Member of the Growth Staff — Expansion

Ironstead • Los Angeles, CA

19h

About The Position

Ironstead is hiring a Member of the Growth Staff for its Expansion team to build and run the company’s acquisition sourcing engine. The role focuses on identifying and engaging qualified acquisition targets—primarily machine shops and precision manufacturers—and developing a consistent pipeline of potential opportunities. Sourcing is relationship-driven and primarily conducted through in-person visits to shops and owners, rather than desk research or inbound lists. The position combines field visits with advising on deal terms alongside company leadership and helping plan which capabilities Ironstead should pursue next. The role requires frequent, sustained travel and is based in El Segundo, California, or New York, New York. It reports to the Head of Growth and owns top-of-funnel deal sourcing and portfolio development.

Requirements

• 2–5 years of experience in supplier development, buyer-type roles, customer-facing manufacturing roles, or design roles involving finding and onboarding suppliers.
• Comfort with heavy, sustained travel; the role is on the road more than in an office.
• Extremely high emotional intelligence, including the ability to build trust quickly, read a room accurately, and have honest conversations with owners who may be anxious, proud, or guarded.
• Genuine interest in manufacturing and machine shops, with enough curiosity to ask informed questions about a shop floor; an engineering background is not required.
• Self-direction and ability to generate a pipeline rather than work from someone else’s list.
• Persistence without being pushy, including the ability to maintain relationships for months without making owners feel chased.

Nice To Haves

• Experience in machine shops, welding, or post-processing.
• Existing relationships with business brokers, industry associations, or machine shop networks.
• Experience in aerospace/defense supply chains or precision machining.
• Sales or business development experience in addition to supplier-facing experience.
• Experience at hardware startups or fast-paced manufacturing companies is preferred.

Responsibilities

• Build and run Ironstead’s outbound sourcing motion by identifying, prioritizing, and personally engaging machine shop and precision manufacturing owner-operators who fit the acquisition thesis.
• Travel to visit shops and owners in person as the primary mode of sourcing.
• Build genuine, lasting relationships with owners, brokers, industry association contacts, and referral sources across the manufacturing base.
• Assess shops and owners, including whether there is a genuine opportunity, whether an owner is ready to sell or partner, and whether a prospect merits pipeline attention.
• Hand off qualified, warm targets into Ironstead’s CIM Review / Onsite pipeline stages with sufficient context for the next stage.
• Maintain a disciplined, well-documented pipeline of ongoing relationships, with consistent volume and follow-through.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Education Level: No Education Listed