Senior Category Manager, Sensors/Mission Systems

The Senior Category Manager, Sensors/Mission Systems (internally known at Anduril as a Senior Global Sourcing Manager), is the domain expert for the sensor/mission systems commodities for Anduril Industries. This is a proactive, high-impact role in securing critical components, materials, and services that power our products.

This role will be responsible for developing new supplier and new sourcing partnerships that can be incorporated into new products, as well as existing products to improve their technologies, cost, and quality. There is broad internal cross functional partnership to evaluate supplier opportunities, while ensuring commercial agreements, intellectual property, and statement of works are accurate and well established prior to pipelining.

- Develop and execute commodity strategies for sensors/mission systems focusing on cost reduction, quality improvement, and supply chain resilience

- End-to-end responsibility for delivering quality parts, when needed, at the right cost

- Act as the sourcing expert for sensors/mission systems manufacturing

- Lead RFI/RFQ/RFP and strategic sourcing process for sensors/mission systems

- Own the business relationship with external Contract Manufacturing and responsible for continuity of supply, risk management, cost negotiations, and NPI to MP operation execution

- Partner with the Engineering team and Contract Manufacturers to influence technical design specs and customize product and manufacturing requirements

- Perform detailed analysis of quote submissions based on cost breakdown from data. Deep dive into every element of the supply chain and make data-driven decisions based on TCO

- Work closely with cross-functional teams to support prototype requirements, execute against build milestones, and lead sourcing activities

- Influence CM's manufacturing processes and CapEx and technology decisions

- Negotiate key agreements with suppliers to establish best-in-class pricing, quality, flexibility, delivery, payment, warranty, and service terms

- Collaborate internally, negotiate the right tradeoffs, solicit cooperation and resolve problems, and advance new supplier or product offerings

- Provide strong technical direction within the specific commodities, by evaluating and guiding product strategy throughout the product lifecycle

- Manage and lead the operations effort of developing new and adaptations of existing technologies for Anduril

- Develop & execute commercial agreements to properly reflect the expectations of project, which include fixed and variable costs, lead-times, schedules, manufacturing capacities, etc

- Conduct regular technology reviews to Executive staff and management

- Own the supplier performance management of their respective commodities, which includes key delivery, quality, cost, and innovation metrics

- Act as the primary escalation for their respective commodity

- Bachelor's degree in supply chain, engineering, or related technical field

- 5+ years of experience in supply chain commodity management of sensors/mission systems manufacturing, and/or sourcing engineering

- Ability to relocate, if not already local to be onsite in Costa Mesa, CA

- Bachelor's degree in physics, electrical or mechanical engineering

- Previous experience in defense, aerospace, automotive, high tech, or related industry

- Well-versed in TCO analysis to ensure data-driven analytics tied to component and supplier selection, in a product-based ecosystem

- Strategic thinker, experienced putting together commodities strategy/roadmap with key engineering stakeholders

- Proven leadership in driving and influencing other teams to a common goal. You know how to effectively communicate and collaborate cross functionally and with all levels within an organization

- Can wear different hats and it a strong team player to help your team move forward.

- You are fluent in other cross functional areas to fill gaps and remove roadblocks when needed