Supply Chain & Contract Manufacturing Manager

Job Description

Job Description

About Us:

Sapphire Technologies delivers power and cooling to energy infrastructure. Our FreeSpin® In-line Turboexpander recovers the energy wasted when high-pressure gas is stepped down, converting it into clean electricity and low-temperature cooling. To better serve our customers in the data center industry, we are now expanding our high-speed turbomachinery offerings into oil-free compressors for chilling applications.

Our hands-on engineering team take products from concept to field deployment, with work spanning rotating machinery, power electronics, controls, and systems integration.

We are a mission-driven organization with one common goal: building a more sustainable world. Our employees are our biggest asset, and we are looking for change agents to join us on our journey.

Position Summary:

Sapphire Technologies is seeking a hands-on Supply Chain & Contract Manufacturing Manager to manage sourcing, planning, supplier management, and contract-manufacturing execution for advanced high-speed rotating machinery serving energy and data-center infrastructure applications. Our product platform integrates precision mechanical components, high-speed electric machines, active magnetic bearings, power electronics, controls, and liquid-cooled systems and is progressing from development into production.

This role is responsible for strategic and tactical sourcing, material and production planning, ERP/MRP discipline, inventory and logistics, supplier development, cost reduction, capacity planning, and day-to-day commercial management of contract-manufacturing partners. The position will lead the buyer/planner team and serve as the primary supply-chain interface among Engineering, Quality, Manufacturing Engineering, Program Management, suppliers, and contract manufacturers.

This is a functional leadership role with substantial hands-on responsibility. The successful candidate will strengthen current execution, standardize processes and systems, develop the team, and build the scalable supply network required to support both internal assembly-and-test operations and high-volume contract manufacturing.

Key Responsibilities:

• Manage, lead, and develop the buyer/planner team while remaining directly involved in sourcing, negotiations, shortage resolution, planning, and supplier follow-up.
  
• Develop and execute sourcing strategies for mechanical, electrical, electronic, and electromechanical components and assemblies, including machined parts, castings, motors, magnetic-bearing components, power electronics, PCBAs, sensors, controls, and custom sub-assemblies.
  
• Identify, evaluate, qualify, and manage suppliers; lead RFQs, commercial analysis, negotiations, supplier agreements, tooling investments, and capacity commitments in coordination with Finance, Legal, Engineering, and Operations.
  
• Manage the day-to-day commercial and operational relationship with contract manufacturers including pricing, purchase commitments, materials, capacity, delivery, changes, claims, and recovery actions.
  
• Coordinate with contract manufacturers to leverage common suppliers, aggregated demand, and volume pricing where advantageous while maintaining appropriate commercial control, continuity, and visibility for Sapphire.
  
• Lead material and production planning for prototype, validation, certification, pilot, and production builds, including demand translation, BOM review, long-lead planning, shortage management, work-order readiness, and schedule recovery.
  
• Establish and maintain disciplined ERP/MRP, item-master, BOM, planning-parameter, purchasing, and inventory-control practices that support accurate and timely execution.
  
• Standardize sourcing, planning, purchasing, supplier-management, inventory, and logistics processes; establish clear roles, operating cadences, metrics, and escalation paths.
  
• Own logistics planning and execution, including inbound and outbound transportation, packaging, freight coordination, and international or trade-compliance support as required.
  
• Develop costed BOMs and should-cost models and lead value engineering, cost reduction, make-versus-buy, and supplier-negotiation activities across compressor, turboexpander, and other company requirements.
  
• Partner with Engineering and Manufacturing Engineering on DFM, DFA, component standardization, manufacturing feasibility, configuration changes, and supply-chain readiness before design release.
  
• Partner with Quality on supplier qualification, APQP/PPAP, audits, incoming controls, corrective actions, change control, and supplier-performance improvement.
  
• Assess single-source exposure and develop risk-based dual-source, continuity, obsolescence, and capacity-expansion plans for critical components, sub-assemblies, and technologies.
  
• Monitor supplier and contract-manufacturer performance and provide leadership with clear reporting on material readiness, cost, inventory, capacity, quality, delivery, risks, and corrective actions.
  
• Assess team capability and workload, develop existing personnel, and recommend the organization, systems, and external resources required as Sapphire scales.

Base Pay Range:

The information below is a general guideline. Actual compensation depends on the candidate’s experience and qualifications, as well as market and business factors.

Salary range: $127,327 - $172,265

Requirements

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in engineering, supply chain, operations, business, or a related discipline, or an equivalent combination of relevant education and directly applicable experience.
  
• 8+ years of progressively responsible experience in supply chain, strategic sourcing, procurement, planning, contract manufacturing, manufacturing, or operations.
  
• Demonstrated hands-on experience sourcing and negotiating complex mechanical, electrical, electronic, or electromechanical products and assemblies.
  
• Experience selecting, launching, and managing contract manufacturers or strategic production suppliers through development, launch, and production ramp.
  
• Experience leading material planning, production planning, buyer/planner activities, ERP/MRP execution, inventory control, and shortage management.
  
• Working knowledge of BOM management, item and planning master data, forecasting, capacity planning, logistics, supplier qualification, and cost modeling.
  
• Experience negotiating supplier, tooling, capacity, pricing, and manufacturing agreements and managing ongoing commercial issues.
  
• Demonstrated ability to standardize processes, establish operating metrics, improve execution discipline, and develop team capability.
  
• Strong commercial judgment, analytical capability, communication, and structured problem-solving skills.
  
• Ability to combine hands-on execution with functional leadership in a growing organization.
  

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience supporting new-product introduction and scaling complex electromechanical or industrial products from development into production.
  
• Experience with high-speed rotating machinery, compressors, motors, industrial equipment, HVAC, data-center cooling, or comparable complex equipment.
  
• Experience sourcing power electronics, PCB assemblies, sensors, controls, precision castings, machined components, rotor assemblies, or electric-machine components.
  
• Experience operating across a mixed manufacturing model that combines internal assembly and test with outsourced high-volume production.
  
• Experience with supplier audits, process-capability reviews, APQP/PPAP, ISO 9001 systems, international sourcing, logistics, and trade compliance.
  APICS CPIM or CSCP certification; MBA or relevant advanced degree is beneficial.
  

Work Environment: 

This role is primarily on-site and involves work in office, manufacturing, equipment-installation, and test environments. Appropriate personal protective equipment and adherence to site safety requirements are required. Some activities may require coordination outside normal operating hours. Travel to suppliers, manufacturing partners, or other company locations may be required.

Benefits

Benefits: