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Salary: USD 170,000 - 180,000 / annual
Biofire Technologies is building the next generation of firearms safety technology. As Senior Commodity Manager, Electronics, you will own the electronics supply base strategy as the company scales from low-rate initial production (LRIP) into full-rate production.
You will be responsible for the complete electronics commodity strategy across PCB fabrication, PCB assembly (SMT/THT), and component sourcing for semiconductors, passives, connectors, and cable/harness assemblies. This includes qualifying suppliers, reducing bill-of-materials costs, eliminating single-source exposure, and establishing commercial agreements that support Biofire's growth trajectory.
Key responsibilities include:
- Build a supplier qualification framework using IPC-A-610 / J-STD-001 workmanship standards, first-article inspection, and capacity audits calibrated by commodity type, qualifying Biofire's electronics supplier base for full-rate production.
- Drive electronics BOM cost reduction through design-for-manufacturability (DFX) collaboration with engineering, component standardization, higher-density packaging, connector consolidation, volume renegotiation, and competitive bidding.
- Evaluate the full electronics parts portfolio to identify single-source and end-of-life/obsolescence risks. Build and execute a prioritized dual-sourcing roadmap based on risk, business impact, and total cost of ownership.
- Serve as primary point of contact for Biofire's PCBA contract manufacturers, managing day-to-day production, rework, and quality escalations.
- Negotiate master service agreements and stocking agreements covering pricing, payment terms, lead-time commitments, and quality expectations.
- Own supply continuity through the production ramp by monitoring supplier allocation and lead-time risk, translating production schedules into supplier demand signals, and preventing line-down events.
- Participate actively in design-for-manufacturability reviews with electronics engineering, flagging manufacturability, cost, and quality risks before parts are released for sourcing.
- Build and maintain an electronics supply chain roadmap aligned to product and production ramp plans, staying ahead of supplier capacity constraints and market dynamics.
- Coach procurement team members on supplier capability assessment, quote evaluation, and scorecard development.
You will work in a mission-driven environment with world-class engineers and technicians from aerospace, defense, medical devices, and advanced manufacturing. The role requires influencing engineering, quality, and production partners without direct authority, and building procurement infrastructure essentially from scratch.
REQUIREMENTS:
- Strong working knowledge of electronics manufacturing processes, including PCB fabrication, SMT/THT assembly, and component packaging and footprint selection. Ability to spot process-conversion and cost-saving opportunities, assess contract manufacturer and supplier capability, and read schematics, BOMs, and PCB fabrication packages (gerbers, stack-ups).
- Proven experience building supplier qualification frameworks from scratch, including first-article inspection, capacity and quality audits, and workmanship standards, ideally in environments without existing procurement infrastructure.
- Track record of driving measurable BOM cost reduction through DFX collaboration, should-cost modeling, and commercial negotiation.
- Experience managing a mix of electronics commodities, including semiconductors, passives, connectors, and cable/harness assemblies, with component-level qualification, distributor and franchise relationship management, and allocation and lead-time risk mitigation.
- Experience developing dual-sourcing strategies and managing second-source qualification based on risk, total cost of ownership, and component and distribution considerations.
- Skilled in negotiating commercial agreements (MSAs, stocking agreements) covering pricing, lead time, stocking, and quality terms.
- Demonstrated ability to influence engineering, quality, and production cross-functionally without direct authority, and to coach and mentor buyers.
- Experience supporting hardware products through the transition from low-rate to full-rate production, ideally in a regulated or highly engineered industry (aerospace, defense, medical device, automotive, consumer electronics, or firearms).
- Bachelor's degree in engineering, supply chain, or a related field (or equivalent experience), plus several years of experience in electronics commodity management or strategic sourcing.
