Supply Chain Program Manager III

Blue Origin•Huntsville, AL

About The Position

The Supply Chain Program Manager (SCPM) is a supply chain owner who translates program demand, design, and schedules into sourcing strategies that deliver material on time and within budget. The role operates in an AI-first environment that encourages automation of transactional work and is embedded with engineering and manufacturing teams from early design reviews and trade studies through production planning. The SCPM owns the supplier lifecycle, including preparing bid packages, conducting competitive source selection, qualifying suppliers, negotiating contracts, and validating readiness through PPAP, capability studies, and run-at-rate assessments. The position focuses on cost reduction, dual-sourcing, cycle-time compression, and supplier capacity from low-rate initial production through high-rate steady-state. The SCPM also defines and oversees AI-enabled procurement workflows, using human-in-the-loop approvals while prioritizing strategic decisions and exceptions. This role is part of Blue Origin Operations, which includes Integrated Supply Chain, Test Operations, Safety, Quality, and Mission Assurance, and provides manufacturing and supply chain support across Blue Origin facilities. Travel of up to 25% is expected for supplier visits, audits, and on-site problem-solving.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree with at least 4 years of experience, or a master's degree with at least 2 years of experience, in supply chain, engineering, or program management in manufacturing environments.
Exposure to New Product Introduction or development programs from design through high-rate production at scale.
Experience with First Article Inspection, supplier capability studies, and production readiness validation, including run-at-rate assessments.
Understanding of high-rate production requirements, including takt time, line balancing, capacity validation, and supplier scalability from low-rate to high-rate production.
Experience building and executing sourcing strategies, including competitive events, dual-sourcing, make/buy trades, and total cost analysis.
Strong cross-functional collaboration skills and ability to work with and influence engineering and manufacturing teams.
Strong communication skills, including the ability to summarize complex supply chain issues for executives and recommend actions.
Strong analytical and quantitative skills, including experience with BOMs, MRP/ERP systems, material estimating, cost modeling, and supply chain metrics.
Comfort with digital tools, supplier portals, EDI/TMS, and data-driven decision-making, and enthusiasm for AI and automation adoption.
Self-starter able to define scalable processes, build templates, and work effectively in a startup-like environment.
Willingness to travel up to 25% for supplier visits, audits, and on-site problem-solving.
Must meet the stated U.S. employment eligibility requirements: be a U.S. citizen or national, U.S. permanent resident, or lawfully admitted as a refugee or granted asylum.

Nice To Haves

Experience in high-rate manufacturing environments with takt-driven planning, JIT principles, and production-rate experience.
Experience onboarding and developing new suppliers, including international or global sourcing across multiple regions.
Lean Six Sigma training at Green Belt level or higher, or equivalent continuous improvement experience.
Experience with cost-down strategies such as should-cost modeling, learning curves, indexed pricing, and competitive re-bids.
Experience with commodity types including castings and forgings, machined parts, assemblies, electronics, raw materials, and special processes such as welding, heat treat, coatings, and NDT.
Background in supplier development, capacity planning, and capital investment in the supplier base.
Familiarity with export control requirements and global supply chain compliance.

Responsibilities

Build bid packages with technical requirements, commercial terms, and evaluation criteria in collaboration with Supply Chain Engineers and Commodity Managers.
Support competitive supplier selection events.
Qualify and onboard new suppliers, including facility assessments, capability validation, and contract execution.
Drive supplier readiness through PPAP, tooling acceptance, Control Plans, capability studies (Cp/Cpk), and run-at-rate validation.
Validate supplier capacity to scale from low-rate initial production through high-rate steady-state, including tooling, equipment, shifts, and process capability.
Develop and execute dual- or tri-source strategies to mitigate risk and promote cost competition.
Conduct make/buy/where trade studies with engineering and manufacturing to support vertical integration decisions.
Negotiate supplier contracts, pricing, terms, and remedies; manage long-term agreements with indexed pricing and capacity commitments.
Embed with assigned technical programs and collaborate with Supply Chain Engineers on technical readiness and Commodity Managers on commercial strategy.
Provide detailed status, risk, and mitigation reporting to program leadership and executive stakeholders.
Use AI-generated data and dashboards to identify trends, predict delays, and drive corrective action.
Define requirements for AI-driven procurement automation, including bid package generation, supplier risk screening, PO/ASN reconciliation, and predictive analytics.
Supervise automated processes with human-in-the-loop approvals, focusing on strategic decisions and exceptions.
Improve templates, workflows, and automation to reduce cycle time and eliminate manual work.

Benefits

Medical, dental, and vision insurance.
Basic and supplemental life insurance.
Paid parental leave.
Short- and long-term disability.
401(k) with company match of up to 5%.
Education Support Program.
Stock options for regular employees working at least 20 hours per week.
Up to four weeks of paid time off per year based on weekly scheduled hours.
Up to 14 company-paid holidays.
Depending on role type and job level, employees may be eligible for benefits and bonuses tied to individual contributions and company results.