Principal Specialist - Supply Chain

EchoStar•Melbourne, FL

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 resolves operational bottlenecks by aligning material, supplier, and contract requirements with production and repair plans. It also maintains reconciliation across shipments, receipts, and invoices in the business system to address financial and inventory discrepancies. The role applies AI tools to optimize supply chain workflows, prevent duplicate purchases, reduce manual rework, and improve process efficiency. The position oversees purchasing, supplier approval and audits, contract requirement flowdown, ERP reconciliation, and material management operations. It partners with production to align supplier commitments with build and repair schedules and leads receiving, inspection, inventory, kitting, and shipping operations. The role is part of EchoStar’s Financial organization, which supports business lines through accounting, audit, and supply chain management.

Requirements

Bachelor’s or Master’s degree.
At least 12 years of experience with a Bachelor’s degree, or at least 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 with supplier approval, qualification, and audit execution.
At least 10 years of experience with 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 skills across production, quality, and program finance teams.
Strategic material management capability across purchasing, inventory, kitting, and shipping logistics.
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 to close purchase orders cleanly and map cost data 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.