Manager, Supplier Operations & Governance

Please Note: To conform with the United States Government Space Technology Export Regulations, the applicant must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S., conditional resident, asylee or refugee (protected individuals as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3)), or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State.

At CesiumAstro, we are developers and pioneers of out-of-the-box communication systems for satellites, UAVs, launch vehicles, and other space and airborne platforms. We take pride in our dynamic and cross-functional work environment, which allows us to learn, develop, and engage across our organization. If you are looking for hands-on, interactive, and autonomous work, CesiumAstro is the place for you. We are actively seeking passionate, collaborative, energetic, and forward-thinking individuals to join our team.

JOB DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Manage the enterprise Approved Supplier List (ASL), including supplier qualification standards, approval workflows, requalification requirements, data integrity, and governance practices.

• Establish standardized supplier onboarding, qualification, approval, and exit procedures with documented decision criteria, responsibilities, and escalation requirements.

• Coordinate cross-functional supplier approval reviews with Strategic Sourcing, Supplier Quality, Engineering, and Compliance to ensure decisions reflect documented qualifications and risk assessments.

• Oversee supplier due diligence, site assessments, capability reviews, and operational readiness evaluations to assess manufacturing capacity, compliance, and supply continuity risks.

• Evaluate supplier certifications, regulatory obligations, contractual requirements, and operational risks to identify significant compliance concerns and mitigation priorities.

• Direct supplier risk assessments, corrective action tracking, and issue resolution activities while escalating material concerns to supply chain leadership.

• Implement and manage the Grow, Sustain, and Exit supplier lifecycle framework, including supplier segmentation, performance expectations, and established decision criteria.

• Analyze supplier performance involving quality, on-time delivery (OTD), responsiveness, manufacturing capacity, and operational risk to identify improvement opportunities.

• Guide supplier scorecard reviews, development initiatives, corrective action plans, and supplier transitions to strengthen performance and supply continuity.

• Develop supplier governance procedures, internal controls, reporting methodologies, and performance measures that support consistent execution and organizational scalability.

• Evaluate supplier qualification cycle times, ASL accuracy, compliance status, corrective action closure, and supplier performance trends to identify operational improvements.

• Partner with Enterprise Systems to improve supplier master data, ERP workflows, reporting automation, and governance controls that strengthen data integrity and operational visibility.

• Lead supplier operations personnel by establishing work priorities, allocating resources, monitoring deliverables, and developing team capabilities through coaching and performance management.

• Collaborate with Strategic Sourcing, Supplier Quality, Engineering, Manufacturing, Operations, and Compliance to align supplier governance activities with business requirements.

• Communicate supplier performance, compliance risks, operational constraints, resource needs, and improvement recommendations to supply chain leadership and key stakeholders.

JOB REQUIREMENTS AND MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain Management, Business Administration, Operations Management, Engineering, Logistics, or a related field with 7–9 years of related experience, Master's degree in a related field with 5–7 years of related experience, or PhD in a related field with 3–5 years of related experience in supplier management, supplier qualification, supply chain operations, procurement, supplier quality, compliance, or a related discipline.

• 1–3 years of leadership or management experience leading supplier operations, procurement, supplier quality, supply chain, or related professionals.

• Advanced knowledge of supplier management, supplier qualification, supply chain operations, compliance, and supplier governance principles.

• In-depth understanding of Approved Supplier List (ASL) management, supplier onboarding, due diligence, qualification standards, and supplier lifecycle processes.

• Comprehensive knowledge of supplier performance management, scorecards, risk assessments, corrective actions, and supply continuity requirements.

• Experience managing supplier governance activities, coordinating cross-functional approval processes, and overseeing supplier qualification, compliance, and performance improvement initiatives.

• Proficiency in evaluating supplier capabilities, manufacturing capacity, regulatory requirements, operational risks, and performance data to support governance decisions and process improvements.

• Sound judgment when resolving complex supplier challenges, determining qualification priorities, evaluating compliance risks, and balancing supplier performance with operational requirements.

• Advanced proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite including Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Teams.

• Enterprise resource planning (ERP) and supplier management applications, e.g. Acumatica, SAP, Oracle, NetSuite, or equivalent platforms.

• Business intelligence, data visualization, and reporting applications, e.g. Power BI, Tableau, or equivalent platforms

• Supplier qualification, Approved Supplier List (ASL), supplier performance management, and compliance tracking applications

• Workflow management, documentation, and collaboration applications, e.g. SharePoint, Smartsheet, Jira, or equivalent platforms.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Experience in aerospace, defense