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Salary: USD 161,000 - 212,000 / annual
Anduril Industries, a defense technology company, is seeking a Senior Sourcing Engineer to own supply chain outcomes for electro-optical and infrared sensor systems. The role is based in Waltham, Massachusetts, within the Anduril Imaging division, which builds precision optics, cooled infrared detectors, custom electronics, and tight-tolerance electromechanical assemblies for both Anduril platforms and stand-alone products.
You will manage supplier relationships end-to-end, from identifying sources and negotiating agreements to standing up capacity and managing production ramps. This role requires deep technical understanding of infrared optics and materials, including germanium crystal, boules, and blanks; chalcogenide infrared glass; lens and window fabrication processes (grinding, polishing, diamond turning, centering); optical coatings; lens cell and optical assemblies; and detector, dewar, cold filter, and cryocooler assemblies.
Key responsibilities include:
- Owning suppliers end-to-end: identify and select sources, run RFQs, drive make-buy decisions, and serve as commercial and technical owner of relationships
- Negotiating commercial structures: draft and negotiate pricing, capacity commitments, lead times, payment, warranty, and service terms; build long-term agreements that secure capacity
- Developing and using cost models: build should-cost and clean-sheet models, run cost-breakdown analysis, drive total cost of ownership, and reconcile bill of material costs with finance
- Securing capacity ahead of ramps: map supply network lead time and flexibility, place coverage against demand well in advance, and resolve capacity gaps before they become schedule problems
- Engaging engineering early: provide design-for-manufacturability feedback and influence specifications using supply intelligence on availability, lead time, and lifecycle health
- De-risking the bill of material: complete risk assessments, qualify alternates and second sources, drive commonality and supplier rationalization, manage obsolescence
- Escalating and clearing blockers: participate in program reviews and operational forums, triage supply disruptions, resolve shortages, drive supplier issues to conclusion
- Carrying compliance into sourcing decisions: work country of origin, domestic content, defense acquisition regulations, export control, and rated order requirements into supplier selection and PO structure
- Completing supplier qualification: own capability and authorization portions of supplier evaluation and coordinate with Supplier Quality Organization
The role carries additional exposure to geopolitical and supply-base dynamics. Germanium pricing and availability are driven by export policy and a thin upstream supply base; alternative material paths carry their own critical mineral dependencies. The work includes reaching past tier-one suppliers into the feedstock layer, modeling material price scenarios, and structuring forward positions and consignment arrangements that secure supply rather than just placing orders.
REQUIREMENTS:
- Bachelor's degree in engineering, supply chain, or related technical field, or equivalent experience
- 8+ years across sourcing engineering, commodity management, supplier development, supplier quality, manufacturing engineering, or cost engineering
- Experience owning supplier relationships that included both technical assessment and commercial negotiation
- Ability to read and interpret engineering drawings, CAD models, and assemblies
- Ability to travel 10-25% of the time for vendor on-site visits
- Eligible to access export-controlled technical data under United States export control law
- Ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. secret clearance
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:
- Advanced technical degree
- Experience in infrared or electro-optical systems, precision optics, photonics, sensors, or other high-precision hardware
- Should-cost or clean-sheet cost modeling, design-to-cost, or value engineering work
- Experience taking a product from development into rate production, particularly in high-mix low-volume environments
- Experience negotiating long-term agreements, supply agreements, or capacity commitments
- Familiarity with defense acquisition regulation flowdowns, export control, rated orders, country of origin, or domestic content requirements
- Experience in a fast-moving company where processes were still being built
