Purchasing Manager

The Role

A role like this isn’t for someone who merely manages purchasing—it’s for someone who thrives where precision, pressure, and purpose collide. In this aerospace manufacturing environment, every decision you make keeps production moving, missions on track, and compliance airtight. You’ll be the force that maintains continuity of supply despite shifting demand, supplier constraints, and unforgiving schedules. If you’re the kind of professional who stays sharp under pressure, solves problems before others even see them coming, and understands how tightly procurement must sync with dynamic production schedules, this is where your expertise becomes mission‑critical.

Candidates with prior hands-on experience in production planning and scheduling are strongly preferred.

Essential Functions

• Direct and control all purchasing and materials management activities, ensuring alignment with aerospace quality standards, regulatory requirements, and customer contractual obligations
• Develops, enforces, and continuously improves procurement policies, procedures, and systems governing aerospace material, components, tooling, capital equipment, and specialized services
• Ensures uninterrupted material flow to support production schedules despite long lead times, constrained suppliers, engineering changes, and urgent customer requirements
• Serves as a primary escalation point for supply chain disruptions, supplier quality issues, expedites, and delivery recovery actions
• Supports aerospace programs and off‑site operations while maintaining compliance with AS9100, ITAR, FAR/DFARS, and customer‑specific requirements
• Partners cross‑functionally with engineering, planning, production, quality, supplier quality, warehouse, sales, and finance to rapidly resolve production‑critical material issues
• Develops and maintains a robust supplier selection, qualification, and risk assessment process appropriate for aerospace components and special processes
• Establishes systems to evaluate supplier quotes using aerospace‑appropriate negotiation techniques considering quality, traceability, lead time, capacity, and lifecycle cost
• Designs, implements, and monitors procurement dashboards providing real‑time visibility into supplier performance, shortages, and program risk
• Builds and maintains a qualified aerospace supplier base capable of meeting technical, quality, delivery, and compliance requirements
• Prepares, issues, and manages purchase orders and change notices with a focus on configuration control, traceability, and documentation accuracy
• Reviews and negotiates contracts, bids, and long‑term supplier agreements to ensure legal compliance, pricing integrity, and adherence to aerospace specifications
• Negotiates complex procurements involving long lead‑time components, sole‑source suppliers, special processes, and high‑value aerospace equipment
• Manages supplier delivery commitments and recovery plans to ensure on‑time delivery in full (OTIF) in support of production and customer milestones
• Tracks and drives key performance metrics including supplier quality, delivery performance, cost variance, and corrective action closure
• Supports audits, customer visits, and regulatory reviews related to procurement and supplier management
• May require up to 10% travel to suppliers for qualification, corrective action follow‑up, audits, or escalation support

Enflite believes that each employee makes a significant contribution to our success. That contribution should not be limited by the assigned responsibilities. Therefore, this position description is designed to outline primary duties, qualifications, and job scope, but not limit the individual nor the organization to just the work identified. It is our expectation that each employee will offer his/her services wherever and whenever necessary to ensure the success of our endeavors.

Job Specifications (Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities)

• Demonstrated ability to perform effectively in high‑pressure aerospace manufacturing environments with zero‑defect expectations
• Demonstrated experience in production planning and scheduling, with the ability to align procurement execution to dynamic aerospace manufacturing schedules and program milestones.
• Strong prioritization and decision‑making skills in situations involving schedule compression, supply disruption, and competing program demands
• Exceptional attention to detail with a disciplined approach to documentation, traceability, and configuration control
• Solid understanding of aerospace supply chain risk management and supplier performance management
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including interaction with customers, auditors, and suppliers
• High degree of ownership, resilience, and accountability; capable of independent execution in a regulated environment
• Advanced proficiency with ERP/MRP systems used in aerospace manufacturing
• Working knowledge of lean manufacturing, continuous improvement, and Just‑In‑Time principles adapted for aerospace constraints
• Proficient with Microsoft Office (Excel, Word, Outlook, PowerPoint), including data analysis and executive‑level reporting 

Education, Certifications, and Experience

• BA/BS degree in Supply Chain Management, Engineering, or related field preferred
• 6–10 years of combined Planning and Procurement experience in aerospace or similarly regulated manufacturing environments
• Proven experience managing suppliers subject to AS9100, ITAR, FAR/DFARS, or customer‑specific aerospace requirements
• 3 years’ experience working with machine shops and/or sheet metal shops producing aerospace components

Company Benefits

• Medical, dental, vision insurance with generous portion of premium paid by Enflite
• 401(k) with company match
• Life insurance, disability insurance
• Paid time off (PTO, Sick, Company Holidays)
• Annual discretionary bonus eligibility
• Fun activities each month (past events have included cookouts, baking competitions, cornhole tournaments, water balloon fights)

Physical Demands and Work Environment

Working conditions are normal for that of a manufacturing/machine shop/office environment.

All employees are expected to adhere to Company safety policies and wear personal protective equipment when exposed to work areas or performing tasks where it is required.

Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time with or without notice.

This position must meet Export Control compliance requirements, therefore a “US Person” as defined by 22 C.F.R.  § 120.15 is required.

The characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. The information contained in this job description is for compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and is not an exhaustive list of the duties that may be required for this position. Additional duties are performed by the individuals currently holding this or similar positions and additional duties may be assigned.

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER