Director Supply Chain

Title:

Director Supply Chain - Aerospace About the Company

Our client is a privately held aerospace supply chain and repair-management company supporting commercial, defense, and government programs. Its 4PL business manages the flow of aircraft parts and related services for aerospace manufacturers, repair organizations, and operators in a quality- and export-controlled environment.

This is a planned succession. The long-tenured Director is transitioning to retirement and will remain available part-time during onboarding, providing meaningful continuity across programs, systems, customers, and suppliers. The role combines director-level business accountability with hands-on problem solving. You will lead a seasoned team, own revenue, margin, and inventory performance for the segment, and work directly with the President and finance leadership.

This is not a role where analysis and execution are pushed down through layers. The Director will review the data, personally address supplier and customer issues, and provide clear recommendations. The organization is lean, stable, and collaborative. Decisions are made quickly, leaders have direct access to one another, and strong performance is visible. The company recognizes the learning curve and expects the new Director to build full command of the business over time.

• Lead and develop a team of approximately five across procurement and customer-facing program management, with the potential to add staff as new programs are won.
• Own tactical and strategic procurement, including planned order management, sourcing, order execution, exception management, contracting, cost management, supplier reviews, and supplier performance.
• Work directly with suppliers to diagnose late deliveries, capacity constraints, manufacturing issues, and other performance gaps, then drive corrective action and recovery plans.
• Oversee customer-facing program activity, including business reviews, service-recovery communication, contract discussions, and coordination across procurement and operations.
• Help cultivate growth with existing and prospective customers by identifying program opportunities and supporting statements of work and long-term agreements.
• Own reporting and executive-level communication for the segment’s revenue, margin, inventory, service, and contract performance.
• Partner with Operations, Quality, Finance, and IT to strengthen processes and drive performance and accountability through KPI management, metrics, and controls while maintaining compliance.
• Pull and combine data from multiple sources, including Excel and Tableau dashboards, to analyze inventory, sales, purchasing, forecasting, and program performance.

• 10+ years of tactical and strategic procurement experience in aerospace manufacturing, aerospace/aircraft MRO, or another highly regulated manufacturing environment (e.g., medical device, life sciences, semiconductor, or energy) required.
• Bachelor's degree required; MBA preferred.

• Working understanding of how manufactured parts move through the supply chain, including machined and sheet-metal components, hardware, engineered parts, and special processing, and the ability to read and understand drawings and customer flow-down requirements.
• The judgment to distinguish routine supplier follow-up from a manufacturing, capacity, quality, or commercial issue that requires deeper intervention.
• Strong independent analytical ability using practical tools such as Excel pivot tables and lookups and BI dashboards such as Tableau. You do not need to build the underlying BI infrastructure.
• Experience communicating with senior customers through business reviews, service disruptions, contract requirements, and growth discussions.
• A practical understanding of contracting and general terms and conditions of purchase or sale.
• The ability to work in a 4PL or 3PL operating model, or the curiosity and learning agility to translate relevant manufacturing and procurement experience into that environment.

• Previous direct people management experience is valuable, but not required. Candidates who have mentored junior colleagues, guided others’ work, or taken informal leadership responsibility may be ready for this step.
• The strongest candidates will be hands-on, low-drama, and collaborative. They will know how to hold experienced people accountable without micromanaging, work comfortably in both open and close-knit offices, and shift between…