Principal Category Manager - PCBA
About The Position
Epirus is a high-growth technology company focused on addressing national security challenges with innovative solutions. The Principal Category Manager will be a key player in managing suppliers and procurement for Printed Circuit Board Assemblies (PCBA). This role requires strong negotiation skills, strategic supplier vision, and experience in managing the entire sourcing process from proposal to execution. The ideal candidate will collaborate with engineering teams to define specifications and terms, ensure competitive bidding, and build robust supplier relationships. This position may also contribute to establishing internal PCBA manufacturing capabilities, including equipment selection and process definition.
Requirements
- BS degree in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Business, Supply Chain, Operations Management or related field.
- Minimum of 12 years of subcontract, commodity, or supplier management experience, OR a minimum of 8 years with a Master's degree.
- Understanding of supplier risk identification, mitigation, and contingency planning.
- Direct design for manufacturing or design for quality experience.
- Previous experience in Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) analysis.
- Previous experience in negotiation of price and terms and conditions, as well as awarding and managing supplier-owned IP products or products designed from a statement of work.
- Direct experience and understanding of the end-to-end PCB/PCBA manufacturing process flow.
- Experience managing a program and working with cross-functional teams.
- US Citizen and/or Permanent Resident (future security clearance may be required).
Nice To Haves
- MBA preferred.
- Aerospace/Defense experience and/or military experience.
- Experience working with FAR/DFAR.
- Experience in Earned Value Management or related financial management experience.
- Component electronics manufacturing experience.
- Good written and oral communication skills.
- Collaborative; capable of working across all levels of the organization.
- Organized; comfortable working in a fast-paced, ever-changing environment.
Responsibilities
- Act as the sourcing and supplier expert in the PCBA space, with the ability to support other areas.
- Collaborate with business functions to identify supplier needs and negotiate pricing, terms, and schedules for development and production programs.
- Manage the full sourcing and procurement lifecycle, from development through production and contract close-out, including controlling cost and schedule scope creep.
- Assess supply base capabilities, ensuring adequate manufacturing capacity and quality yield for production ramp-up.
- Manage spend and supplier distribution for assigned mechanical commodities, including onboarding new suppliers.
- Lead supplier relationships, ensuring alignment with Epirus' needs, defining escalation protocols, and auditing supplier facilities for technical capability, equipment, and capacity.
- Conduct comprehensive supplier analysis to inform 'Make vs. Buy' decisions and develop optimal sourcing plans considering NPI, production rates, technology, price trends, market position, and risk.
- Ensure a smooth transition of new technologies into the product development process, managing risks while meeting quality, schedule, and cost goals.
- Collaborate across functions to identify business needs, negotiate tradeoffs, solicit cooperation, resolve problems, and advance new supplier or product offerings.
- Mentor other supply chain team members.
- Support other company initiatives such as supply chain compliance, ERP development, and other key projects.
Benefits
- Reasonable range of minimum compensation for roles that may be hired.
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Principal
