[Hiring] Strategic Sourcing Manager @Intuitive Machines

Role Description

Intuitive Machines – West is seeking a Strategic Sourcing Manager to help build and manage a supply chain capable of flexing across two very different operating modes: high-volume, cost-efficient, and schedule-driven commercial production, and traditional, low-volume, high-reliability government and legacy space programs. This position is located in Palo Alto, CA or Houston, TX - (remote considered).

This role sits at the center of that dual mandate- the ideal candidate will have the skill and agility to support production environments optimized for throughput and cost-efficiency, as well as strategic, high-stakes programs that focus on lower-rate production, reliability, and risk mitigation.

Responsibilities

• Lead procurement and supplier partnership initiatives, tailoring sourcing strategy to the specific risk, cost, and schedule profile of each program.
• Conduct comprehensive supplier analysis to identify new and existing suppliers, optimize cost structures, and ensure continuity of supply.
• Lead cross-functional teams to assess supplier technical capability, industrial capacity, and quality systems to determine fit for either high-rate production or low-volume, high-reliability work.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives to address supplier quality, cost, delivery, lead-time, and risk compliance.
• Build strong relationships with internal stakeholders (business development, contracts, program management, engineering, quality) to translate customer requirements into the right procurement strategy.
• Partner with engineering on design decisions that support an efficient and resilient supply plan, including designing for manufacturability at scale or designing for mission assurance on a one-off build.

High-Volume Program Focus

• Architect and scale a repeatable, agile supply chain capable of supporting serial production of spacecraft and subsystems.
• Qualify suppliers for industrial-scale output while managing cost-down roadmaps and lead-time compression.

Traditional/Low-Volume Program Focus

• Manage sourcing for custom, mission-specific hardware with extended qualification and traceability requirements.
• Navigate government contracting requirements (e.g., FAR/DFARS flow-downs) and long-lead procurement cycles typical of legacy space programs.

Qualifications

• A solid understanding of the space industry's evolution over the past decades, along with general technical familiarity with satellite systems and subsystems.
• The judgment to know when to apply traditional, risk-averse sourcing practices versus when to challenge legacy approaches to solve cost and schedule problems.
• Comfort operating in ambiguity- able to toggle between structured, compliance-heavy sourcing and fast-moving, scale-focused sourcing.
• Strong cross-functional collaboration skills with business development, product, program management, engineering, and quality teams.

Your Career

Intuitive Machines takes professional development seriously. You'll have the opportunity to define your own career trajectory, working with a manager or mentor to set goals and build a development plan.

Requirements

• Must be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident.
• Bachelor's degree in business, engineering, supply chain, or a related field. Four additional years of related experience may be substituted for degree.
• Minimum of 8 years of experience sourcing from a global supply base, using a variety of contractual models (development, supply, licensing, and service agreements).
• Minimum of 2 years of functional lead, supervisory, or management experience, or equivalent experience leading multifunctional/cross-functional teams.
• Proven success working on cross-functional new product introduction (NPI) projects.
• Technical knowledge of high-volume manufacturing products and industry practices.
• Ability to travel up to 20% and communicate outside of standard work hours as needed.
• Demonstrated ability to work in a changing environment and adapt across different projects and situations, directly relevant to toggling between high-volume and traditional low-volume programs.

Preferred Qualifications

• Project Management Professional (PMP) certification.
• Government procurement experience.
• Lean Six Sigma process improvement experience.
• Space products procurement and supply chain experience.
• Industrialization in automotive experience.
• Excellent communication skills with the ability to influence cross-functional stakeholders, including suppliers, engineering, legal, finance, manufacturing, and logistics.
• Detail-oriented, self-motivated, and able to respond quickly in a fast-moving, ever-changing environment.

Benefits

• Dedicated time for professional development, conference attendance, industry training, peer group collaboration, paid certifications, and education reimbursement.
• Comprehensive package of benefits including paid time off, health and welfare insurance, and 401(k) to eligible employees.
• This position is incentive eligible with a target based on contribution, company performance, and/or individual results achieved.