Senior Sourcing Specialist

About this Role

As a Senior Sourcing Specialist, you will play a critical role in ensuring the seamless procurement of high-quality, precision-machined components for our cutting-edge space systems. In this fast-paced, dynamic environment, you'll work closely with engineering, production, and quality teams to source, evaluate, and manage suppliers of machined parts used in spacecraft assembly, propulsion systems, and other space hardware.

You will be responsible for managing the end-to-end procurement process-from identifying potential suppliers and negotiating contracts to monitoring delivery timelines and ensuring parts meet rigorous quality standards. As Varda continues to innovate and expand, your ability to source parts that adhere to strict performance and reliability criteria will directly contribute to the success of our mission to bring space-based manufacturing into the next era.

This is a full-time, exempt position located in our El Segundo headquarters.

Responsibilities

• Own purchasing for machined components and similar commodities from quote stage to delivery
• Send RFQs, place POs, run open order report meetings with key suppliers.
• Develop understanding of supplier capacity, lead times, and cost trends
• Work closely with supply chain engineering to develop a preferred supplier network to minimize cost and lead time
• Work closely with design engineering teams to understand upcoming design releases and part changes
• Build strong relationships with suppliers and negotiate pricing and lead times to meet mission milestones
• Identify part supply constraints that may impact production schedule and create mitigation plans
• Maintain part and planning master data to accurately reflect lead-times and stock levels
• Support purchasing of various commodities and inventory operations as needed

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in the field of Supply Chain, Engineering, Business, or Finance
• Minimum 2 years of relevant experience, ideally within space, aerospace, precision medical devices, pharmaceutical manufacturing, biotech/life sciences or similar
• Willingness and ability to travel up to 50% of the time
• Strategic sourcing of machined components or propulsion components
• Experience translating engineering designs into demand and supply plans
• Extensive experience using MES/ERP software
• Highly adept relationship building and influencing skills, and the ability to interact and work effectively with many levels of personnel and suppliers
• Detail-oriented and able to respond quickly to a fast-moving and ever-changing environment

Preferred Skills and Experience

• Technical knowledge and skills in coding and computer applications, (e.g. MS Office Suite, VBA, Smartsheet, SQL, Confluence, JIRA, Power BI, ION etc.)
• Proactive, quick learner, and ability to prioritize efforts to meet customer and company goals
• Ability to develop and maintain strong internal and external supplier relationships in a fast-moving and ever-changing environment
• Exceptional analytical and organizational skills
• Excellent customer service skills, highly self-motivated
• Effective written, verbal and presentation communication skills
• Previous work as a machinist (nice to have), plus understanding of manufacturing and the material flow process

Pay Range

• Salary range: $92,820 - $125,580/per year
• This role is on-site in El Segundo, CA
• Leveling and base salary is determined by job-related skills, education level, experience level, and job performance
• You will be eligible for incentives in the form of stock options and/or long-term cash awards

Benefits

• Consider your benefits covered for launch.
• At Varda, we invest in benefits and perks that support your health, financial well-being, and life beyond work.
• Benefits vary by position, with packages designed specifically for our regular full-time employees and interns.

Regular Full-Time Positions: Health & Wellness

• Flexible PTO policy + 12 paid holidays
• 100% company-paid Medical, Dental, and Vision insurance plans for employees and dependents with FSA and employer-matched HSA options
• Voluntary accident, hospital, critical illness, and pet insurance
• $120/month wellness reimbursement for gym and fitness expenses
• 12 weeks of parental leave (with supplemental disability leave for CA mothers)
• Family building, pregnancy, parenting and menopause benefits via Maven Clinic
• Sponsored One Medical memberships for employees and their dependents

Financial & Retirement

• Substantial incentive equity in a fully funded space start-up
• 401(k) retirement plan with 6% employer match (immediately vested)
• $20/pay period cell phone reimbursement
• Relocation support for new hires, if needed

Workplace Experience & Perks

• Fully stocked kitchen with lunch provided daily and dinner provided twice weekly
• Company and team-bonding events, happy hours and mission-success celebrations
• Complimentary EV charging

Intern Positions: Health & Wellness

• Paid observed holidays

Financial

• $20/pay period cell phone reimbursement
• Up to $4,000 gross up in relocation support, if eligible
• Up to $850 commute credit through Lyft or car rental reimbursement, if eligible

Workplace Experience & Perks

• Complimentary EV charging

ITAR Requirements

Varda, like all employers, must ensure that its employees working in the United States are lawfully authorized to work in the U.S. Additionally, our employees are exposed to and have access to certain export-controlled items. Because our employees are provided access to export-controlled items, our policy is to only hire "U.S. persons" who are permitted to have access to our technology without an export license.

"US person" means: U.S. citizen, U.S. lawful permanent resident, or protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3) (i.e., individual admitted to the U.S. as a refugee or granted asylum).