Senior Global Supply Manager II

SUPPLY CHAIN 

Rocket Lab’s Supply Chain team is responsible for the flow of all materials, products, and components through the business. With many of our own products functioning as critical components to our own and our customers’ missions, the Supply Chain team has a direct impact on the success of our rocket and satellite programs. They set up the assembly kits that enables our technicians to put together our Electron rockets, manage inventory, look after shipping and receiving, manage direct and indirect procurement, and inspect and ensure that all of our materials and products are compliant and up to standard. They are the chain that links our teams together, and are critical to our success.  

SENIOR GLOBAL SUPPLY MANAGER II

Based onsite at Rocket Lab Robotics in Pasadena, CA, the Senior Global Supply Manager II will play a pivotal role in ensuring supplier performance and material readiness for Rocket Lab Robotics programs. You will lead supplier relationships after RFQ and vendor selection, manage the handoff from manufacturing engineering into procurement execution, maintain PO schedules with vendors, and drive accurate expected delivery dates to support reliable build planning.

This role combines strategic sourcing, supplier management, schedule execution, contractual flow-downs, and hands-on vendor follow-up. You will work across manufacturing engineering, quality, production planning, programs, and finance to ensure vendors understand technical, quality, contractual, and delivery requirements, and that Rocket Lab Robotics has clear visibility into cost, delivery, and supplier risk.

WHAT YOU'LL GET TO DO:

• Develop and execute sourcing and supplier management strategies aligned with program goals for cost, quality, delivery, schedule reliability, and technical performance.
• Manage the handoff from manufacturing engineering after RFQ, vendor evaluation, and vendor selection, ensuring POs, supplier expectations, technical data packages, quality requirements, and delivery commitments are clearly established.
• Build and maintain supplier relationships from initial RFIs and RFQs through contract execution, PO management, production support, and delivery closure.
• Maintain purchase order schedules with vendors, actively track delivery commitments, and push vendors for recovery plans when deliveries, documentation, or commitments are late or at risk.
• Manage and update expected delivery dates, supplier commitments, and material readiness status to support accurate build planning, production schedules, and program decision-making.
• Conduct vendor site visits to assess supplier capability, production readiness, schedule risk, quality performance, capacity, and corrective action progress.
• Develop and maintain vendor scoring, supplier scorecards, and regular performance reviews covering delivery, quality, responsiveness, cost, risk, and overall execution.
• Lead supplier negotiations on a first-principles basis to secure competitive terms, including cost, quality, schedule, lead time, delivery performance, and contractual commitments.
• Ensure appropriate contractual flow-downs are communicated, incorporated, and tracked with vendors, including quality, compliance, configuration, documentation, export control, delivery, and customer or program-specific requirements.
• Collaborate with manufacturing engineering, quality, programs, production planning, and finance to resolve supplier issues, expedite material, disposition non-conformances, and reduce program risk.
• Identify and mitigate supplier and supply chain risks, including long-lead material, capacity constraints, single-source exposure, quality escapes, late deliveries, and incomplete contractual or technical requirements.
• Engage with Legal, Contracts, Quality, and Supply Chain leadership to establish the right contractual and commercial framework to support Rocket Lab Robotics programs and commodity strategies.
• Identify cost savings and cost-avoidance opportunities, execute cost-reduction strategies, and maintain supplier cost models and should-cost analysis where appropriate.
• Act as a go-to procurement and supplier management expert, solving supplier execution challenges and driving results in a fast-paced development and production environment.

• 8+ years of experience in procurement, sourcing, supplier management, supply chain management, or vendor program management.
• Bachelor's degree or equivalent years of work experience (12+ years of total work experience).
• Experience managing supplier delivery performance, purchase order schedules, supplier commitments, and schedule recovery actions.
• Experience working with cross-functional teams such as manufacturing engineering, quality, production planning, programs, finance, legal, and contracts.
• Demonstrated ability to communicate clearly with vendors, escalate risks, drive closure on open issues, and maintain accurate schedule and delivery information for internal planning.
• Experience reviewing or coordinating technical data packages, drawings, specifications, purchase orders, statements of work, or contractual flow-down requirements.
• Ability to travel to supplier sites and work in vendor production environments, labs, or manufacturing areas as needed to support supplier assessments, schedule recovery, and program execution.
• U.S. citizenship is required, due to program requirements.

THESE QUALIFICATIONS WOULD BE NICE TO HAVE:

• Experience in aerospace, robotics, defense, automotive, medical device, semiconductor equipment, or other high-reliability manufacturing industries.
• Experience conducting supplier site visits, vendor assessments, supplier audits, production readiness reviews, or corrective action follow-up.
• Experience developing supplier scorecards, vendor scoring models, performance metrics, and supplier business reviews.
• Strong ability to read and interpret engineering drawings, specifications, bills of material, and manufacturing requirements; understanding of design for manufacturability.
• Experience with AS9100, export controls, contractual flow-downs, quality clauses, configuration control, and supplier documentation requirements.
• Experience in a rapid-growth environment with shifting priorities, prototype-to-production transitions, and aggressive delivery schedules.
• Exceptional organizational and problem-solving skills, with the ability to prioritize effectively, manage multiple open supplier actions, and maintain accurate status across programs.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, including the ability to collaborate effectively across all functions and all levels of the organization.
• Highly self-motivated, able to learn quickly, and committed to maintaining the highest levels of quality, integrity, and accountability.
• APICS, CPSM, or similar supply chain, procurement, or operations certification.
• Ability to travel domestically and internationally up to 10% of the 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.