Senior Manager, Sourcing and Procurement

Please note that we are unable to provide visa sponsorship for this position.

About Proper Voltage

Proper Voltage is unlocking the next generation of battery technology across robotics, data centers, and defense.

We're building intelligent battery systems that make advanced chemistries (sodium-ion, lithium-titanate, lithium-silicon) work in products that were never designed for them. Humanoid robots can upgrade power systems without redesigning their entire platform. Data centers get safer, cheaper backup power. Drones and autonomous vehicles get higher energy density without lengthy integration cycles.

If you want to work on hard problems that matter, with colleagues that you enjoy working with, this is the place. 

Job Overview

The Senior Manager, Sourcing and Procurement owns the commodity strategy and supplier ecosystem for Proper Voltage’s custom mechanical components. This means building and managing supplier relationships, negotiating commercial terms, developing new sources for hard-to-find custom fabricated parts, and ensuring the company can build on schedule and at target cost as it scales from NPI to thousands of units per month.

This person sits within the supply chain team, reporting to the Director of Supply Chain, and partners closely with Engineering on design-for-sourcing decisions, with Finance on cost modeling and spend visibility, and with the VP of Supply Chain on strategic sourcing direction and production readiness. The role is the commercial owner of the mechanical supplier book, from the first RFQ through long-term supplier development.

Our manufacturing model includes contract manufacturing in Mexico with a mixed US and Asia sourcing base. The BOM includes custom-fabricated mechanical components (precision CNC aluminum, sheet metal enclosures, thermal management assemblies, flexible copper busbars), PCBA, and sodium-ion cells sourced from a novel chemistry supply base. This role’s primary focus is the custom mechanical portfolio. Electrical commodities (PCBA, power boards) will be added to the team’s scope as the function scales.

This role starts as an individual contributor. You are not inheriting a team. You will own the mechanical sourcing and procurement function personally, with the expectation that we will hire and build a team around you as the company scales. This is a role that grows with you.

Who this role is for:

You have hands-on experience sourcing and qualifying suppliers, not just managing relationships that were handed to you. You have issued RFQs, run factory visits, negotiated pricing, and seen a supplier through from first contact to production PO. Ideally, you bring a network of trusted fabricators and mechanical component suppliers that you can tap into on day one. 

You are comfortable working in supplier ecosystems that are still being built. You know how to find and qualify a precision CNC fabricator when there is no approved vendor list to pull from. You can evaluate a facility for production scalability, not just prototype capability. 

You understand should-cost modeling and can build a total cost of ownership picture from raw material pricing through tooling, NRE, lead times, MOQs, and freight-inclusive landed cost. You use that analysis to drive negotiations and sourcing decisions, not just to document them after the fact. 

You have cross-geography sourcing experience, whether that is Asia, Mexico, or managing suppliers across multiple regions, and you understand the commercial and logistical complexity that comes with it. 

You are equally comfortable building a commodity strategy and chasing down a quote. You do not need a fully defined playbook to get started, and you get more energized by ambiguity than slowed down by it. You can take an incomplete spec or a fuzzy set of requirements and start moving: identifying potential suppliers, getting directional quotes, and narrowing options while the engineering details are still coming together. You do not wait for perfect information to act. 

You have a sense for where supply risk lives and you move early to mitigate it. You see a single-source dependency forming and start qualifying alternates before it becomes a problem. You track supplier capacity constraints, long lead time items, and material availability signals, and you raise flags early rather than reacting to shortages after they hit. Proactive risk management is built into how you work, not a separate exercise. 

This role is not a fit if:

• Your sourcing experience has primarily been managing an existing vendor book rather than building and qualifying new suppliers from scratch. 

• You have not sourced custom-fabricated mechanical components (metals, machined parts, thermal assemblies, or similar categories). 

• You need fully defined requirements and stable category strategies before engaging suppliers or committing timelines. 

• You are primarily a planning or process optimization leader and are looking to move away from hands-on commercial execution. 

What you'll do

Commodity strategy and supplier development

• Own end-to-end commodity strategy for custom mechanical components: precision CNC aluminum, sheet metal, thermal management assemblies, and flexible copper busbars.
• Build and qualify a production-ready supplier base for components currently on prototype pricing or single-source risk.
• Develop new supplier relationships in North America and Asia, including on-site factory visits, qualification audits, and performance frameworks.
• Drive should-cost modeling and total cost of ownership analysis across the mechanical BOM: raw material pricing, tooling, NRE, lead times, MOQs, and freight-inclusive landed cost.

Commercial execution

• Lead all supplier negotiations for mechanical commodities: pricing, payment terms, lead times, tooling and NRE structure, warranties, and supply agreements. 

• Issue and manage RFQs from technical package through quote normalization, scorecard, and selection recommendation. 

• Build clean cost narratives and trade-offs to support decisions with engineering, finance, and leadership.  

NPI and program support

• Partner with Engineering during NPI to source custom mechanical components ahead of build events, manage long-lead items, and ensure material readiness for prototype and pilot builds. 

• Translate evolving and sometimes incomplete design requirements into supplier actions. Move early on directional quotes and supplier engagement even when specs are still being finalized, and manage changes without disrupting supply commitments where possible. 

• Monitor supply risk across the mechanical BOM: track single-source dependencies, supplier capacity constraints, long lead time items, and material availability. Qualify alternate suppliers proactively and raise flags early rather than reacting to shortages after they hit. 

• Build the supplier operating rhythm: performance reviews, corrective action processes, and escalation paths. 

• Partner closely with the VP of Supply Chain on strategic sourcing direction, and with the Director of Supply Chain on production readiness and build planning. 

Required Qualifications

• 8+ years in strategic sourcing, procurement, or commodity management with direct ownership of supplier relationships for custom-fabricated mechanical components. 

• Proven experience sourcing metals, machined parts, thermal assemblies, sheet metal, or similar mechanical categories through production scale. 

• Hands-on should-cost modeling experience: ability to build total cost of ownership from raw material inputs through landed cost, and use that analysis to drive sourcing decisions and negotiations. 

• Track record of building supplier ecosystems from early-stage through production scale, not just managing inherited vendor books. 

• Strong commercial instincts with the ability to identify cost reduction pathways and negotiate complex agreements. 

• Ability to operate independently, set priorities without a defined playbook, and move fast from incomplete or fuzzy requirements. Demonstrated experience identifying and proactively mitigating supply risks, including single-source exposure, capacity constraints, and long lead time items. 

Preferred Qualifications

• Asia sourcing experience with on-site supplier visits and direct commercial negotiations in China, Southeast Asia, or similar markets.
• Experience in battery, energy storage, or adjacent hardware categories (power electronics, EV, BESS, UPS).
• An existing network of trusted fabricators and mechanical component suppliers that can be activated quickly.
• Familiarity with Mexico cross-border manufacturing or IMMEX program structures.
• Multilingual capability: Mandarin, Spanish, or other languages relevant to the supplier base.
• Early-stage startup experience building sourcing functions from zero.
• Experience attracting, hiring, and building high-performing sourcing and procurement teams as a function scales.

Compensation & Benefits

Competitive cash compensation plus equity, depending on level and location.

• Salary range: $165,000 - $175,000 depending on location, experience, and qualifications.
• Company Equity
• Health, dental, vision insurance
• Flexible PTO with a generous holiday policy
• Remote-friendly with monthly travel to Carlsbad, CA and periodic international supplier visits, including potentially to Mexico.

Ready to work on power systems that matter? Let's talk.