Principal Specialist - Supply Chain

EchoStar•Melbourne, FL

17h

About The Position

The Melbourne aviation operation, an AS9100-certified manufacturer and FAA Part 145 repair station, is hiring a leader to own the supply chain and manage transactions between production and accounting. The position addresses operational bottlenecks by aligning material, supplier, and contract requirements with production and repair plans, and resolves financial and inventory discrepancies through reconciliation of shipments, receipts, and invoices in the business system. It also uses AI tools to reduce duplicate purchases and manual rework and improve workflow efficiency. The role oversees purchasing, supplier approval and audits, contract requirement flowdown, transaction reconciliation, and material operations. It partners with the Production Manager to align supplier commitments with production schedules and directs receiving, inspection, inventory, kitting, and shipping operations. The position also recruits and trains material management personnel and applies predictive AI analytics to improve lead-time forecasting and purchasing workflows.

Requirements

Bachelor’s or Master’s degree.
At least 12 years of experience with a Bachelor’s degree, or 10 years with a Master’s degree.
At least 10 years of experience in supply chain management in aerospace or defense manufacturing under AS9100 standards.
At least 10 years of experience in supplier approval, qualification, and audit execution.
At least 10 years of experience in purchasing, receiving, and invoice reconciliation within an ERP system.
Expertise in AS9100 quality management standards, supplier approval processes, and complex audit execution.
Proficiency in ERP material reconciliation, cost mapping, and multi-variable transaction management.
Advanced problem-solving and cross-functional collaboration across production, quality, and program finance teams.
Strategic material management capability across purchasing, inventory, kitting, and shipping logistics.
Deep knowledge of aerospace contract flowdown requirements and quote preparation analytics.
AI literacy and application skills to automate transaction tracking and optimize supply chain forecasting.
Willingness to participate in at least one in-person interview.

Nice To Haves

Experience operating within an FAA Part 145 repair station environment.
Hands-on functional knowledge of Sage 100 enterprise software.
Professional supply chain certification such as CPIM or CSCP.

Responsibilities

Establish and execute end-to-end purchasing, supplier approval, and audit frameworks to maintain continuous audit readiness.
Flow down customer contract requirements to suppliers and verify compliance across delivery schedules.
Reconcile packing slips, receipts, and invoices in Sage so purchase orders close cleanly and cost data maps accurately to payables.
Partner with the Production Manager to align supplier commitments with build and repair schedules.
Direct receiving, inspection, inventory, kitting, and shipping operations.
Recruit and train material management personnel.
Use predictive AI analytics to anticipate supplier lead times, streamline purchasing workflows, and eliminate process bottlenecks.