RFP/RFQ and supplier selection through purchase order placement, supplier milestones, equipment delivery, installation, and acceptance.
This position partners closely with Advanced Manufacturing, Engineering, Facilities, Quality, Operations, Finance, Program teams, and equipment suppliers/integrators. Success requires a hands-on purchasing professional who can combine strong sourcing and commercial judgment with disciplined project execution, operate effectively in an evolving environment with limited standard work, and independently create structure, solve problems, and drive commitments to completion. This is a 100% onsite position, Monday through Friday.
 

Responsibilities
• Own procurement, sourcing, and commercial execution for capital equipment, automation, equipment upgrades, custom one-off solutions, prototypes, engineered assemblies, indirect purchases, services, and related advanced-manufacturing investments.
• Lead RFP/RFQ development, bid analysis, supplier evaluation and selection, SOW support, commercial negotiations, purchase order placement, and implementation activities.
• Take accountability for supplier selection and ensure sourcing decisions balance technical requirements, total cost, schedule, quality, capacity, serviceability, and business risk.
• Perform sourcing activities across indirect, custom, prototype, equipment, and services categories, including market/supplier research, competitive bid activity, supplier identification, and development of sourcing options that support cost, schedule, technical, and business requirements.
• Manage equipment integrators and specialized OEMs responsible for designing, assembling, delivering, installing, and commissioning complex manufacturing systems and production equipment.
• Manage multiple supplier delivery schedules and procurement timelines from award through completion, including schedule recovery, scope management, change control, cost impacts, risk mitigation, and escalation when commitments are at risk.
• Maintain accountability for project purchasing documentation and material requirements, including BOMs, purchase orders, multiple delivery schedules, procurement timelines, progress reporting, risk visibility, and supplier deliverables.
• Partner with technical stakeholders to interpret and communicate equipment requirements and appropriately challenge specifications, supplier assumptions, SOW scope, cost, schedule, and change orders.
• Coordinate FAT/SAT planning and completion with the appropriate technical resources and ensure suppliers meet contractual, technical, safety, and operational requirements.
• Negotiate and manage commercial terms including pricing, payment terms, warranty coverage, service and maintenance requirements, spare parts/MRO needs, liability considerations, lead times, and supplier commitments; partner with Legal on complex contractual matters.
• Provide concise project reporting, risk visibility, recommendations, and executive-level updates for assigned equipment and capital projects.
• Manage supplier performance across cost, quality, delivery, capacity, responsiveness, and overall business risk, and drive corrective actions when performance does not meet expectations.
• Perform supplier due diligence and support supplier onboarding, capability assessments, compliance validation, transitions, second-source qualification, capacity actions, and continuity/risk mitigation initiatives as needed.
• Develop fact-based recommendations using spend, cost, market, supplier, and total-cost-of-ownership analysis and identify opportunities for cost reduction, cost avoidance, and stronger commercial terms.
• Maintain strong purchasing discipline and hands-on tactical execution, ensuring purchase orders, pricing, lead times, documentation, and supplier commitments are accurate and actively managed through completion.
• Independently manage multiple complex sourcing and purchasing priorities, build effective cross-functional networks, identify process gaps, and help establish scalable procurement practices for a growing Advanced Manufacturing organization.
 

Qualifications
• Bachelor's degree required; field of study is flexible.
• Typically 5-7 years of relevant experience in advanced manufacturing procurement, capital-equipment/CAPEX buying, equipment integration, project procurement, strategic sourcing, or related manufacturing programs. Candidates with fewer years may be considered when they bring significant hands-on experience sourcing and implementing capital equipment or establishing advanced manufacturing capabilities.
• Demonstrated experience purchasing capital equipment and/or custom engineered, one-off, prototype, or engineered-to-order solutions in an advanced or complex manufacturing environment.
• Demonstrated project-management experience supporting equipment, facility, manufacturing-capability, or other complex implementation projects, with emphasis on coordinating multiple delivery schedules and procurement timelines.
• Demonstrated ability to independently lead RFQs, complex supplier negotiations, supplier selection, and end-to-end purchasing execution.
• Strong commercial acumen with experience negotiating pricing, payment terms, warranties, service/maintenance terms, contractual provisions, change orders, and supplier commitments.
• Proven ability to manage multiple supplier delivery schedules, procurement timelines, supplier deliverables, schedule risk, scope changes, cost impacts, and corrective actions.
• Demonstrated cost-reduction, cost-avoidance, or other measurable value-delivery experience.
• Strong supplier-performance and risk-management capability across cost, quality, delivery, capacity, responsiveness, and business continuity.
• Strong Microsoft Office skills, particularly Excel and Outlook, with the ability to organize and analyze data and communicate clear recommendations.
• Ability to work independently, ask effective questions, build relationships across functions, influence without direct authority, and operate successfully in an ambiguous and evolving environment.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to provide concise executive-level project and risk updates.
• Ability to work 100% onsite, Monday through Friday and travel up to 25% based on business and project needs.
• Due to U.S. Government contract requirements applicable to this position, only U.S. citizens are eligible for employment in this role.
 

Preferred Qualifications
• Experience managing equipment integrators, specialized OEMs, automation suppliers, robotics, sensors, production machinery, or manufacturing-equipment installations.
• Experience with facility stand-up, production-line expansion, automation implementation, equipment upgrades, or other advanced-manufacturing capability projects.
• Familiarity with FAT/SAT, SOW creation, BOM management, spare-parts planning, MRO/service requirements, and formal change-order management.
• Experience in aerospace and defense or another highly regulated, complex manufacturing environment.
• Working knowledge of AS9100 or similar quality-system requirements.
• Experience with ERP/MRP or procurement systems and/or ERP implementation/integration; Oracle experience is a plus.
• Experience with Power BI, Tableau, Oracle Analytics, or similar analytical tools.
• Indirect strategic sourcing or commodity-management experience.
 

Desired Competencies
• High ownership, urgency, and execution discipline
• Strong negotiation and commercial judgment
• Project management, delivery-schedule coordination, and procurement-timeline ownership
• Advanced-manufacturing and capital-equipment orientation
• Comfort operating with ambiguity and limited standard work
• Independent problem solving and resourcefulness
• Cross-functional influence without direct authority
• Supplier performance and risk management
• Data-driven decision making
• Ability to manage multiple complex priorities
• Executive-level communication and business acumen



 

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