Sr. Manager, Purchasing & Strategic Sourcing at Harmonic Drive LLC Sr. Manager, Purchasing & Strategic Sourcing at Harmonic Drive LLC in Chelsea, Massachusetts Posted in about 10 hours ago.

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full-time About Harmonic Drive Harmonic Drive LLC designs and manufactures precision motion control components

• strain wave gearing, actuators, and servo systems
• that power robotics, aerospace, semiconductor, and medical automation applications around the world. Our products show up in some of the most demanding, precision-critical machines built today, and our team takes that responsibility seriously. About the Role We're looking for a strategic, hands-on procurement leader to own purchasing across our entire business
• both the production materials that keep our manufacturing floor running and the non-production spend (facilities, equipment, professional services, and more) that has never had a dedicated procurement owner before.

This is a true player-coach role: you'll spend most of your time leading strategy, negotiations, and a small team of buyers, while staying close enough to the details to jump in on critical sourcing yourself when it matters. If you like building something

• not just maintaining what's already there
• this is a rare chance to shape a function from the ground up at a company whose parts end up in aircraft, robots, and life-saving medical equipment.

What You'll Do Lead sourcing strategy and supplier negotiations across both production materials and non-production categories (facilities, capital equipment, professional services, and more). Build Harmonic Drive's first formal non-production purchasing program

• vendor lists, spend visibility, and controls where none exist today. Lead, coach, and develop a team of buyers/planners, while personally leading the most complex or critical negotiations yourself. Own key supplier relationships, performance, and risk
• including sourcing metals, castings, machined components, and electro-mechanical parts. Negotiate and manage supplier contracts and agreements
• terms and conditions, long-term supply agreements, NDAs, and more
• and make sure customer requirements flow through cleanly into our supplier agreements.

Create and negotiate safety stock agreements with our customers to help protect on-time delivery. Drive supplier-side resolution of excess and obsolete inventory, partnering with Finance on reserves and write-offs. Serve as the key procurement contact for quality auditors (AS9100/ISO 9001, with working DFARS awareness) on supplier records and process compliance. Bring modern sourcing practices

• spend analytics (e.g., Power BI), supplier scorecards, and AI-assisted procurement tools
• into a company ready to modernize its purchasing function.

Travel domestically and internationally to visit suppliers, audit performance, and negotiate in person. What You Bring 10+ years of progressive purchasing/strategic sourcing experience in a manufacturing environment, ideally spanning both production and non-production procurement. 5+ years leading, coaching, and developing buyers or sourcing professionals. Hands-on experience sourcing metals, castings, machined components, electro-mechanical parts, and outside processing services (e.g., heat treat, anodizing, passivation)

• required. Solid working knowledge of supplier contracts
• comfortable negotiating and managing routine agreements and knowing when to bring in Legal. Working knowledge of an ERP system (Dynamics 365 F&O, Dynamics AX, SAP, Oracle, or similar); Dynamics 365 F&O experience a plus. CPSM, CPIM, or CPM preferred
• or willingness to obtain, with our support and sponsorship. A strategic mindset paired with a willingness to roll up your sleeves
• you'll operate at roughly an 80% strategic / 20% tactical balance. What Success Looks Like Bringing previously unmanaged non-production spend under formal purchasing control and visibility. Building real risk visibility across key suppliers
• before problems hit, not after. Driving fast, effective resolution when supplier quality issues arise. Delivering measurable, credible cost savings
• and being clear about what's real savings versus cost avoidance. Getting supplier agreements properly in place and current
• with customer requirements flowing through accurately. Why Harmonic Drive A rare opportunity to build a procurement function
• not just inherit one. Significant room to grow
• this role is built to expand in scope and seniority as you build out the function and prove out its impact.

Direct visibility with senior operations leadership; this role reports to the VP of Operations. Work on components that go into precision robotics, aerospace, and medical technology.