Principal Strategic Sourcing

Vast · Long Beach, California, United States

  • Senior
  • Full-time
  • $177,120 – $251,424
  • Posted 2026-10-12
  • Confirmed live on 14 October 2026

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Job description

Vast is developing next-generation space stations and space infrastructure using an incremental, hardware-rich, and low-cost approach. Vast is rapidly developing its multi-module Haven Station to ensure a continuous human presence in space for America and its allies, enabling advanced microgravity research and manufacturing, and unlocking a new space economy for government, corporate, and private customers. Haven Demo’s 2025 success made Vast the only operational commercial space station company to fly and operate its own spacecraft. Next, Haven-1 is expected to become the world’s first commercial space station when it launches in 2027, followed by additional Haven modules. Additionally, the company recently announced Vast Satellite, a high-power satellite product line leveraging its space station components and the heritage of Haven Demo.

Headquartered in Long Beach, California, and with more than 1,000 employees and over a billion dollars in private capital, Vast has built the facilities required to manufacture and operate America’s next space station. The company plans to develop future habitats and systems for the Moon and Mars, dedicated space stations for government partners, and other crewed systems that will unlock the expanding long-term space economy.

Vast is looking for a Principal Strategic Sourcing to the Senior Director of Supply Chain to lead complex sourcing and supply chain strategies supporting the development and production of human-rated space systems.

The Principal Strategic Sourcing Manager will serve as a senior individual contributor and subject matter expert within Supply Chain, owning high-impact sourcing strategies, solving complex supplier and program challenges, and influencing cross-functional decisions across Engineering, Manufacturing, Quality, and Program teams. This role requires the ability to operate independently in a fast-paced NPI environment, develop solutions where established processes may not yet exist, and create scalable strategies that improve the broader organization.

This will be a full-time, exempt position located in our Long Beach location.

Responsibilities:

• Own category strategies for critical hardware, balancing cost, speed, quality, and risk

• Lead high-stakes sourcing events end to end, including negotiating long-term agreements, capacity reservations, and rate-ramp commitments with executive-level supplier counterparts

• Build should-cost and total-cost-of-ownership models that capture tooling, NRE, qualification, and yield, not just unit price

• Work with Engineering early on make-vs-buy, design-to-cost, and design-for-manufacturability decisions

• Find, qualify, and develop new suppliers, including non-traditional and commercial suppliers, to reduce single-source risk and add capacity

• Keep sourcing and contract flow-downs compliant with ITAR/EAR, AS9100, and customer requirements

• Mentor and train sourcing managers, buyers, and analysts through deal reviews, coaching, and workshops, and help build the playbooks and tools we scale on

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Supply Chain, Engineering, or a related field

• 7+ years of progressive experience in strategic sourcing, procurement, or supply chain in aerospace, space, defense, or another high-complexity manufacturing environment

• Proven record of delivering significant cost, schedule, and risk-reduction results on complex, high-spend categories

• Advanced negotiation skills, including with sole-source and strategic suppliers at the executive level

• Strong analytical skills, including spend analysis, TCO, and should-cost modeling

• Experience negotiating and managing long-term agreements, commercial terms, and supplier contracts

• Working knowledge of AS9100 and ITAR/EAR as they apply to sourcing and supplier management

• Demonstrated experience mentoring, coaching, or training colleagues

• Strong communication and cross-functional influence skills, with the ability to work closely with Engineering, Manufacturing, Quality, Finance, and Legal

• Comfort operating quickly with incomplete information and changing requirements

Preferred Skills & Experience:

• Experience sourcing prototype, development, and production machined hardware in an NPI environment

• Experience with value engineering, should-cost analysis, supplier development, and supply base optimization

• Experience influencing engineering, manufacturing, and executive stakeholders without direct authority

• Proficiency with ERP systems, RFQs/RFPs, and supplier contract management

• Excellent communication, organizational, and problem-solving skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities

Additional Requirements:

• Ability to travel up to 20% of the time

• Willingness to work evenings and/or weekends to support critical mission milestones

Pay Range: California
$177,120—$251,424 USD

We calibrate level and compensation to the selected candidate's experience and demonstrated c

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