The Manager, Strategic Sourcing – Electronics will lead the global sourcing strategy, supplier management, and cost optimization initiatives for Shield AI’s mechanical and structural commodities, electronic components, PCBA, harnessing, and subsystem commodities. This leader will partner closely with engineering, manufacturing, quality, and program management teams to ensure supply continuity, competitive cost structures, and the development of a robust, technically capable supply base supporting current and future product lines.
What you'll do
- Strategic Leadership
- Supplier Management
- Cross-Functional Execution
- Data & Process Ownership
Required qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain Management, Electrical Engineering, Business, or related field (Master’s preferred) or equivalent relevant experience
- 7+ years of experience in strategic sourcing or supply chain management with a focus on electronics, PCBA, or electromechanical commodities OR mechanical commodities
- Proven experience in defense, aerospace, or high-reliability manufacturing environments
- Demonstrated success in supplier negotiations, cost reduction initiatives, and long-term contract management
- Deep understanding of electronics manufacturing processes, including PCB fabrication, SMT assembly, and harness production OR mechanical commodities
- Strong business acumen with ability to translate technical and commercial data into strategic sourcing actions
- Excellent communication, influencing, and cross-functional leadership skills
Skills Required
- Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain, Electrical Engineering, Business, or related field (Master's preferred)
- Master's degree (preferred)
- 7+ years' experience in strategic sourcing or supply chain management focused on electronics, PCBA, electromechanical, or mechanical commodities
- Experience in defense, aerospace, or high-reliability manufacturing environments
- Proven success in supplier negotiations, cost reduction initiatives, and long-term contract management
- Deep understanding of electronics manufacturing processes including PCB fabrication, SMT assembly, harness production (or equivalent mechanical commodities expertise)
- Strong business acumen with ability to translate technical and commercial data into sourcing actions
- Excellent communication, influencing, and cross-functional leadership skills
- Ability to pass a cleared background check and possible reference check
What the Team is Saying
Shield AI Compensation & Benefits Highlights
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Healthcare Strength — Company materials describe excellent medical, dental, and vision coverage alongside a mental‑health EAP. Site perks such as an onsite gym in DC and a gym discount in San Diego support a health‑focused offering.
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Retirement Support — Careers materials highlight a 401(k) with company match as part of the standard package. A Total Rewards overview emphasizes retirement features within a broader, transparent compensation view.
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Career-Linked Recognition & Rewards — Compensation for in‑demand technical and senior go‑to‑market roles is described as competitive, with visible engineering ranges and top‑end packages. This points to meaningful upside tied to role, level, and scarce skills.
Shield AI Insights
What We Do
At Shield AI, you won't wait years to see your work reach the field. You'll build hardware and software that operates in the real world right now, in the hands of the people who depend on it. Hivemind, our AI pilot, has been flying since 2018. It has flown more than 30 platforms, including an F-16, and it now sits under a U.S. Air Force production contract for Collaborative Combat Aircraft. When you write code or shape a system here, you contribute to technology with a proven flight record and a clear production future. V-BAT flies intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance missions with an operational record that stretches from Ukraine to the Indo-Pacific. It delivers eyes where they matter most, in the most demanding conditions on earth. The teams behind it watch their work get tested where the stakes are real. X-BAT takes its first flight this year. It's an AI-piloted fighter that needs no runway, built to operate where traditional aircraft can't. Join now and you help shape a program at its earliest, most formative stage. That's the kind of ground-floor work that defines a career. Do the most impactful work of your life, on problems that matter. Autonomy at this level asks a lot of you. You'll take on problems in perception, planning, and control that few teams anywhere are equipped to solve. You'll work across disciplines, from aerospace and robotics to machine learning and systems engineering, alongside people who hold themselves to an exacting standard and expect the same from you. Our mission is clear: protect service members and civilians with intelligent systems. That purpose runs through every decision, every design review, and every deployment. It's why the work here carries a weight you can feel. Ready to join our mission? Explore our open roles and find where you fit.
Why Work With Us
Founded in 2015 by a former Navy SEAL, Shield AI builds AI pilots and uncrewed aircraft. Veterans aren't an afterthought here, they're at every level. It's why the work carries weight: AI pilots and uncrewed aircraft flying real missions, from Ukraine to the Indo-Pacific, protecting service members and civilians.
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Shield AI Teams
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Shield AI Offices
Hybrid Workspace
Employees engage in a combination of remote and on-site work.
