Supply Chain / Procurement Manager (Denver Metropolitan Area)

Company Overview

STRIX Drones USA, Inc. is a unmanned aerial systems defense technology company. Based in the Denver, Colorado area, STRIX serves both defense and commercial customers and is scaling its U.S. production capability to meet growing program demand.

Position Summary

STRIX is hiring a Supply Chain / Procurement Manager to own the day-to-day sourcing, ordering, and delivery of parts, components, and subassemblies required to build, fit, and finish DFNDR systems. This person will build and manage the vendor base, negotiate and place purchase orders, track lead times, and ensure the right parts arrive at the right time to hit production and program delivery schedules. They will be the primary owner of supply chain reliability as STRIX scales production volume.

Key Responsibilities

• Manage day-to-day procurement and ordering of mechanical, electrical, and electromechanical components to support production builds.

• Build and maintain a master parts/BOM procurement schedule tied to production and program delivery milestones.

• Identify, qualify, and onboard new suppliers; negotiate pricing, payment terms, and delivery commitments.

• Own supplier performance — track on-time delivery, quality escapes, and lead-time trends; drive corrective action with underperforming vendors.

• Maintain adequate safety stock and buffer strategies for long-lead or single-source items without over-investing working capital.

• Partner with Engineering and design-for-supply-chain feedback.

• Ensure procurement practices comply with ITAR, DFARS, and applicable military and government contracting requirements (e.g., flow-down clauses, sourcing restrictions, counterfeit parts avoidance).

• Manage inventory accuracy in coordination with production and finance; support cycle counts and cost roll-ups.

• Track and mitigate supply chain risk (single points of failure, geopolitical/export exposure, allocation, obsolescence).

• Support proposal and program teams with supplier quotes, lead-time estimates, and make/buy analysis.

• Report supply chain KPIs (on-time delivery, cost variance, inventory turns, lead time) to leadership.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain Management, Business, Engineering, or related field, or equivalent practical experience.

• 3 - 5+ years of procurement, buying, or supply chain management experience in hardware manufacturing (aerospace, defense, electronics, or robotics/UAS preferred).

• Direct experience procuring to military and government standards (e.g., MIL-SPEC parts, AS9100/ISO 9001 supplier requirements, ITAR/export-controlled sourcing, DFARS flow-downs).

• Track record managing multiple concurrent purchase orders and vendors against firm delivery schedules.

• Working knowledge of ERP/MRP systems for purchasing and inventory management.

• Strong negotiation skills and comfort working directly with suppliers on cost, terms, and schedule recovery.

• U.S. Person status (U.S. citizen or permanent resident) required due to ITAR/export control obligations.

• Based in or willing to relocate to the Denver/Highlands Ranch, Colorado area; on-site role.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in counter-UAS, unmanned systems, munitions, or missile/kinetic systems manufacturing.

• Existing supplier relationships in electronics, precision machining, composites, or UAS parts.

• Active or recently held DoD security clearance, or clearance eligibility.

• Experience supporting government contract vehicles (OTA, SBIR/STTR, FMS) and associated procurement compliance.

• APICS/ASCM certification (CPIM, CSCP) or equivalent supply chain credential.

• Experience scaling procurement processes at an early-stage or fast-growing hardware startup.

• Familiarity with export-controlled logistics (e.g., battery/LiPo shipping compliance, hazmat handling).