Senior Manager, Supply Chain

Karman Space & Defense is a leader in the rapid design, development, and production of critical, next-generation system solutions that align with the U.S. Department of War and its allies’ core mission priorities and meet the accelerating demand for access to space. Building on nearly 50 years of success, we deliver Payload & Protection Systems, Aero/Hydrodynamic Interstage Systems, and Propulsion & Launch Systems to more than 80 prime contractors supporting over 130 space and defense programs.

As the Senior Manager of Supply Chain, you will lead end-to-end supply chain, planning, and production control activities to ensure material availability, efficient scheduling, optimized inventory, and strong supplier performance across fast-paced aerospace programs.

This role drives strategy, execution, and continuous improvement while aligning procurement, planning, logistics, and production control functions with operational capacity, customer requirements, and business objectives.

• Leads Supply Chain, Planning, and Production Control teams, setting priorities, allocating resources, developing personnel, and ensuring effective execution across all functions.
• Develops and executes supply chain strategies that integrate procurement, production planning, inventory, logistics, capacity, and customer requirements with organizational objectives.
• Oversees production planning and production control activities, ensuring effective scheduling, material availability, job prioritization, capacity utilization, and on-time delivery.
• Leads procurement and supplier management activities, including sourcing, maintaining the Approved Supplier List, evaluating supplier performance, and driving supplier improvement.
• Manages inventory, logistics, and material flow to maintain proper inventory levels, timely material availability, effective warehousing, and control of excess and constrained materials.
• Establishes and monitors key performance indicators for supply chain, planning, production control, and suppliers, driving accountability and operational performance.
• Identifies and mitigates supply chain and production risks such as material shortages, supplier constraints, long lead-time materials, production capacity limitations, and schedule risks.
• Drives continuous improvement and standardization across supply chain functions, optimizing ERP/MRP processes, planning parameters, purchasing practices, scheduling methods, and inventory strategies.
• Provides cross-functional leadership with Operations, Program Management, Engineering, Quality, Finance, and Manufacturing to resolve material, planning, supplier, and production issues.
• Develops a high-performing organization through clear expectations, accountability, training, succession planning, and professional development while fostering teamwork, safety, quality, and continuous improvement.

• Bachelor’s degree in supply chain management, operations management, business administration, engineering, or a related field; equivalent experience may be considered.
• At least 8 years of experience in supply chain, manufacturing, production planning, operations, or related disciplines, preferably within aerospace or complex manufacturing.
• At least 3 years of leadership or management experience, ideally overseeing multiple functional teams.
• Strong understanding of material requirements planning (MRP), enterprise resource planning (ERP), production planning, production control, procurement, inventory management, capacity planning, and supplier management.
• Experience with EPICOR or comparable ERP/MRP systems.
• Strong understanding of aerospace regulations and quality standards, including AS9100, National Aerospace and Defense Contractors…