Supplier Management Manager

About the role

Orbitworks is looking for an experienced supplier management professional to lead the tactical execution of supplier management across its UAE and international supply base, including its internal supply relationship with Loft Orbital Solutions. The role sits in the Supply Chain team and combines technical procurement expertise, commercial ownership and hands-on execution, keeping conforming hardware, equipment and services arriving on time and at a competitive total cost. It is an individual-contributor role partnering with Engineering, Quality, Planning, Programs, Finance and Supplier Development.

Key responsibilities

• Own the supplier portfolio: manage local and international suppliers and internal partners, segmenting them by criticality, technology, capacity, lead time and risk, and setting ownership and review cadence.
• Lead technical sourcing and quotations: turn approved specifications, drawings and documentation into RFQs, and evaluate quotes with Engineering and QA on compliance, lead time, capacity, tooling costs and total cost of ownership.
• Drive procurement execution: own requisitions, PO placement and amendments, supplier acknowledgement and delivery follow-up, and resolve receipt or invoice discrepancies.
• Negotiate and administer pricing, payment, delivery, warranty, change, cancellation and tooling-ownership terms with Legal and Compliance.
• Manage demand and product availability, flagging shortages and long-lead exposure early and securing coverage while managing cash and obsolescence risk.
• Lead delivery recovery: validate supplier milestones and evidence, run recovery plans and escalations to closure.
• Manage the supplier lifecycle: coordinate due diligence, onboarding, qualification, approved status and offboarding.
• Partner on quality and technical issues with QA and Engineering, and turn Supplier Development findings into sourcing and commercial decisions.
• Run supplier reviews on delivery, quality, responsiveness and risk, and improve total cost through negotiation, order strategy and qualified alternatives.
• Build the function: create processes, dashboards and decision records, and coach procurement colleagues.

Required profile

• 7-15 years of experience in supplier management, technical procurement or supply chain in aerospace, space or another demanding engineered-product environment, with direct accountability for production hardware.
• Demonstrated commercial and contract depth, with a track record of preventing or resolving shortages and managing capacity or long-lead constraints.
• Experience owning a supplier portfolio, running performance reviews and driving corrective actions to closure.
• Strong cross-functional influence across Procurement, Engineering, QA, Planning, Finance and suppliers, including relationships without direct authority.
• Degree in engineering, supply chain or a related field (or equivalent experience), with clear professional English; Arabic and French are a plus.

Required skills

• Technical procurement literacy: reading specifications, drawings, BOMs, revisions and acceptance requirements.
• End-to-end procurement experience: RFQs, quotation comparison, approvals, POs, amendments, delivery follow-up and supplier lifecycle management.
• ERP/MRP systems, connecting demand, supply, lead times and PO data to assess cost, inventory and cash impact.
• Nice to have: space/aerospace flight hardware experience, AS9100, CIPS/CPSM/CSCP certification, cost-breakdown or should-cost experience, and international logistics, customs and export-control knowledge.