Supply Chain & Logistics Specialist

Welcome to Backburner Labs

Backburner Labs is an engineering consultancy in St. Paul that designs and builds products our clients can't build alone: medical devices, industrial systems, robotics, things that often don't exist until we make them. That's the engineering side.

None of it works without the business behind it. We've doubled revenue every year for five years and are preparing to move into a new headquarters to match. Growth like that doesn't happen without finance, operations, logistics, and salespeople who are just as sharp and just as accountable as the engineers down the hall.

We're still small enough that your work is visible, not buried in a process nobody remembers building. You'll help create the systems this company runs on as it scales, not just maintain ones someone else already figured out.

If you'd rather build something than babysit it, you'll fit in here.

Help build the company that's building what's next.

• Founded: 2019
• Company: ~50 people (full-time and contract employees)
• Current location: St Paul - St Anthony Park area
• Future location: Minneapolis - Prospect Park area (we have leased a 43,000 sq ft building)
• Revenue: doubled every year for 5 years (more details shared later)
• Client retention: 93%

Backburner Labs is seeking a detail-oriented Supply Chain & Logistics Specialist to join our Manufacturing team. In this role, you will own the full procurement-to-delivery cycle that keeps our engineering and production teams supplied and on schedule. You will source and purchase a wide range of electronic components, mechanical hardware, and fabricated parts; manage purchase orders and supplier accounts; and coordinate the inbound and outbound logistics that move material through our operation. This is a hands-on procurement and logistics position — not a warehouse role — central to how our hardware programs get built and shipped.

The ideal candidate brings a working knowledge of supply chain and procurement fundamentals, including PO management, supplier negotiation, lead time and tariff tracking, and freight coordination across parcel (FedEx, UPS) and LTL carriers. Strong receiving and inventory discipline is essential: you will perform incoming inspection and quality control, maintain accurate cycle counts, and manage lot tracking and serial-number traceability to support our quality and compliance standards. Experience with ERP and PLM workflows such as Microsoft Dynamics ERP, Arena PLM systems, and acknowledgment inventory transactions is highly valued, along with solid proficiency in Microsoft systems Word, Excel, etc.

Beyond execution, this role is highly collaborative. You will work directly with engineering and project owners to forecast material needs against active builds, prioritize purchasing to meet program timelines, and proactively resolve shipping, receiving, and supplier discrepancies before they impact production. We are looking for someone who is organized, communicates clearly across teams, and takes ownership of problems through resolution. If you enjoy being the operational backbone of a fast-moving engineering company and thrive in a procurement and logistics function that touches every project, we would like to hear from you.

Details:

• Reports to: Manufacturing Operations Manager
• Team: ~8
• Status: Full-time employee
• Salary range: $70,000 - $80,000
• Interview process: (~2.5 weeks):
  • Head of Talent - video call
  • Manufacturing Operations Manager - video call
    • Panel interview and tour - in person
      • Peers
      • Leadership
  • Decision

Procurement & Purchasing

• Source and purchase electronic components, mechanical hardware, fabricated parts, and indirect materials from a broad supplier base (e.g., Mouser, DigiKey, McMaster-Carr, SendCutSend, CDW, Uline).

• Issue and manage purchase orders; track PO acknowledgments, lead times, tariffs, and expedites to support production schedules.

• Evaluate quotes, negotiate pricing and freight terms, and identify cost-savings and second-source opportunities.

Supplier & Account Management

• Maintain vendor accounts, payment terms, tax-exemption documentation, and supplier records.

• Build and manage supplier relationships, monitor on-time delivery and quality performance, and serve as the primary point of contact for purchasing accounts.

Receiving & Incoming Inspection

• Receive inbound shipments and verify purchase orders and packing slips for quantity, part number, and condition.

• Perform incoming quality control (QC) inspection and document discrepancies, shortages, and damage.

Inventory Control & Traceability

• Maintain accurate inventory through cycle counts and stock transactions.

• Manage lot tracking and serial-number traceability to support quality, compliance, and product genealogy requirements.

Outbound Shipping & Logistics

• Coordinate domestic and outbound shipments via parcel carriers (FedEx, UPS) and LTL freight.

• Generate shipping labels, bills of lading (BOLs), and packing documentation; book freight and manage carrier scheduling.

Systems & Tools

• Manage procurement, receiving, and inventory transactions in Microsoft Dynamics ERP.

• Use Arena PLM for BOM management, item masters, and engineering change orders (ECOs).

• Proficient with the Microsoft 365 suite — Word, Excel, and SharePoint — for documentation, reporting, and record-keeping.

Coordination & Issue Resolution

• Partner with engineering and project owners to plan material requirements against active builds and bills of materials (BOMs).

• Investigate and resolve shipping/receiving discrepancies, carrier claims, and supplier returns (RMAs).