Vendor Development & Relations Manager

Job Description

Job Description

Jetaire Flight Systems (JFS) is a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) approved Design Approval Holder (DAH) with Parts Manufacturing Approval (PMA) providing high-reliability electronic hardware and systems support where critical functions, durability, and peak performance are vital. We provide service to military, commercial, aerospace, and space industries. Our engineering experience, flexible manufacturing, and competitive pricing enable us to meet customer requirements with the highest standards. Our combined world-class materials management and fulfillment services provides customers with a true, vertically integrated vehicle support partner.

Headquartered in Fayetteville, GA with global reach, our dedicated employees provide over 150 value-added technical and engineering solutions with service to customers in 64+ countries. Through our in-house DER staff, Jetaire provides complete avionics modification services including engineering, design, manufacturing, integration and certification, supplemental type certificate development, FAA certification assistance, and regulatory consulting services.

Position Summary

As Vendor Development & Relations Manager, you will build and scale our vendor manufacturing ecosystem to support rapid growth. This high impact role is responsible for transforming vendor quality systems, reducing inspection reliance through SPC implementation, and expanding our manufacturing capacity through strategic vendor partnerships.

You will lead the shift from an inspection heavy quality model to a near zero inspection environment while scaling our vendor network from two to four or more qualified manufacturing partners.

We are at a hyper-growth inflection point and need a growth-focused operations professional to build and scale our vendor management capabilities to support 3-5x business expansion.

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Key Responsibilities

Quality Transformation & Continuous Improvement (MUST HAVE)

• Help implement Statistical Process Control (SPC) at vendor facilities
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives across the supply chain
• Create executive level reporting for vendor health and performance
• Ensure aerospace regulatory and quality compliance (AS9100, FAA)
• Use AQL standards to determine sample sizes and inspect incoming materials for quality acceptance.

Operational Excellence & Cost Optimization

• Improve material utilization and reduce waste across vendor operations
• Establish inventory thresholds and vendor stocking requirements
• Prepare vendor cost, delivery, quality, and value comparisons
• Issue corrective actions with root cause and trend analysis
• Manage vendor chargebacks for quality or compliance failures

Vendor Network Development & Management

• Source, qualify, and onboard new manufacturing vendors to support growth goals
• Design scalable vendor qualification and onboarding processes
• Lead vendor contract negotiations and define service level agreements
• Track vendor performance using dashboards and performance reporting
• Coordinate shipping schedules and external manufacturing logistics

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Required Qualifications

Experience & Education
• Bachelor’s degree in engineering, Supply Chain, Business, or related field
• 3 to 5 years of vendor management or supply chain experience in regulated manufacturing
• Hands on experience with SPC implementation and quality system transformation
• Proven vendor development experience in scaling environments
Technical Skills
• Statistical Process Control (SPC) implementation and training
• Aerospace quality systems (AS9100, ISO 9001, or similar)
• Contract negotiation and supplier performance management
• Manufacturing process optimization and lean principles
• Strong Microsoft Office proficiency (Excel required)
Core Competencies
• Strategic thinker with hands on execution capability
• Strong negotiation, communication, and vendor facing presence
• Analytical problem solver with cost and performance focus
• Ability to interpret technical drawings and specifications
• Effective project and stakeholder management skills

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Preferred Qualifications
• Six Sigma Green or Black Belt
• APICS / ASCM certifications (CSCP, CLTD)
• PMP certification
• Experience scaling operations in growth stage companies
• Aerospace regulatory compliance background

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What We Offer

Growth & Impact
• Ground floor role at an aerospace company in a hyper growth phase
• Direct, measurable impact on company scale and performance
• High visibility and access to executive leadership
• Strong career growth as the organization expands
Authority & Autonomy
• Primary Owner of vendor selection and contract negotiations
• Accountability for vendor spend and performance outcomes
• Ability to design and implement systems from the ground up
Compensation & Benefits
• Competitive salary based on experience
• Comprehensive benefits package
• Professional development opportunities

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Travel
• Occasional travel (up to 4 days per month) for vendor site visits

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Success Metrics
• Reduction of incoming inspection rates toward near zero
• Improvements in vendor quality and on time delivery
• Cost savings through material and process optimization
• Onboarding of 2+ new qualified vendors within 12 months
• SPC deployment across the vendor network