Director of Supply Chain

About Us

At Saildrone, we sustainably explore, map, and monitor the oceans to understand, protect, and preserve our world. We provide real-time access to critical data from any ocean on earth, 24/7/365, and use proprietary software applications to transform that data into actionable insights and intelligence. Our fleet of uncrewed surface vehicles (USVs), powered by renewable wind and solar power, have a minimal carbon footprint and operate without the need for a crewed support vessel. Saildrone works with governments, civil agencies, foundations, universities, and private companies around the globe to drive better information about our oceans and seas—from sailing into the eye of a category 4 hurricane to obtain new data about how storms intensify, collecting new CO2 data in hard-to-reach areas, and counting fish biomass to inform sustainable fishery management, to mapping the ocean floor and reducing illegal fishing and drug trafficking. As a result of our work, Saildrone has been included on Fast Company’s annual list of the World’s Most Innovative Companies, earned an Ocean Awards’ Innovation Award, won Best Tech For Good from the Timmy Awards, and was recognized by Andreessen Horowitz’s American Dynamism 50 list of the Top 50 Companies Kickstarting American Renewal. Our first-annual Atlantic hurricane mission with NOAA was included as one of The New York Times’ 21 Things That Happened for the First Time in 2021 and Popular Science's 100 Greatest Innovations of 2021.

We are based in Alameda, CA, with offices in Washington DC and St. Petersburg, FL, and operate our missions worldwide. Saildrone is backed by top-tier investors in the frontier tech and sustainability sectors, including Social Capital, Capricorn, Lux Capital, BOND Capital, and Emerson Collective.

This is an exciting opportunity with a fast-growing team at the cutting-edge intersection of big data services and autonomous hardware. You will be an integral part of a high-performing multi-disciplinary delivering high impact for humanity and future generations.

The Role

The Director of Supply Chain is responsible for the overall supply chain operations, including purchasing, inventory, selection of vendors, and distribution of finished goods. Develops and implements a strategy to ensure that critical processes run effectively and achieve organizational goals and performance KPI’s. The Director of Supply Chain manages a departmental sub-function with broader departmental functions like demand and capacity planning.. Creates functional strategies and specific objectives for budgets, policies, and procedures to support the business.

The Supply Chain team is responsible to work with cross-functional teams including: Sales, Engineering, Production, and Marketing. The Director of Supply Chain must ensure proper communications across those organizations to manage all requests, engineering changes and release, make/buy studies, contract manufacturing, demand planning, and inventory analysis.

Responsibilities

• Collaborates with other departments and stakeholders to identify and maintain resources needed to establish and provide an effective supply chain.
• Establishes performance metrics for measurement, comparison, or evaluation of factors affecting the supply chain.
• Develops and maintains detailed inventories of materials and supplies located in the company, at sites, and in the factory.
• Maintains required quantity of supplies and materials to optimize production.
• Analyzes current inventories and procedures; suggests improvements to increase efficiency of supply chain and profitability for the company.
• Responsible for managing Supplier Quality, including Supplier evaluations.
• Develops policies to increase efficiency throughout the supply chain while ensuring quality and safety; implements subsequent changes to processes.
• Identifies optimal shipment and transportation routes with attention to consolidation of warehousing and distribution.
• Negotiates prices for raw material and delivery with suppliers, vendors, and/or shipping companies.
• Participates in the product development team, providing information and guidance on availability/timing and cost of supplies and materials.
• Acts as part of the team coordinating engineering changes, product line extension, or new product launches to ensure timely and orderly material and production flow transitions.
• Monitors the performance of suppliers, assessing their ability to meet quality and delivery requirements; identifies and qualifies new suppliers in collaboration with other departments.
• Supports general company material needs for support functions like Marketing and Facilities to ensure competitive pricing and inventory management.
• Work with engineering in the early stages of design, part selection, and BOM creation.
• Source, quote, order, and manage delivery of prototype and production components.
• Negotiate NDAs, SOW's and Master Purchase Agreements with suppliers.
• Manage cost and budgets, including looking for opportunities to deliver cost reductions.
• Support inventory and finance process requirements for the procurement, delivery, and stocking of parts.
• Assist in recruiting, interviewing, and hiring additional teammates to our rapidly-growing team.

Required Skills and Experience

• Bachelor's in Business, Management, or Engineering
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Excellent interpersonal and negotiation skills with a proven ability to create and maintain positive working relationships with vendors, suppliers, shippers, and customers.
• Strong supervisory and leadership skills.
• Excellent organizational skills and attention to detail.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Proficient with Microsoft Office Suite or related software.
• Proven track record of managing complex programs across multiple teams from inceptions through completion.
• High energy, focused tenacity, sense of humor, desire to eliminate ambiguity and focus on transparency.
• 7+ years of experience in Supply Chain management.
• 5+ years managing teams as a supervisor, manager, or similar.
• Role is based in Alameda, CA.
• 10%-15% Travel.

Physical Requirements

• Prolong periods of sitting at a desk and working at a computer.
• Must be able to lift up to 15lbs at times.

Location: This position is in Alameda, CA. Our waterfront office offers beautiful views of San Francisco Bay in always sunny Alameda. Even our walls have good karma, our offices mix software development with a hardware production line in the former airplane hangar used to film 'The Matrix'.

Benefits:

• Medical, dental and vision plans for you and your dependents.
• Short and relaxing ferry ride from the Ferry Building for SF residents
• Enhanced Parental Leave Programs
• Competitive benefits including excellent medical, life insurance, 401k plan
  

Catch up on the latest news about us:

The Tiny Craft Mapping Superstorms at Sea – The New York Times

Saildrone Takes the Wraps Off its Voyager Autonomous Research Vehicle – TechCrunch

An Underwater Mountain was Newly Discovered off California Coast – San Francisco Chronicle

The Quest for CO2: You Can’t Capture What You Can’t Find – Inside Unmanned Systems

Hacking the Anthropocene with Survivalist Robots [VIDEO] – Freethink

Here’s What Hurricane Fiona’s Surf Looked Like, from Atop a 50-foot Wave – The Washington Post

An Unprecedented View Inside a Hurricane – EOS

Meet the sailing robots trying to solve climate change – The Hill

They Sailed Into a Hurricane, Now These Unmanned Saildrones are Seeking Data on Our Carbon Uptake – CNN

Saildrone Featured Videos Playlist

We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status.

At Saildrone, we value diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive workplace that welcomes people from all backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives. We believe that a diverse and inclusive team leads to innovation and better problem-solving. We encourage applications from candidates of all genders, ethnicities, races, sexual orientations, disabilities, and backgrounds.

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. Please note that the Company does not sponsor employees for work visas or permanent resident cards to work in the U.S. If you need sponsorship for a work visa or green card, you will not be qualified for employment with Saildrone.

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

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