Hardware Procurement Manager

Elections are the foundation of democracy, and democracy depends on elections that are broadly trusted. VotingWorks is a non-partisan non-profit building technology that powers elections everyone can trust.

We use open-source software, modern product engineering, and advanced security to build:

• Auditing technology that increases trust in legacy voting systems
• Modern voting systems that are much more broadly trusted.

Our auditing system is used by 9 states, including Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Virginia, Texas, Nevada, and Washington. Our voting system is deployed in 2 states, Mississippi and New Hampshire. Most notably, we are the first new voting system in New Hampshire in more than 30 years.

We are building voting technology. We believe in voting machines that can be trusted by the public, by election officials, and by security experts. We also believe in supporting robust and transparent post-election audits, to provide confidence in election results. If you’re like us, you’ve been thinking about the myriad problems and rough edges of our democracy for a while. We’ve decided that talking about it isn’t enough - we must do something. If you feel the same way, we hope you’ll consider joining our team.

We work as a small, tight-knit team. We’re a flat organization when it comes to ideas and input, and we believe in good management, even as a small organization, so that every VotingWorks team member gets regular feedback, guidance, and an opportunity for personal growth. We strive to be both confident in the skills and knowledge we each bring and humble in our interactions with each other and other stakeholders in the election space.

The Hardware Procurement Manager owns purchasing and material readiness for builds. The role is responsible for sourcing, negotiating, and purchasing hardware materials and components to meet necessary deadlines, quality standards and cost targets for all VotingWorks products, 350 - 500 SKUs. The role manages vendor relationships, monitors inventory levels, and supports production, engineering, and operations through timely procurement.

The Hardware Procurement Manager owns the MRP and its processes, publishes a weekly build-readiness and shortage report so risk is clearly visible and actionable. They ensure inventory levels are accurate, coordinate build dates with Hardware and Product leads, and partner with Ops on inventory spend, ensuring accurate cash forecasting. Success is on-time builds with no surprises with accurate spend forecasts.

• Inventory management:
  • Collaborate with production, procurement, and logistics to determine build dates.
  • Source and purchase hardware materials and parts to meet production needs, including custom manufactured parts.
  • Manage procurement timelines and maintain status reports to communicate current procurement completion rates to Hardware and Product leads.
  • Determine ideal purchase quantity for all parts based on demand forecasts and fallout estimates.
  • Monitor inventory levels and collaborate with the production team to maintain proper stock.
  • Maintain accurate purchasing records and documentation.
• Vendor management:
  • Evaluate supplier options and negotiate pricing, terms, and delivery schedules.
  • Maintain strong supplier relationships to ensure reliability and performance.
  • Track open orders and follow up with suppliers to avoid delays or shortages.
  • With guidance from the Hardware team, resolve issues related to defective materials, late arrivals, or noncompliant shipments.
• Own MRP system processes and accuracy:
  • Oversee daily operation and maintenance of the MRP system to ensure accurate production planning and inventory management.
  • Configure and update MRP system parameters, including unit cost, lead times, reorder points, and safety stock levels.
  • Monitor system data integrity and troubleshoot discrepancies between actual inventory and system records.
  • Develop and maintain documentation of MRP processes, workflows, and system configurations.
• Analyze market trends, pricing changes, and supply chain risks and make informed recommendations to Hardware and Product teams.

• 5-7 years experience in purchasing, procurement, or supply chain.
• Familiarity with hardware components, materials, and related specifications.
• Strong negotiation and vendor management skills.
• Competence with MRP or purchasing systems.
• Solid communication and organization skills.
• Strong attention to detail and ability to manage multiple priorities. Excels at making order from chaos.
• Comfortable building processes from scratch and enforcing organizational adherence.

• Experience in manufacturing, engineering, or hardware distribution.
• Ability to read technical drawings or understand engineering requirements is preferred.

We value potential as much as experience. If your background doesn’t include every qualification listed but you’re eager to learn and contribute, we encourage you to apply.

We’re a mostly distributed organization, with team members working from home in nine different states. For many of our roles, you can live anywhere you want. For some of our roles, we need you in specific geographies. If there’s a geographical requirement, it’s never “just to be in the same room as the rest of the team,” it’s for very clear reasons like customer need or working on physical hardware together.

We offer a flexible work schedule and we're on board with schedule flexibility: many team members have kids, pets, family members they care for, extensive hobbies, and other personal commitments that don’t always conform to a 9-5 schedule. We get that, and we think we’re a better organization if we adapt to that. We work hard, we just don’t work hard on a strict schedule. With flexibility comes responsibility: you should be comfortable with significant autonomous work.

We’re a non-profit, so we compensate in cash and benefits exclusively. We won’t pay you as much as a big for-profit, but we’ll still pay you a very fair salary and competitive benefits. Compensation is commensurate with your skills and experience.

We never discriminate on the basis of sex, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, race, ethnicity, background, ability/disability or really anything that isn’t about your skills.

We strive to go beyond that: we want to build a diverse organization that truly represents the people of the United States of America. We especially want to encourage women and members of under-represented groups to apply. You’ll always be judged on your skills and contributions, and we know that a more diverse team in all dimensions is a better team.