Supply Chain Manager

About Us 

Chariot Defense is a defense technology company that designs and manufactures a family of power products for the U.S. military and its allies. We believe that credible deterrence of armed conflict and winning if deterrence fails, requires more than just the best drones, sensors, weapons, electronic warfare systems, and command & control capabilities. Those critical components will require sustained electric power in austere and resource-constrained environments. Moreover, military units must be able to turn off the trucks and generators that generate this power to hide and survive. In other words, power generation must be decoupled from power consumption. Chariot Defense’s products enable exactly this capability, allowing U.S. and allied militaries to be more lethal and survivable. We hope you will join us on this mission.

About the Role 

Chariot Defense is seeking an experienced Supply Chain Manager to join our operations team, reporting to the Head of Operations. In this role, you will source, buy, and oversee the procurement and logistics of the components comprising Chariot Defense’s family of advanced power products. As we scale across multiple product lines, we are seeking a high-throughput operator to be the first member of our supply chain team and help establish end-to-end supply chain operations. This person will be responsible for building and optimizing a global, compliant, and scalable supply chain function—encompassing prototype component sourcing, demand planning, procurement, logistics, and distribution. The role requires pace, accuracy, responsive communications, and the ability to thrive in a rapidly changing environment.   

Key Responsibilities 

• Sourcing & Procurement: Use engineering guidance and requirements to find suitable commodities and vendors. Lead commercial negotiations and finalize vendor contracts. Place purchase orders for commodities and raw materials, including a broad range of energy storage and power electronic components via direct and online channels. 

• Vendor Relationships: Build and maintain strong relationships with vendors through in-person meetings, video calls, and written communications to secure high-quality service, competitive pricing, and favorable terms. 

• Customs & Logistics: Manage import/export requirements to ensure timely delivery of components. Assist in the scheduling of logistics to support operations and customer order fulfillment of finished goods. Secure necessary government permits and ensure regulatory compliance for international shipments. 

• Documentation & Inventory: Maintain 100% inventory and financial traceability within our ERP. Escalate any concerns with gaps in documentation or inventory concerns as they become apparent. 

• Collaboration & Improvement: Work with manufacturing and engineering team members to improve process efficiency and propose alternative components to increase supply chain resilience and compliance.   

What We’re Looking For 

• Extraordinary conscientiousness. You commit to what you’re going to do and follow through without fail. 

• Resilient and unwavering in a demanding, fast-paced work setting. Steady and sound decision-making when presented with imperfect/incomplete information or asked to shift priorities. 

• Able to independently assess engineering and manufacturing information as well as sourcing requirements. Act with initiative to meet those requirements. Be solutions-oriented in presenting options when requirements can’t be completely met. 

• Transparent, diligent, and highly responsive in your communication, both internally with colleagues and externally with vendors. 

• Gratified by helping your peers succeed; seeks to break down information silos by collaborating with others to solve problems, share knowledge, and provide input. 

Qualifications 

Required: 

• At least 3 years of professional work experience in supply chain management, sourcing commodities and raw materials for complex electro-mechanical hardware products. 

• Expert-level understanding of procurement, vendor management, and global logistics. Proven ability to manage import/export regulations and shipping documentation. 

• Experience establishing complex supply bases from scratch and supporting engineering teams in sourcing commodities for complex prototypes. 

• Strong verbal and written communication skills and comfortable maintaining appropriate records in Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) and other inventory management systems. 

• Ability to work with exceptionally high throughput and accuracy across all facets of the role’s responsibilities. 

• Willingness to work onsite in our San Bruno, CA, shop 5-days per week as well as work extended and weekend hours, when necessary.

Preferred: 

• Experience building and executing supply chain processes in Netsuite. 

• Possess an established network in the supply base for EV, eVTOL, energy storage, and/or power distribution industries. 

• Deep understanding of industry and government standards for quality and compliance, particularly AS9100 and maintaining/validating NDAA-compliant (National Defense Authorization Act) supply chains. 

• Experience executing complex logistics, especially shipments containing Class 9 HAZMAT. 

• Mechanical/Electrical engineering background, either academic or professional experience.  

Role Requirements

• This position is an onsite role based in Chariot Defense’s San Bruno, CA, office. 

• Willingness to support up to 20% travel, domestically and internationally, when necessary, to support supplier validation and relationship-building. 

• Able to work on your feet for extended periods in a warehouse setting. 

• Able to lift and carry 50lbs. 

A reasonable estimate of the current salary range is $90,000 - $130,000 annually. Compensation packages also include early-stage equity and access to company-sponsored benefit plans.

Individual compensation packages are based on geographic location, scope of the role, relevant experience, and the ability to deal with complexity and problem solve within our organization, among other factors. 

All employees are required to provide proof of authorization to work in the U.S. within their first 3 days of work. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status.  

Any unsolicited resumes/candidate profiles submitted through our website or to personal email accounts of employees of Chariot Defense are considered property of Chariot Defense and are not subject to payment of agency fees.