Director of Supply Chain & Supplier Strategy

Monarch Quantum•San Diego, CA

13h•$140,000 - $190,000

About The Position

Join our fast-paced and passionate team as a Director of Supply Chain & Supplier Strategy. As we scale, you will be instrumental in building our global supply chain foundation from the ground up, serving as the strategic bridge between executive vision and supplier execution. This is a dynamic, high-impact role for a self-starter who thrives in a fluid startup environment. You will have the opportunity to build the sourcing infrastructure that allows our innovations to scale and develop engineering-adjacent practices that ensure supplier reliability, quality, and cost-efficiency.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain Management, Engineering, Operations, or related technical field
10+ years of experience in strategic sourcing, supplier quality, procurement, or supply chain leadership roles
Demonstrated expertise in building QMS requirements specifically for supplier quality
Experience supporting products through development, NPI, manufacturing scale-up, and commercialization
Strong understanding of product development lifecycles, global supply chains, and operational scaling challenges
Proven ability to lead cross-functional teams and manage contract manufacturers in fast-paced startup or high-growth environments
Strong financial acumen, including supplier contract negotiation and cost-modeling capabilities
Excellent communication and strategic leadership skills
Creative, flexible, and eager to wear multiple hats—you don't wait for a process to exist; you build it.
Passionate about building systems from the ground up and comfortable with ambiguity and change.
Must be a U.S. person as defined by 8 U.S.C. § 1324b(a)(3) due to access to export-controlled information.

Responsibilities

Build and lead our strategic sourcing engine, owning supplier selection, long-term capacity forecasting, and global vendor management to ensure continuity of supply. Negotiate master service agreements and develop robust commodity strategies.
Establish and oversee comprehensive supplier quality programs, creating and implementing rigorous supplier evaluation, qualification, and auditing processes to ensure all external manufacturing partners meet our technical and regulatory standards.
Act as the primary technical bridge between engineering and vendors, interpreting complex engineering drawings, technical specifications, and Geometric Dimensioning and Tolerancing (GD&T) data to ensure suppliers have total alignment on design intent and quality expectations.
Partner closely with engineering and product development teams to ensure early product decisions support manufacturability, scalability, and cost targets. Identify and mitigate supply chain risks during the development lifecycle to ensure commercialization readiness.
Develop and execute strategies to mitigate supply chain disruptions, including dual-sourcing initiatives, inventory buffer strategies, and continuous market analysis of key commodities.
Lead cost-reduction initiatives, including Should-Cost modeling and Value Analysis/Value Engineering (VAVE). Work closely with Finance to track material Estimate at Completion (EACs) and align sourcing strategies with company budgets.
Work hand-in-hand with Engineering on component integration and DFx (Design for Excellence); with Manufacturing on scaling production; and with Business Development to align supplier capacity with our growth roadmap.