Senior Global Supply Manager II - Space

Senior Global Supply Manager II - Space

Based onsite at Rocket Lab's global headquarters in Long Beach, CA, the Senior Global Supply Manager will play a pivotal role in ensuring the success of Rocket Lab's rocket and satellite programs. You'll lead sourcing strategies, build strong supplier partnerships, and drive supply chain resilience to support our groundbreaking missions. From early development to serial production, you'll collaborate across engineering, manufacturing, and quality teams to deliver world-class results.

Rocket Lab's Supply Chain team is the backbone of our operations, ensuring the seamless flow of materials, components, and products that power our missions. From managing procurement to ensuring compliance and quality, this team is critical to the success of our Electron & Neutron rockets and Space Systems programs.

What You'll Get To Do:

• Develop and execute sourcing strategies that align with program goals for cost, quality, and delivery.
• Build and maintain strong supplier relationships, from initial RFIs to contract execution and beyond.
• Lead supplier negotiations on a first principles basis to secure best-in-class terms, including cost, quality, and delivery performance.
• Drive continuous improvement in supplier performance through metrics, scorecards, and regular reviews.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to ensure supplier capabilities meet program requirements, from prototyping to full-scale production.
• Identify and mitigate risks in the supply chain, ensuring resilience and reliability.
• Engage with Legal/Contracts to establish the right contractual framework to support our programs and commodity strategy.
• Identify cost savings/avoidance opportunities, execute cost reduction strategies, and maintain cost models and should-cost analysis up to date to deliver on competitiveness targets.
• Conduct market research and stay ahead of industry trends to inform strategic decisions.
• Act as the go-to procurement expert, solving challenges and driving results in a fast-paced, high-growth environment.

You'll Bring These

Qualifications:

• 8+ years of experience in procurement, sourcing or supplier management.
• Bachelor's degree or equivalent years of work experience (12+ years of total work experience).
• U.S. citizenship is required, due to program requirements.

These Qualifications Would Be Nice To Have:

• Experience in aerospace, automotive or other disruptive manufacturing industries
• Experience in rapid growth environment with constantly shifting priorities or deliverables
• Strong ability to read and interpret drawings, understanding of design for manufacturing.
• Exceptional organizational and problem-solving skills, with the ability to prioritize effectively and efficiently.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills. Ability to collaborate effectively across all functions and all levels of the organization.
• Highly self-motivated, able to learn quickly and maintain the highest levels of quality and integrity
• Team oriented, strong ability to multi-task and work in a fast-paced environment and to multiple deadlines
• APICS certification
• Experience with AS9100, Export controls
• Ability to travel domestically and internationally up to 10% of time

This position may require prolonged periods of sitting, standing, walking, computer work, and occasional exposure to moderate levels of noise, dust, and fumes in production areas.

Level and base salary will be determined on a case-by-case basis and may vary based on the following considerations: job-related knowledge and skills, education, and experience. Join one of the world's fastest-growing space companies and own a piece of it. In addition to competitive pay, you'll receive company stock as part of your total compensation package, giving you a direct stake in our success.

As we expand to new launch sites, groundbreaking missions, and global markets, your ownership has the opportunity to grow alongside the company. Our comprehensive benefits package includes our industry-leading Employee Stock Purchase Program (with a 15% discount on company stock), top-tier medical plans (HMO, PPO, and a zero cost HDHP option with a significant HSA company contribution), dental…