What are the responsibilities and job description for the Supply Chain Operations Lead position at Podium Automation?
Podium Automation is reimagining industrial control panel manufacturing through software-enabled design and automated fabrication. We're building technology to create a new industrial supply chain - reducing lead times for critical electrical equipment from months to days. We've raised over $23M from top-tier investors including Construct Capital, Andreessen Horowitz, Transition Ventures, Sunflower Capital, Banter Capital, and SV Angel.
We're hiring a Supply Chain Operations Lead to own procurement and make on-time delivery the default at Podium. Speed is our core product promise — we commit to 3–4 week lead times for control panels, which leaves 1–2 weeks to source every component a build requires. Procurement isn't a back-office function here; it's the engine that determines whether we keep that promise. You'll convert requirements into purchase orders, expedite at-risk items, and drive Okay-to-Build readiness so production never waits on parts.
This role goes well beyond purchasing. You'll be the primary operator of Purchasing in Odoo, our ERP, along with our recently adopted AI supply chain platform. The right candidate will not just run these systems, but shape them. You'll act as an internal product owner for our supply chain stack.
You'll partner closely with our electrical engineering, product, technical sales, operations, and finance teams to keep every project fully tracked and accurately costed. You'll own the supply base directly — building relationships with inside sales reps and technical contacts across our vendors. As one of our first dedicated supply chain hires, you'll define the sourcing playbook, tooling, and supplier strategy that scale with the company.
What You'll Do
We're hiring a Supply Chain Operations Lead to own procurement and make on-time delivery the default at Podium. Speed is our core product promise — we commit to 3–4 week lead times for control panels, which leaves 1–2 weeks to source every component a build requires. Procurement isn't a back-office function here; it's the engine that determines whether we keep that promise. You'll convert requirements into purchase orders, expedite at-risk items, and drive Okay-to-Build readiness so production never waits on parts.
This role goes well beyond purchasing. You'll be the primary operator of Purchasing in Odoo, our ERP, along with our recently adopted AI supply chain platform. The right candidate will not just run these systems, but shape them. You'll act as an internal product owner for our supply chain stack.
You'll partner closely with our electrical engineering, product, technical sales, operations, and finance teams to keep every project fully tracked and accurately costed. You'll own the supply base directly — building relationships with inside sales reps and technical contacts across our vendors. As one of our first dedicated supply chain hires, you'll define the sourcing playbook, tooling, and supplier strategy that scale with the company.
What You'll Do
- Own end-to-end purchasing for every active project —sourcing and issuing POs to meet hardware budgets and lead-time requirements
- Forecast component demand across the active project pipeline and get ahead of long-lead items so the 1–2 week procurement window is never the constraint
- Project-manage the BOM across all active builds — tracking every line from PO to receipt, expediting at-risk items, and driving Okay-to-Build readiness so production never stalls
- Qualify and onboard new suppliers, negotiate pricing and payment terms, and partner with finance to hit hardware savings targets — continuously scoring vendors on price, lead time, quality, and communication
- Define and own procurement KPIs — on-time delivery, PO cycle time, and cost variance — and report them to leadership
- Act as internal product owner for our supply chain systems: identifying process improvements and increasing data accuracy in partnership with our product team
- Own component continuity — approving alternates, securing multi-source and distributor access on critical parts, and monitoring EOL/change notices
- Establish the procurement playbook from the ground up — sourcing strategy, supplier scorecards, and the processes that scale as we grow
- Own relationships directly with inside sales reps and technical contacts across our vendor base, traveling to meet them and represent Podium at conferences (1-2 per quarter)
- 3 years in procurement, sourcing, or supply chain within a hardware, manufacturing, or electrical/industrial environment
- Proficiency with an ERP/MRP system and strong data and business-systems instincts — you're comfortable living in software day to day
- Strong project management skills and the ability to keep many moving parts on schedule in a fast-paced, dynamic environment
- A builder mindset towards tools and process; empowered to drive improvements
- Excellent communication and relationship-building skills with suppliers: you can be friendly while simultaneously firm on what Podium needs to grow
- Experience sourcing electrical or electromechanical components — control panel parts, motor controls, PLCs, VFDs, enclosures, wire and cable, or similar
- Experience with Odoo
- Track record scaling supply chain in a startup or high-growth manufacturing environment
Salary : $80,000 - $110,000