Senior Subcontract Lead

Senior Subcontract Lead
Location: Buffalo, New York
Full-Time

The Senior Subcontract Lead manages assigned suppliers and drives performance across delivery, quality, inventory, cost, and continuity-of-supply objectives. The role owns supplier relationships end to end, working closely with internal manufacturing teams and external suppliers to resolve issues, reduce risks, and support production requirements.

The successful candidate will bring progressive experience in manufacturing, engineering, procurement, supply chain, program management, or quality. Strong supplier relationship management, negotiation, problem-solving, and continuous improvement capabilities are essential.

The ideal candidate is an experienced supply chain or procurement professional who can take ownership of supplier relationships, manage complex supplier issues, and drive measurable performance improvements.

They should be comfortable negotiating with suppliers, analyzing operational problems, coordinating cross-functional teams, and supporting manufacturing continuity. Candidates with aerospace or defense manufacturing experience, strong Lean/Six Sigma skills, and knowledge of FAR/DFARS requirements may be particularly well aligned.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree.
  
  
• More than 7 years of progressive experience in manufacturing or engineering-related environments, including one or more of the following:
  • Purchasing or procurement
    
    
  • Supply chain
    
    
  • Program management
    
    
  • Manufacturing
    
    
  • Engineering
    
    
  • Quality
    
    
• Experience managing and developing supplier or customer relationships.
  
  
• Experience with procurement processes.
  
  
• Experience conducting Lean/Six Sigma problem-solving analysis.
  
  
• Strong supplier performance management and issue-resolution skills.
  
  
• Ability to coordinate across multiple functions and stakeholders.
  
  
• Strong communication, negotiation, and problem-solving capabilities.
  
  
• Willingness to travel approximately 20%.
  
  

Preferred Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Supply Chain, or Business.
  
  
• APICS, CPM, or PMP industry or discipline certification.
  
  
• Experience in aerospace, aviation, or defense manufacturing.
  
  
• Experience working with FAR/DFARS procurement requirements.
  
  
• Experience leading supplier business reviews and supplier recovery plans.
  
  
• Experience with supplier performance metrics covering quality, delivery, cost, and inventory.
  
  
• Experience coordinating with manufacturing, assembly, testing, and planning teams.