Category Manager, Cables & Harnesses

Company: Tbwa Chiat/Day Inc
Location: Costa Mesa
Posted on: March 29, 2025

Job Description:

Anduril Industries is a defense technology company with a mission to transform U.S. and allied military capabilities with advanced technology. By bringing the expertise, technology, and business model of the 21st century's most innovative companies to the defense industry, Anduril is changing how military systems are designed, built and sold. Anduril's family of systems is powered by Lattice OS, an AI-powered operating system that turns thousands of data streams into a realtime, 3D command and control center. As the world enters an era of strategic competition, Anduril is committed to bringing cutting-edge autonomy, AI, computer vision, sensor fusion, and networking technology to the military in months, not years.ABOUT THE JOBThe Senior Category Manager (Cables/Harness), also known as a Senior Strategic Sourcing Manager, is the domain expert for the cables/harness commodities for Anduril Industries. This is a proactive, high-impact role in securing critical components, materials, and services that power our products. This role will be responsible for developing new supplier and new sourcing partnerships that can be incorporated into new products, as well as existing products to improve their technologies, cost, and quality. There is broad internal cross functional partnership to evaluate supplier opportunities, while ensuring commercial agreements, intellectual property, and statement of works are accurate and well established prior to pipelining.WHAT YOU'LL DO

• Develop and execute category strategies for cables/harness, focusing on cost reduction, quality improvement, and supply chain resilience
• End-to-end responsibility for delivering quality parts, when needed, at the right cost
• Act as the sourcing expert for cables/harness manufacturing
• Lead RFI/RFQ/RFP and strategic sourcing process for cables/harness
• Own the business relationship with external Contract Manufacturing and responsible for continuity of supply, risk management, cost negotiations, and NPI to MP operation execution
• Partner with the Engineering team and Contract Manufacturers to influence technical design specs and customize product and manufacturing requirements
• Perform detailed analysis of quote submissions based on cost breakdown from data. Deep dive into every element of the supply chain and make data-driven decisions based on TCO
• Work closely with cross-functional teams to support prototype requirements, execute against build milestones, and lead sourcing activities
• Influence CM's manufacturing processes and CAPEX and technology decisions
• Negotiate key agreements with suppliers to establish best-in-class pricing, quality, flexibility, delivery, payment, warranty, and service terms
• Collaborate internally, negotiate the right tradeoffs, solicit cooperation and resolve problems, and advance new supplier or product offerings
• Provide strong technical direction within the specific commodities, by evaluating and guiding product strategy throughout the product lifecycle
• Manage and lead the operations effort of developing new and adaptations of existing technologies for Anduril
• Develop & execute commercial agreements to properly reflect the expectations of project, which include fixed and variable costs, lead-times, schedules, manufacturing capacities, etc
• Conduct regular technology reviews to Executive staff and management
• Own the supplier performance management of their respective commodities, which includes key delivery, quality, cost, and innovation metrics
• Act as the primary escalation for their respective commodityREQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS
  • Bachelor's degree in supply chain, engineering, or related technical field
  • 5+ years of experience in supply chain category management of cables/harness manufacturing, and/or sourcing engineering
  • Ability to travel up to 50% of the time
  • Ability to relocate, if not already local to be onsite in Costa Mesa, CAPREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS
    • Bachelor's degree in electrical or mechanical engineering
    • Previous experience in defense, aerospace, automotive, high tech, or related industry
    • Well-versed in TCO analysis to ensure data-driven analytics tied to component and supplier selection, in a product-based ecosystem
    • Strategic thinker, experienced putting together commodities strategy/roadmap with key engineering stakeholders
    • Proven leadership in driving and influencing other teams to a common goal. You know how to effectively communicate and collaborate cross functionally and with all levels within an organization
    • Can wear different hats and it a strong team player to help your team move forward.
    • You are fluent in other cross functional areas to fill gaps and remove roadblocks when needed
    • Ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. TS clearanceThe recruiter assigned to this role can share more information about the specific compensation and benefit details associated with this role during the hiring process.Anduril is an equal-opportunity employer committed to creating a diverse and inclusive workplace. The Anduril team is made up of incredibly talented and unique individuals, who together are disrupting industry norms by creating new paths towards the future of defense technology. All qualified applicants will be treated with respect and receive equal consideration for employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, uniform service, Veteran status, age, or any other protected characteristic per federal, state, or local law, including those with a criminal history, in a manner consistent with the requirements of applicable state and local laws, including the CA Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance. We actively encourage members of recognized minorities, women, Veterans, and those with disabilities to apply, and we work to create a welcoming and supportive environment for all applicants throughout the interview process.
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Keywords: Tbwa Chiat/Day Inc, Costa Mesa , Category Manager, Cables & Harnesses, Executive , Costa Mesa, California