Buyer, Subcontracts

Hadrian Automation
Los Angeles, US
On-site

Who this role is best for

Best suited to mid-level procurement professionals with aerospace or defense subcontracting experience working in a fast-paced manufacturing environment.

Best fit for

  • Procurement specialists adept at negotiating without historical pricing data.
    — “Track record of successful NPI negotiations without prior purchase or sourcing data
  • Buyers who can interpret technical drawings for manufacturing requirements.
    — “Comfortable navigating engineering data (drawings, GD&T, specifications)
  • Supplier managers experienced in performance improvement through KPIs.
    — “Supplier performance management experience influencing improvement through KPI-driven actions

Things to consider

  • Must meet ITAR requirements including U.S. citizenship or permanent residency.
    — “be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S.
  • Role requires juggling multiple accounts with competing priorities.
    — “able to juggle multiple accounts and competing priorities

How to stand out

  • Highlight specific examples of growing a supplier base.
    — “Experience with personally growing and developing a supply base
  • Quantify cost savings from past subcontract negotiations.
    — “relentless focus on quality, while optimizing for cost and schedule
  • Demonstrate process improvement initiatives in procurement workflows.
    — “Identify process gaps and build or improve operational workflows
Pace · SteadyCollaboration · HighAutonomy · MediumDecision Impact · TeamLevel · Mid

Derived from job-description analysis by Serendipath's career intelligence engine.

What success looks like

  • lead sourcing efforts for subcontracting supply chain
  • serve as primary interface between suppliers and customers
  • own demand fulfillment accountability
  • develop and maintain strong supplier relationships
  • provide tactical support on contracts
Typical background
procurementsupply chain managementsubcontracting

Skills & requirements

Required

ProcurementSubcontractingSupplier ManagementRFQ DevelopmentPO Management

Preferred

Supplier QualityProcess Improvement

Stack & domain

ProcurementSubcontractingSupply Chain ExecutionProject ManagementCommunicationAerospaceDefense

About the role

Original posting from Hadrian Automation via Ashby

Hadrian - Manufacturing the Future

Hadrian is building autonomous factories that help aerospace and defense companies manufacture rockets, satellites, jets, and ships up to 10x faster and up to 2x cheaper. By combining advanced software, robotics, and full-stack manufacturing, we are reinventing how America produces its most critical parts.

We’re accelerating our mission with the launch of Factory 3 in Mesa, Arizona, a 290,000-square-foot facility creating 350 new jobs. We are expanding rapidly to support thousands of future hires, launching Hadrian Maritime to expand into naval production, and introducing a Factory-as-a-Service model that delivers complete systems instead of individual parts.

Hadrian is backed by leading investors including T. Rowe Price, Lux Capital, Founders Fund, and Andreessen Horowitz, our fast-growing team is united around reindustrializing American manufacturing for the 21st century and beyond.

The Role

The Buyer, Subcontracts is responsible for end-to-end procurement execution and supplier management in support of Subcontract Supply Chain (externally manufactured). This role sits at the intersection of sourcing and requisition, contract management, and supplier performance: acting as the connective tissue between our customers, internal teams, and supply base. You will own the full lifecycle from RFQ through PO execution, ensuring we hit cost, quality, and schedule targets while building the supplier relationships that sustain long-term program success.

What You’ll Do

Your responsibilities will include, but are not limited to the following:

  • Lead subsect of sourcing efforts for the subcontracting supply chain division, including RFQ development, supplier selection, negotiation, and PO management through acknowledgement.
  • Serve as the primary interface between suppliers and customers, ensuring alignment on requirements, timelines, and quality standards across the supply chain.
  • Own demand fulfillment accountability through subcontract requirements, with a relentless focus on quality, while optimizing for cost and schedule.
  • Develop and maintain strong supplier relationships, using performance data and KPIs to drive accountability, continuous improvement, and root cause resolution in partnership with Supplier Quality.
  • Provide tactical support on both customer and supplier contracts, ensuring commercial and technical requirements are executed and upheld.
  • Identify process gaps and build or improve operational workflows where they don't yet exist.
  • Maintain tight feedback loop with internal supplier quality to ensure issue resolution is swift and accurate.

What We’re Looking For

  • 3+ years of relevant experience in procurement, subcontracting, or supply chain execution, ideally in a hardware or manufacturing environment.
  • Bachelor’s degree in supply chain management, business, engineering, or related field.
  • Experience sourcing machined components, with working familiarity of machine shop operations, processes, and quality methods (e.g. multi-axis machining, OSP, CMM).
  • Strong project management instincts: able to juggle multiple accounts and competing priorities with high attention to detail and clear, proactive communication to all stakeholders.
  • Comfortable navigating engineering data (drawings, GD&T, specifications) to interpret manufacturing requirements.
  • Proven ability to build cross-functional relationships with engineers, supply chain peers, and other internal stakeholders alike.
  • Experience working in fast-paced, ambiguous environments where priorities shift and speed matters.
  • Proficiency with ERP related systems and purchasing/planning functions.

What Will Set You Apart

  • Experience interpreting GD&T and component profiles to determine manufacturing requirements.
  • Track record of successful NPI negotiations without prior purchase or sourcing data to rely on.
  • Supplier performance management experience influencing improvement through KPI-driven actions.
  • Familiarity with subcontracting in aerospace, defense, or other regulated industries.
  • Experience with personally growing and developing a supply base.

Compensation

For this role, the target salary range is $89,000 - $134,000 (actual range may vary based on experience).

This is the lowest to highest salary we reasonably and in good faith believe we would pay for this role at the time of this posting. We may ultimately pay more or less than the posted range, and the range may be modified in the future. An employee's pay position within the salary range will be based on several factors, including, but not limited to, relevant education, qualifications, certifications, experience, skills, geographic location, performance, and business or organizational needs.

BENEFITS FOR FULL-TIME EMPLOYEES

  • Medical, dental, vision, and life insurance plans for employees
  • 401k
  • Relocation support may be provided for certain situations, based on business need.
  • Flexible vacation policy
  • Equity

ITAR Requirements

To conform to U.S. Government space technology export regulations, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) you must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S., protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State. Learn more about the ITAR here https://www.pmddtc.state.gov/?id=ddtc_kb_article_page&sys_id=24d528fddbfc930044f9ff621f961987.

Hadrian Is An Equal Opportunity Employer

It is the Company’s policy to provide equal employment opportunity for all applicants and employees. The Company does not unlawfully discriminate on the basis of race inclusive of traits historically associated with race (including, but not limited to, hair texture and protective hairstyles, such as braids, locks and twists), color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), gender identity, gender expression, transgender status, national origin (including, in California, possession of a drivers license), ancestry, citizenship, age, physical or mental disability, height or weight, medical condition, family care status, military or veteran status, marital status, domestic partner status, sexual orientation, genetic information, exercise of reproductive rights, any other basis protected by local, state, or federal laws, or any combination of the above characteristics. When necessary, the Company also makes reasonable accommodations for disabled candidates and employees, including for candidates or employees who are disabled by pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions.

Source: Hadrian Automation careers (Ashby)

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