Sr. Buyer

Department: Procurement

Location: Hawthorne, California

Compensation: $85,000 - $140,000 / year

Description

Venturi Astrolab, Inc. (Astrolab) is pioneering new ways to explore and operate on distant planetary bodies. We are singularly focused on designing, building, and operating a fleet of multi-purpose commercial planetary rovers to extend and enhance humanity's presence in the solar system. We are seeking motivated, creative, and exceptional people to join our world-class team.

As a Sr. Buyer at Astrolab, you will be responsible for sourcing, negotiating, and purchasing materials, components, and services needed to support our engineering and operations teams. This role is crucial in maintaining the supply chain for our lunar rovers, balancing cost, quality, and delivery timelines to meet our project needs. You will collaborate closely with suppliers, internal teams, and strategic partners to ensure that Astrolab's success.

What you'll do:

• Develop base supporting critical commodities for all products and assemblies from NPI and through production phases


• Develop Commodity Strategies in alignment with new market trends and supplier cost, quality, delivery performance across all direct BOM items


• Conduct comprehensive should cost analysis to inform 'Make vs. Buy' decisions taking short term NPI requirements and long term vertical integration strategy into consideration


• Work directly with key suppliers to develop and implement sourcing and cost management strategies that support existing platforms and new product development


• Create purchase orders, manage orders' delivery status, and drive schedule recovery campaigns


• Act as the supplier interface for complete RFx processes and negotiations of long term contracts


• Partner with internal resources to drive adoption of low-cost parts and avoidance of inventory obsolescence


• Visit supplier facilities and accurately assess operational capability, financial health, and capacity to award contracts in support of new product development and long-term production


• Manage costs to ensure alignment with program budget


• Present value propositions to executives, including those related to contract award, cost reviews, cost reduction strategies and critical supply issues


• Independently negotiate with suppliers' contract terminology, technical requirements, scope and terms involving responsibility, liability, indemnification, intellectual property, and export compliance


• Work closely with engineering, production, and finance teams to align procurement activities with project timelines and budgetary constraints


• Manage open orders from PO release through to delivery, ensuring suppliers meet promise dates


• Ensure all purchases comply with company policies and regulatory requirements, maintaining accurate records of purchases and contracts

What you'll bring:

• Bachelor's degree in supply chain management, business, or a related field and 3+ years of experience in procurement, purchasing, or supply chain management OR 6+ years of experience in procurement, purchasing, or supply chain


• Experience sourcing suppliers and directly negotiating contracts


• Ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously and meet deadlines


• Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills


• Proficiency in procurement software (e.g. NetSuite) and Microsoft Excel


• Deep experience in direct procurement for aerospace, automotive, or industries with complex internal requirements and external constraints


• Experience with developing and implementing a procurement transformation processes including but not limited to ERP, MRP, and inventory systems

Additional Responsibilities

• Availability for periodic offsite field visits and associated travel
  
  

Benefits and Perks

• Work with a team of best-in-class engineers building the foundation of planetary surface exploration


• Ownership in the company


• Medical, dental, and vision coverage


• 401(k) with matching


• Flexible time off and parental leave


• On-site snacks, beverages, and 2x weekly lunches


• Flexible work environment