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Salary: USD 85,000 - 120,000 / annual
Inversion is an aerospace and defense company pioneering advanced reentry technology for next-generation space capabilities. The company designs, manufactures, and integrates highly maneuverable reentry spacecraft (Arc) for rapid global cargo delivery, hypersonic testing, and national security missions. Backed by Y Combinator, Spark Capital, and Lockheed Martin Ventures, Inversion is headquartered in Los Angeles.
The Buyer II will manage end-to-end purchasing and material-planning execution for all engineering-related materials, parts, equipment, and custom hardware. This role owns the complete procurement lifecycle from demand identification through delivery, receiving, and inventory updates.
Key responsibilities include:
- Partner with engineering teams to understand technical requirements, specifications, quantities, schedules, and program needs
- Source, evaluate, and obtain competitive supplier quotations considering cost, quality, technical capability, lead time, and delivery reliability
- Manage the purchasing process from requisition through PO placement, ensuring approvals, documentation, and commercial terms are complete
- Handle non-standard procurement needs including custom components, fabricated hardware, and specialized materials
- Track purchase orders, supplier commitments, shipments, and deliveries; proactively resolve delays, quality concerns, and logistics issues
- Coordinate shipping and receiving to ensure on-time arrival in acceptable condition with proper documentation
- Maintain accurate procurement, delivery, inventory, and supplier records for engineering execution, cost tracking, and audit readiness
- Develop material forecasts in partnership with engineering teams to protect program schedules and avoid shortages
- Support inventory planning by maintaining appropriate stock levels while minimizing excess and obsolescence
- Build and maintain strong supplier relationships, negotiating favorable pricing, lead times, and delivery commitments
- Monitor and evaluate supplier performance; drive corrective actions or alternative sourcing when needed
- Identify opportunities for cost savings, lead-time reduction, supplier consolidation, and process improvement
- Ensure purchases comply with company policies, industry regulations, safety requirements, and documentation standards
- Coordinate priorities across engineering, operations, receiving, finance, and suppliers during aggressive schedules
Requirements:
- Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain Management, Business, Engineering, Operations, or related discipline; equivalent relevant experience considered
- Typically 4+ years of experience as a Buyer/Planner, Supply Chain Coordinator, Procurement Specialist, or similar purchasing and planning role
- Experience supporting engineering, manufacturing, technical operations, or hardware-focused environments
- Strong understanding of procurement processes, PO management, vendor sourcing, logistics, inventory control, and material planning
- Demonstrated experience obtaining and evaluating supplier quotes, placing orders, tracking deliveries, and resolving supplier/shipment issues
- Experience managing multiple concurrent purchasing priorities with strong attention to detail, documentation accuracy, and schedule discipline
- Ability to interpret engineering-driven procurement needs including material specifications, part requirements, quantities, technical documentation, and delivery dates
- Experience with vendor management, supplier communication, cost negotiation, and commercial terms
- Strong organizational, analytical, written, and verbal communication skills; ability to work effectively with engineers, vendors, operations personnel, and leadership
- Proficiency with procurement, inventory-management, ERP, or MRP software
- Proficiency with Microsoft Office tools, particularly Excel for tracking, analysis, reporting, and forecasting
- Comfortable taking ownership in fast-paced environment with evolving priorities, limited resources, and significant individual responsibility
- Must have ability to obtain and maintain U.S. government Secret/Top Secret security clearance
- ITAR Compliance: Must be U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident, protected individual, or eligible to obtain required authorizations from U.S. Department of State
Desired Qualifications:
- Experience supporting aerospace, aviation, defense, robotics, automotive, industrial equipment, or complex hardware-development industries
- Experience purchasing custom-machined parts, fabricated hardware, specialized materials, electronics, test equipment, or long-lead engineering components
- Experience in startup, rapid-growth company, or highly accountable engineering organization
- Experience supporting prototype development, engineering builds, hardware integration, test campaigns, or production transitions
- Experience with forecasting tools, demand-planning systems, inventory optimization, or MRP processes
- Demonstrated ability to analyze purchasing, supplier, lead-time, inventory, and cost data to improve procurement strategies
- Experience developing alternate sources, mitigating supply-chain risks, and protecting engineering schedules from disruptions
