Procurement Manager

The role

The Procurement Manager will own purchasing for development, equipment builds, and plant operations. You will work with engineering, research, and operations to deliver equipment, materials, and services.

What you will do

• Own purchasing from request through delivery for process equipment, custom fabricated parts, raw materials, consumables, spare parts and outside services.
• Partner with engineering, research and operations to turn drawings, bills of materials and production plans into sourcing requirements and schedules.
• Find, qualify and develop suppliers.
• Run RFQs, compare technical and commercial proposals, and negotiate pricing, payment terms, lead times and warranties.
• Follow up with suppliers, resolve delays and coordinate freight and receiving.
• Build reliable sources for critical materials and components.
• Work with technical teams to resolve supplier quality issues, substitutions and nonconforming deliveries.
• Maintain specifications, certificates and purchasing records.
• Establish practical purchasing processes, approval workflows and supplier records.
• Track supplier performance and total landed cost, identify savings and standardization opportunities.

Required qualifications

• 2+ years of procurement, purchasing or supply chain experience in manufacturing, industrial equipment, chemicals, metals or a related technical environment.
• Experience sourcing both custom parts or capital equipment and the materials and consumables needed to keep a facility running.
• Ability to work with engineering drawings, bills of materials and technical specifications, and clarify requirements with engineers and suppliers.
• Strong commercial judgment and a track record of negotiating favorable terms while protecting quality and delivery.
• Highly organized, with the follow-through to manage multiple orders, changing priorities and urgent sourcing needs.
• Hands-on experience with purchasing or ERP systems and spreadsheets.

Nice to have

• Experience supporting a pilot plant, new facility buildout or manufacturing scale-up.
• Familiarity with high-temperature equipment, vacuum systems, refractory materials, specialty metals or chemical feedstocks.
• Experience with domestic and international sourcing, freight coordination and import documentation.
• Experience establishing a procurement function or improving purchasing and inventory systems at an early-stage company.

Benefits

• Competitive base salary.
• Generous stock options.
• Comprehensive medical, dental and vision insurance.
• Company-provided lunch daily.

Before you apply

• Visa sponsorship available if needed.

About the company

Solcoa is building the next generation of American metalmaking, starting with rare earths. They have developed a new chemistry that converts rare earth oxides into high-purity metals.