Principal Strategic Sourcing

Vast is looking for a Principal Strategic Sourcing to the Senior Director of Supply Chain to lead complex sourcing and supply chain strategies supporting the development and production of human-rated space systems.

The Principal Strategic Sourcing Manager will serve as a senior individual contributor and subject matter expert within Supply Chain, owning high-impact sourcing strategies, solving complex supplier and program challenges, and influencing cross-functional decisions across Engineering, Manufacturing, Quality, and Program teams. This role requires the ability to operate independently in a fast-paced NPI environment, develop solutions where established processes may not yet exist, and create scalable strategies that improve the broader organization.

This will be a full-time, exempt position located in our Long Beach location.

Responsibilities:

Own category strategies for critical hardware, balancing cost, speed, quality, and risk

Lead high-stakes sourcing events end to end, including negotiating long-term agreements, capacity reservations, and rate-ramp commitments with executive-level supplier counterparts

Build should-cost and total-cost-of-ownership models that capture tooling, NRE, qualification, and yield, not just unit price

Work with Engineering early on make-vs-buy, design-to-cost, and design-for-manufacturability decisions

Find, qualify, and develop new suppliers, including non-traditional and commercial suppliers, to reduce single-source risk and add capacity

Keep sourcing and contract flow-downs compliant with ITAR/EAR, AS9100, and customer requirements

Mentor and train sourcing managers, buyers, and analysts through deal reviews, coaching, and workshops, and help build the playbooks and tools we scale on

Minimum Qualifications:

Bachelor's degree in Business, Supply Chain, Engineering, or a related field

7+ years of progressive experience in strategic sourcing, procurement, or supply chain in aerospace, space, defense, or another high-complexity manufacturing environment

Proven record of delivering significant cost, schedule, and risk-reduction results on complex, high-spend categories

Advanced negotiation skills, including with sole-source and strategic suppliers at the executive level

Strong analytical skills, including spend analysis, TCO, and should-cost modeling

Experience negotiating and managing long-term agreements, commercial terms, and supplier contracts

Working knowledge of AS9100 and ITAR/EAR as they apply to sourcing and supplier management

Demonstrated experience mentoring, coaching, or training colleagues

Strong communication and cross-functional influence skills, with the ability to work closely with Engineering, Manufacturing, Quality, Finance, and Legal

Comfort operating quickly with incomplete information and changing requirements

Preferred Skills & Experience:

Experience sourcing prototype, development, and production machined hardware in an NPI environment

Experience with value engineering, should-cost analysis, supplier development, and supply base optimization

Experience influencing engineering, manufacturing, and executive stakeholders without direct authority

Proficiency with ERP systems, RFQs/RFPs, and supplier contract management

Excellent communication, organizational, and problem-solving skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities

Additional Requirements:

Ability to travel up to 20% of the time

Willingness to work evenings and/or weekends to support critical mission milestones

Pay Range: California

$177,120—$251,424 USD