Position Summary
The Strategic Sourcing & Contract Manufacturing Lead owns sourcing and external manufacturing activities supporting VERO's new product development, sustaining engineering, and commercial operations. The role partners closely with Engineering, Supplier Quality, Quality, and Operations to source and onboard capable suppliers, manage tooling and component quotations, and ensure contract manufacturers are ready to meet cost, quality, delivery, and scale requirements.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities
Strategic Sourcing & New Product Development
- Lead sourcing for R&D and new product development, including components, tooling, prototypes, NRE, and contract manufacturing.
- Partner with Engineering and Supplier Quality to identify, evaluate, onboard, and qualify suppliers to program milestones.
- Lead RFQs, quote comparisons, cost analysis, and negotiations while balancing quality, lead time, capacity, and supply risk.
Contract Manufacturing Management
- Coordinate commercial and operational management of contract manufacturers from development builds through production scale-up.
- Drive regular business reviews, capacity and cost planning, delivery performance, and issue resolution with Engineering, Supplier Quality, and Operations.
Supplier Performance & Risk
- Manage strategic supplier relationships, performance, cost reduction, dual-sourcing, and continuity plans.
- Identify and escalate supplier risks early and lead recovery plans when quality, timing, cost, or capacity threaten program commitments.
Program & Financial Execution
- Maintain sourcing plans, tooling timelines, supplier readiness, and spend visibility for priority programs, including Gen 4.
- Track savings, cost avoidance, tooling/NRE spend, and commercial terms; support annual goals for cost and working-capital improvement.
- Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain, Engineering, Business, or a related field.
- 7+ years of experience in strategic sourcing, procurement, supplier management, or contract manufacturing.
- Experience supporting new product development and supplier onboarding; medical device, biotech, or other regulated industry experience preferred.
- Demonstrated experience sourcing custom components, tooling, prototypes, and outsourced manufacturing services.
- Familiar with technical manufacturing like injection molding, metals, electronics, and associated drawings and technical documentation
- Strong negotiation, supplier management, analytical, and cross-functional collaboration skills.
Supervisory Responsibilities
- No direct reports initially; leads cross-functional sourcing teams and external supplier/contract manufacturing relationships.
- May oversee contractors or additional sourcing resources as the organization grows
Competencies
- Strategic sourcing and commercial judgment
- Supplier leadership and negotiation
- Execution discipline and follow-through
- Cross-functional collaboration and influence
- Problem-solving, risk management, and accountability
Physical Demands and Work Environment
- Standard office and manufacturing environment.
- Periodic hands-on engagement in manufacturing and supplier settings.
- Travel to suppliers and contract manufacturers as needed.