Job Overview
We are seeking a Director, Electrical Strategic Design Sourcing to build and lead the electrical commodity supply chain function. Reporting to the VP of Supply Chain, this role directs a team of commodity managers and program resources, owns the departmental budget, and participates with senior management to develop organizational sourcing policies and strategic plans. The Director is accountable for decisions with long-term, multi-department impact across three pillars: enabling Mainspring's next-generation product architecture through engineering-embedded sourcing; building a best-total-cost supply chain for power conversion and electrical assemblies; and developing a fully FEOC-compliant, multi-source battery and BMS supply base.
Key Responsibilities
- Build, manage, and develop a team of commodity managers and sourcing program managers; establish a management layer as the function scales. Own the departmental budget, headcount plan, and organizational sourcing policies and process standards
- Serve as the supply chain escalation point to executive leadership; reconcile competing priorities across Engineering, Finance, Legal, and Operations to drive business results
- Partner with Engineering and Product Management as a core member of the product roadmap process, contributing supply chain input to feature definition across deployment environments; own DFM and DFX to ensure manufacturability, sourcing optionality, and cost competitiveness are built into designs from the earliest stages of NPI
- Set and execute commodity strategy - make/buy frameworks, preferred supplier lists, risk tiering - targeting best total cost across price, lead time, quality, and working capital
- Develop and implement the inbound logistics and procurement strategy for the electrical commodity portfolio; support MRP/ERP system development and ensure procurement parameters reflect supply chain strategy
- Own the sourcing strategy for Mainspring's AC-to-DC product transition, including BOM-level lead time analysis, risk buy decisions, and production readiness
- Source and qualify power conversion equipment (inverters, transformers, skidded systems) across multiple suppliers to eliminate single-source dependencies; ensure business continuity and benchmark against the competitive supply landscape
- Own and execute a multi-path battery and BMS sourcing strategy compliant with FEOC and IRA requirements across non-restricted geographies; monitor FEOC, IRA/ITC, USMCA, and tariff developments to adjust strategies proactively; brief executive leadership on investor-facing compliance and cost readiness
- Identify, evaluate, and onboard contract manufacturers for electrical assemblies (US/Mexico, USMCA-compliant); lead rapid-turnaround sourcing for R&D electrical builds including PCBAs, connectors, cables, sensors, and electromechanical assemblies
- Own should-cost modeling across the electrical commodity portfolio; lead cost-down initiatives with annual savings targets tied to product cost roadmap milestones and working capital improvement goals
- Negotiate contracts from R&D quick-turn through long-term volume agreements; own supplier risk assessments, SPOF mitigation planning, and business continuity for critical commodities
Qualifications
- Bachelor's degree or higher in Electrical Engineering, Supply Chain, or equivalent technical discipline
- 20+ years across electrical engineering, operations, and supply chain, with at least 3-5 years managing sourcing teams; experience contributing to organizational sourcing policy and process standards required
- Deep technical knowledge of power electronics, PCBAs (SMT/through-hole/mixed), connectors, cable assemblies, and battery/energy storage systems. Hands-on circuit design or PCBA layout experience a strong plus
- Experience onboarding contract manufacturers for electromechanical assemblies (US/Mexico preferred); familiarity with MRP/ERP systems and inbound logistics
- Proven best-total-cost commodity strategy: multi-source qualification, cost-down programs, working capital improvement, and supplier risk management
- Executive presence; ability to reconcile competing stakeholder views, negotiate at senior management level, and own a departmental budget
- Familiarity with FEOC, IRA/ITC, USMCA, and UL/IEC compliance-driven sourcing environments
- Willingness to travel up to 40% (domestic US and Mexico; occasional international)
Nice to Have
- Experience in energy storage, battery, or distributed power generation; working knowledge of IRA battery sourcing requirements and FEOC country-of-origin tracing
- Familiarity with UL 9540, UL 1973, UL 508a, or IEC 62619 safety certification frameworks
- Prior experience in a hardware startup or high-growth manufacturing environment
- Six Sigma or LEAN certification
$188,232 - $221,450 a year
This position is
remote. The salary will be adjusted to reflect local market conditions based on employee location as well as the experience of the employee. Along with the base salary, Mainspring offers pre-IPO stock options + benefits.
We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process, such as reviewing applications, analyzing resumes, or assessing responses and identifying potential inconsistencies or verification signals in application materials based on available information. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans. If you would like more information about how your data is processed, please contact us.
