Procurement Manager

Company Overview

Swarm Defense Technologies designs and builds small unmanned aircraft systems for the U.S. Department of Defense. We are headquartered in Auburn Hills, Michigan, where electrical design, firmware, machining, assembly, and flight test all happen under one roof. Our current work is focused on moving production-ready small UAS from prototype to volume delivery on compressed program timelines, and we are building the engineering and manufacturing team to do it.

Job Summary

Swarm Defense is hiring a Procurement Manager to own purchasing as we scale from prototype builds to volume aircraft delivery. You will set purchasing policy, hold the company to it, and bring structure and discipline to our supplier base. This is an ownership role: you decide how we buy, who we buy from, and on what terms.

You will source everything that goes into the aircraft and the shop, from electronic components and PCB assemblies to machined parts, motors, batteries, and consumables. You will work daily with production and engineering to turn BOMs into a material plan that lands on time. You report directly to the CEO.

Key Responsibilities

• Set and enforce purchasing policy: PO approval thresholds, spend authority, requisition-to-PO workflow, and receiving/inspection handoff. Hold engineering and production to it.
• Organize the supplier base: consolidate vendors, qualify and tier suppliers, establish approved vendor and approved manufacturer lists, and put terms, NDAs, and pricing agreements in writing.
• Own the ERP purchasing module: keep vendor records, lead times, pricing, and BOM data accurate so the system is the single source for material planning.
• Own the full procurement lifecycle for all production materials, electronics, PCB assemblies, mechanical parts, and shop supplies.
• Negotiate pricing, terms, and lead times; manage relationships with distributors and contract manufacturers for PCBAs and machined parts.
• Run BOM-driven material planning with production and engineering; order long-lead and allocated components early enough to keep the line running.
• Manage MOQ, lead-time, and carrying-cost tradeoffs; track purchased cost against BOM cost targets.
• Ensure ITAR/EAR compliance in sourcing and handle DFARS/FAR flow-downs to suppliers; maintain traceability and certs of conformance on controlled parts.
• Own the supplier quality loop: log nonconformances, drive corrective action, and run supplier scorecards on delivery, quality, and price.
• Expedite critical orders and resolve shortages, delays, and quality escapes before they affect deliveries; report spend, KPIs, and supply risk to the CEO.

Requirements

• 5+ years in purchasing or supply chain for low-volume, high-mix hardware or electronics manufacturing.
• Has written and enforced purchasing policy in an environment where engineers were used to ordering their own parts, and made it stick.
• Track record of consolidating and formalizing a supplier base: vendor qualification, approved lists, negotiated agreements.
• Hands-on daily user of an MRP/ERP purchasing module; comfortable owning master data and running BOM-driven material planning in it.
• Working knowledge of electronic component sourcing: lifecycle and obsolescence, allocation and lead-time risk, authorized distribution, and counterfeit avoidance.
• Direct and organized; able to redirect an out-of-process purchase to the in-process path and hold that line with engineers and production.
• BS in Supply Chain, Business, Engineering, or equivalent demonstrated experience.

Bonus Points

• Procurement experience under ITAR/EAR and DFARS, including flow-down and controlled-part traceability.
• Experience sourcing PCBAs, motors, batteries, or machined aerospace parts.
• Familiarity with AS9100 or ISO 9001 supplier control and purchasing requirements.
• Experience drafting supplier agreements, terms and conditions, or long-term pricing agreements.
• UAS, aerospace, or defense manufacturing background.
• APICS CPIM/CSCP or ISM CPSM certification.

Benefits

• Health Insurance: We cover 100% of health insurance premiums for our employees.
• 401(k): Company retirement plan with employer match.

Swarm Defense is an early-stage defense company, and the pace is set by what the mission requires. The work is hands-on: engineers build what they design, test it on real aircraft, and own the result. Timelines are short, feedback from the field is direct, and problems get solved by the people closest to them.

We reward initiative and give people ownership of their area. If you want to see your work fly within weeks rather than years, and you are comfortable operating without a large support structure around you, this is the right environment.