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Airbound is building ultra-efficient aircraft for drone delivery at scale, aiming to reduce delivery costs from ₹100/km to 10 paise/km. The company is rethinking aerospace from first principles to enable billions of deliveries per day.
As Technical Buyer, you will own end-to-end supply chain resilience and procurement strategy. You'll work directly with engineering and operations teams, managing the complete vendor lifecycle, developing sourcing strategies, optimizing inventory planning, and coordinating across R&D, manufacturing, and production.
Key responsibilities include:
**Vendor Management:** Identify, vet, and onboard reliable partners; lead contract negotiations for favorable terms; establish and monitor vendor performance KPIs; proactively resolve quality or delivery disputes.
**Procurement Strategy:** Develop and execute sourcing strategies based on cost analysis and spend management; assess market for supply risks; implement mitigation plans for long-term resilience of unique components.
**Inventory Planning:** Manage safety stock levels and optimize lead times; balance inventory turnover to ensure critical components are available without excessive capital tie-up.
**Operational Coordination:** Act as central link between R&D, manufacturing, and production teams to align procurement with engineering milestones; coordinate with logistics partners to streamline inbound freight.
**Data & Reporting:** Maintain accuracy in purchase orders and procurement records; track key supply chain metrics and budget adherence; use data-driven insights to identify cost savings and process improvements.
The role is based in Hoskote, Bangalore (company headquarters), in-office with alternate Saturdays. Benefits include comprehensive health insurance, relocation assistance, daily travel stipend, and advanced salary credit.
**Requirements:**
Must-have:
- 5–8 years of professional experience with proven mix of strategic sourcing and day-to-day operational buying, ideally from fast-paced startup, hardware-centric company, or complex manufacturing environment
- Deep sourcing knowledge in at least two of: mechanical parts (fasteners, moulds, gears, actuators); avionics/electronics; composites (fabric, consumables, resins)
- Sharp negotiation skills and ability to interpret complex data for informed procurement decisions
- Rigorous problem-solving mindset with extreme attention to detail
- Comfortable thriving in high-pressure, dynamic environments and executing tasks independently while navigating complexities of scaling supply chain
Good to have:
- Experience in aerospace, automotive, or heavy industrial logistics
