Air Ramp Jobs in California (NOW HIRING)

At Elroy Air, we build autonomous vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) cargo aircraft systems to change the way the world moves goods. Transporting cargo by air is faster and more efficient than by land or sea, but before recent technological and regulatory developments, it was prohibitively expensive. Today, we’re able to expand middle-mile logistics possibilities across multiple sectors. The commercial express shipping industry spends $140B annually on the middle-mile and needs faster, better solutions - while the armed forces are increasingly prioritizing unmanned aerial cargo delivery systems.

These partners and customers are already responding enthusiastically to the technologies we are pioneering. As we develop and deploy these systems, we are looking for people like you: motivated collaborators, excited by our mission and by the rare opportunity to improve how logistics works around the world. You will play an important role in establishing Elroy Air as the industry standard in this massive market.

Diverse perspectives at all levels are critical to innovation and employee development. We encourage our team to bring their whole selves to Elroy. This includes but is not limited to gender identity, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender expression, religion, age, ability, parenthood status, veteran status, educational background, citizenship status, or any combination of these characteristics.

This is a high-ownership, high-impact role for an experienced procurement professional and strong deal negotiator. You will own developing a robust supply chain across the aircraft's most critical commodities: propulsion, powertrain, and electronics. You will set commodity strategy, structure and negotiate the supply agreements that determine our cost, quality, and delivery position, and build the supplier relationships that carry us from new product introduction (NPI) through production ramp.

We envision this role as a hybrid position in our Byron office, with remote work/work-from-home flexibility. Some travel will be required including but not limited to visits to suppliers.

• Own the supply chain. Develop global commodity strategies that deliver best-in-class cost, quality, and delivery across strategic and tactical initiatives. Identify, qualify, onboard, and develop a resilient global supplier base. Manage supplier performance through scorecards, quarterly business reviews, dispute resolution, and continuous cost, quality, and delivery improvement.

• Negotiate the deals. Lead strategic sourcing, long term deal structuring, and high stakes commercial negotiations. Negotiate pricing on a first principles basis, build bottoms-up cost models, and use them to influence engineering design decisions and total landed cost. Structure supply agreements, LTAs, and terms that protect Elroy Air on price, capacity, IP, quality, and delivery, in partnership with Legal and Finance.

• Drive NPI to ramp. Place orders for new product introduction, securing capacity, managing long lead items, and de-risking the transition to rate production.

• Work cross-functionally. Act as a key liaison across Engineering, Manufacturing partners, Program Management, Finance, and Legal, aligning procurement strategy with program milestones, cash, and design intent.

• Own the data. Ensure ERP procurement and planning data integrity (lead times, safety stock, reorder points, EOQ) and maintain accurate records, KPIs, and reporting on spend, savings, and supplier performance.

• Keep it compliant. Ensure compliance with aerospace and export-control requirements, including ITAR/EAR and quality standards such as AS9100.

• 8+ years of progressive experience in strategic sourcing, global supply management, or direct procurement, ideally in aerospace, defense, automotive, robotics, or another complex hardware / disruptive manufacturing environment.

• A demonstrated track record as a strong deal negotiator, structuring and closing complex, high-value supply agreements and delivering measurable cost reductions.

• Direct experience managing significant direct material spend (tens of millions of dollars or more) across multiple commodities and suppliers.

• Strong quantitative and analytical skills, including should cost / first principles cost modeling and total cost of ownership analysis.

• Experience sourcing and scaling suppliers from prototype and NPI through production ramp.

• Proficiency with ERP/MRP systems (e.g., SAP, Oracle, NetSuite) and advanced Excel.

• Excellent communication and cross-functional influence; the ability to partner credibly with Engineering and Finance.

• Bachelor's degree in supply chain, engineering, business, or a related field (or equivalent experience).

• A scrappy, solutions-oriented professional who thrives in unstructured environments and is comfortable building out lean processes as needed to keep the team moving forward.  

Bonus Points For:

• Experience building a procurement function at a startup or high growth company, and a desire to grow into a leadership role.

• Working knowledge of AS9100 and U.S. export controls (ITAR and EAR).

• Familiarity with reading and interpreting engineering drawings and technical specifications.

• Experience sourcing propulsion, powertrain, or electronic commodities.

• Prior experience in a rapid growth or first principles cost environment.

We encourage you to apply even if you aren't an exact match for our open role as many of our team members come from nontraditional backgrounds.

All employees will be screened through E-Verify.

This position will require access to information protected under U.S. export control laws and regulations, including Export Administration Regulations (EAR).  Please note that any offer for employment will be conditioned on any required authorization to receive software or technology controlled under these U.S. export control laws and regulations necessary to perform the responsibilities of the position.