About the Role

Shift5 is looking for a highly motivated, hands-on Senior Buyer & Strategic Sourcing Specialist to help manage and scale our procurement and supply chain operations.

This role will own day-to-day purchasing and strategic sourcing while partnering closely with Engineering, Hardware, Manufacturing, Finance, and Program teams to ensure critical materials and components are sourced at the right cost, quality, and time.

You’ll be responsible for anticipating supply risks, building strong supplier relationships, negotiating commercial terms, and bringing greater structure and predictability to procurement as Shift5 continues to scale. This is a great opportunity for someone who understands both the tactical and strategic sides of supply chain and thrives in a fast-moving, mission-driven environment.

What You'll Do

Purchasing & Strategic Sourcing

• Own the end-to-end purchasing process for hardware, components, materials, and other operational needs from requisition through delivery.
• Source, evaluate, negotiate with, and manage suppliers to optimize cost, quality, lead times, and availability.
• Lead RFP and RFQ processes for strategic sourcing, major components, and contract manufacturing.
• Negotiate pricing, lead times, payment terms, minimum order quantities, and other commercial terms.
• Manage purchase orders, order confirmations, delivery schedules, expedites, and supplier follow-up.
• Partner with Engineering, Program, and Production teams to understand BOMs, production schedules, engineering changes, and upcoming material needs.
• Support new product introductions by incorporating sourcing and material requirements early in the process.

Supply Chain & Risk Management

• Proactively identify supply constraints, long-lead items, component obsolescence, and vendor risks before they impact programs or customer delivery.
• Monitor and manage Diminishing Manufacturing Sources and Material Shortages (DMSMS) and develop mitigation strategies including alternative sourcing and lifetime buys.
• Monitor inventory requirements and purchasing trends to improve material availability while minimizing excess and obsolete inventory.
• Develop and track key supply chain metrics including supplier performance, lead times, on-time delivery, purchase price variance, and material availability.
• Partner with Finance to ensure purchasing decisions align with budgets, forecasts, and approval processes.
• Ship production hardware and support equipment to customers and field teams as needed.

Supplier Quality & Compliance