Procurement Director

Zone 5 Technologies · San Luis Obispo, California

  • Senior
  • Full-time
  • $205,000 – $253,000
  • Posted 2026-11-06
  • Confirmed live on 10 November 2026

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Job description

At Zone 5 Technologies, we're redefining what's possible in precision weapons and unmanned aircraft systems (UAS). Our team of engineers and innovators are developing cutting-edge autonomous solutions to deliver affordable and scalable precision weapons, interceptors, and UAS.

We're building the next generation of munitions and unmanned systems for the United States and its allies. If you're driven by hard problems, energized by rapid innovation, and ready to make an impact on defense technology, you belong here.

Role Summary

The Procurement Director leads all global procurement activities for the company, including strategic sourcing, supplier negotiations, subcontract administration, and vendor performance management. This role ensures the company secures the materials, components, and services needed to support full-rate production at the best total cost, quality, and risk profile.

This role owns the supplier-facing side of the supply chain, from sourcing and negotiation through subcontract execution and performance, while maintaining the compliance discipline required in a regulated, government-contracting environment.

The Procurement Director partners closely with the Supply Chain Director, Program Management, Engineering, and Finance to ensure sourcing decisions translate into reliable, on-time material flow.

The Procurement Director ensures the procurement organization is aligned to meet Zone 5 needs for Production support, Engineering New Product Introduction (NPI), as well as the needs of franchise partners, while staying aligned with Finance and compliant with financial control requirements.

What You'll Own

• Strategic Sourcing & Purchasing

You are accountable for sourcing the right materials, components, and services at the right cost and risk profile, and for proactively derisking the supply base.

You will:

• Lead the procurement team's sourcing of raw materials, components, and services to support full-rate production

• Implement strategic sourcing initiatives, vendor qualification programs, and cost reduction programs while maintaining quality and compliance standards

• Ensure Zone 5 has a well-communicated, aligned set of suppliers that meets the technical and service needs of the organization and franchise partners

• Establish relationships with strategic suppliers that extend beyond the account team to the executive level between companies

• Systematically identify sole-source and single-source suppliers across the supply base and drive mitigation plans, including dual-sourcing, qualified alternates, or long-term agreements, to close the exposure

• Assess supplier capacity against projected production rates and proactively address suppliers unable to scale with the business, through capacity investment, dual-sourcing, or re-sourcing as warranted

• Build and maintain a diversified, resilient supplier base to mitigate single-source and capacity risk

• Identify and qualify alternate vendors for critical or at-risk parts

• Support New Product Introduction (NPI) by sourcing and qualifying long-lead and new parts in time to support production ramp

• Source and negotiate capital equipment, automation, and digital system purchases in support of the company's capital investment strategy

• Extend supplier qualification and performance standards to franchise and external manufacturing sites, ensuring they source from the same qualified supply base or an equivalent standard

Success looks like:

• Critical parts have qualified alternate sources before a shortage forces the issue

• Sole-source exposure and supplier scalability risk are known, tracked, and actively being mitigated across the supply base

• Suppliers proactively bring technology ideas to Zone 5 Engineering that facilitate new product development and give Zone 5 a competitive advantage in capability

• Supplier Negotiations & Cost Management

You own the commercial terms we get from our supply base.

You will:

• Negotiate pricing, terms, and contract conditions with suppliers and subcontractors to secure favorable terms and mitigate supply risk

• Partner with strategic suppliers to understand cost drivers and applicable market pricing, ensuring Zone 5 pricing supports a competitive cost advantage

• Negotiate and manage Long-Term Agreements (LTAs) with key suppliers to secure price stability, priority capacity, and favorable lead times

• Negotiate volume discounts and tiered pricing structures, consolidating spend across programs and sites where it creates leverage

• Establish and track purchase price variance and other cost-performance KPIs

• Lead cost reduction initiatives without compromising quality or delivery commitments

Success looks like:

• Total cost of ownership improves year over year across the supplier base

• Buyers can justify and explain market pricing for strategic components

• Supplier & Subcontract Performance Management

You are accountable for how well our suppliers and subcontractors perf

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