Role Overview
This role owns sourcing for the electronics and interconnect category — wire harnesses, connectors, PCBs, PCBAs, and electrical components — while carrying a full tactical procurement load across direct and indirect categories as OW scales from first launch toward multi-program production.
It is a both-hands role: one hand builds multi-month category strategies, coordinates FAI campaigns, and presents sourcing recommendations to engineering, finance, and leadership; the other runs the daily PO rhythm — requisitions to purchase orders, expediting, frame agreements and blanket orders, indirect buys, and tight coordination with production and material planners. Honest split: roughly 60–70% tactical execution, 30–40% category building, flexing with launch campaigns and program tempo.
The person who succeeds treats no task as beneath them — presenting a category strategy one week, helping close a cycle count or untangle a NetSuite reconciliation the next. Works most closely with: the peer buyer (mechanical), material & production planners, Engineering/D2M, Quality, and Finance.
Responsibilities Overview
- Own sourcing activities for electronics and interconnect categories, including wire harnesses, connectors, PCBs, PCBAs, and electrical components.
- Identify, evaluate, and onboard suppliers through RFQs, commercial negotiations, supplier selection, and contract awards.
- Develop and maintain the sourcing strategy for assigned categories, including supply base mapping, dual-source planning, localization opportunities, cost optimization, and lead-time reduction.
- Present category strategies and sourcing recommendations to Engineering, Quality, Finance, and leadership stakeholders.
- Partner with Engineering and Design-to-Manufacturing (D2M) teams on component selection, approved alternates, obsolescence management, and design-for-sourcing improvements.
- Coordinate First Article Inspection (FAI) activities with Engineering and Quality to support successful supplier qualification.
- Lead supplier qualification activities in accordance with the Orbitworks Approved Supplier List (ASL) process.
- Support the development of local UAE suppliers in line with localization and In-Country Value (ICV) objectives.
- Manage the full purchase order lifecycle in NetSuite, including requisition review, PO creation, technical and quality flow-down, supplier acknowledgements, expediting, and delivery tracking.
- Procure indirect goods and services, including marketing, communications, office services, facilities, and operational consumables.
- Establish and manage procurement automation mechanisms such as blanket purchase orders, purchase contracts, framework agreements, Not-to-Exceed (NTE) POs, and Vendor Managed Inventory (VMI) arrangements.
- Work closely with Production and Material Planning to align procurement activities with the master production schedule and proactively mitigate shortages and long-lead risks.
- Resolve supplier delivery, quality, and commercial issues while maintaining an accurate discrepancy tracker.
- Maintain accurate, compliant, and audit-ready procurement records within NetSuite to support AS9100 requirements.
- Collaborate with the wider Supply Chain Management (SCM) buying team by providing category coverage and workload support as required.
- Support broader SCM operations, including inventory cycle counts, logistics coordination, receiving activities, and NetSuite reconciliations when needed.
- Drive continuous improvement initiatives across SCM by developing standardized templates, improving procurement processes, and reinforcing NetSuite data discipline.
Must-Have Skills (Requirements)
3–6 years of procurement experience in manufacturing or industrial environments, including hands-on tactical buying, purchase order management, expediting, and supplier follow-up.
Proven ability to manage high-volume tactical procurement activities while balancing strategic sourcing responsibilities.
Experience sourcing electronics, PCB/PCBA, cable and wire harnesses, connectors, electro-mechanical components, or the technical aptitude to rapidly develop expertise in these categories.
Ability to engage confidently with both suppliers and engineering teams on technical sourcing decisions.
Experience within aerospace, defense, space, or another highly regulated industry.
Working knowledge of AS9100, AS9102 First Article Inspection (FAI), counterfeit-part prevention, Certificates of Conformance (CoC), and material traceability requirements.
Ability to interpret engineering drawings, Bills of Materials (BOMs), specifications, and other technical documentation.
Experience collaborating closely with Engineering and Design-to-Manufacturing (D2M) teams on component selection, approved alternates, and obsolescence management.
Experience establishing and managing procurement contract mechanisms, including blanket purchase orders, purchase contracts, and framework agreements.
Understanding of procurement automation and continuous improvement initiatives to streamline repeat purchasing activities.
Strong analytical and communication skills, with the ability to develop sourcing recommendations and present them to technical, commercial, and leadership stakeholders.
Experience developing and presenting category strategies to cross-functional teams.
Proficiency with ERP systems, preferably NetSuite, for procurement and supplier management.
Experience working with global suppliers across multiple time zones.
UAE-based with valid residency and work authorization.
Ability to work effectively in a full-time, on-site environment.
Nice-to-Have Skills
- Experience managing both direct and indirect procurement categories, including services, facilities, office operations, and marketing spend.
- Previous experience in a startup, scale-up, or new manufacturing facility where procurement processes and systems were being established.
- Demonstrated ability to thrive in fast-paced, evolving environments with a proactive, process-improvement mindset.
- Experience building, standardizing, and improving procurement processes and operational workflows.
