NPI Prototype Procurement Manager
About The Position
The NPI Prototype Procurement Manager owns fast-turn prototype sourcing during new product development. When engineering needs a part quoted and built in days, not weeks, this role makes it happen, and makes sure the part we source for a prototype build doesn't quietly become a bad default for production. This role reports to the Director of Supply Chain and works closely with engineering, our prototype contract manufacturers, and our production sourcing team. Prototype CMs are good at turning parts fast; they are not set up to decide which of those parts should become a real production supplier, or to catch when a rushed sourcing decision is costing us on markup or quality risk down the line. That decision needs a dedicated owner on our side. We are building this role now because the gap is already showing up in real costs: parts moving slower than they should, and markups on prototype-CM-sourced parts that we're paying today without anyone tracking whether that's the right long-term call.
Requirements
- 4+ years in procurement or sourcing supporting new product development in a hardware or industrial product environment.
- Direct experience with fast-turn/quick-turn sourcing (rapid prototyping shops, quick-turn machining or fab, low-volume electronics).
- Comfort working alongside a contract manufacturer’s own sourcing team rather than owning a factory floor directly.
- Experience evaluating whether a prototype-sourced part or supplier is fit to carry into production.
- Ability to operate independently and build process where none exists yet.
Nice To Haves
- Experience in battery, energy storage, power electronics, or other hardware-adjacent categories.
- Should-cost or cost estimation experience on early-stage or immature designs.
- Experience transitioning parts from a prototype or contract manufacturer to a qualified production supplier.
- Early-stage startup experience.
Responsibilities
- Run quick-turn RFQs and place orders directly for strategic, long-lead, or clearly production-bound parts during prototype builds.
- Partner with engineering embedded in design reviews and build planning, understanding what’s changing and what’s stabilizing.
- Manage supplier relationships for quick-turn shops separate from our production supplier base.
- Track every part sourced by a prototype CM on our behalf: supplier, cost, and whether it’s fit to carry forward.
- Flag parts that should transition to a qualified production supplier early enough to make the change before it’s expensive.
- Hand off qualified parts and supplier context cleanly to our production sourcing team, with a clear paper trail rather than tribal knowledge.
- Own should-cost tracking on new parts as designs stabilize, flagging cost overruns early.
- Identify where prototype CM markups are worth the convenience and where a direct sourcing decision would save real money.
- Partner with our production sourcing team on the handoff for parts moving from prototype to production.
- Partner with our materials team on build timing and part availability during prototype phases.
- Partner with engineering on design-for-sourcing input while parts are still changeable.
Benefits
- Base salary of $155,000 to $175,000, plus equity.
- Health, dental, and vision insurance.
- Flexible PTO with a generous holiday policy.
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Mid Level
Education Level
No Education Listed
