Director of Supply Chain
Arvada, CO
Description

About Barber-Nichols:?  

Barber-Nichols (BN) is a premier provider of custom turbomachinery solutions serving the Defense, Aerospace, Cryogenics, and Energy industries. Our team consists of industry leaders who collaborate closely with equally accomplished customers to deliver technologies that advance their markets and establish enduring partnerships. At BN, we foster a results-driven environment that values professional growth, rewards achievement, and supports innovation. From designing the blower for NASA’s Dragonfly mission to Saturn’s moon Titan to engineering critical components for the U.S. Navy’s MK-48 program, BN’s portfolio spans some of the most exciting and impactful projects in the world. For those seeking to contribute to impactful projects alongside a highly skilled team, BN offers an exceptional place to build your career.   


Position Summary:?  

The Director of Supply Chain provides strategic leadership for Barber-Nichols' supply chain organization, including strategic sourcing, procurement, supplier development, supplier quality, and supply chain business systems. This role is responsible for developing a resilient, scalable supply chain capable of supporting rapid technology development, prototype manufacturing, low-rate initial production, and full-rate production of highly engineered aerospace, defense, space, and energy products.

The Director of Supply Chain is expected to think strategically while executing operationally, balancing innovation with disciplined execution. Success in this role requires building collaborative relationships across the enterprise, developing high-performing supplier partnerships, and continuously improving the systems and processes that enable Barber-Nichols to scale its business while maintaining the agility and technical excellence that differentiate the company. 


Duties and Responsibilities:   


Supply Chain Leadership 

  • Develop and execute the enterprise supply chain strategy aligned with corporate objectives. 
  • Establish performance metrics for cost, quality, delivery, inventory, and supplier performance. 
  • Build a high-performance organization through talent development, coaching, and succession planning. 
  • Lead enterprise supply chain risk management and business continuity planning. 
  • Drive continuous improvement through Lean principles, standard work, and digital transformation. 
  • Collaborate with executive leadership on growth, capacity, and capital planning. 
  • Promote a culture of accountability, ethics, collaboration, and continuous improvement. 

Strategic Sourcing & Supplier Partnerships 

  • Develop sourcing strategies balancing cost, quality, schedule, technical capability, and supply risk. 
  • Develop executive-level supplier relationships that improve competitiveness and long-term capacity. 
  • Lead supplier development initiatives that improve quality, responsiveness, and manufacturing capability. 
  • Establish dual-source and alternate-source strategies for critical components. 
  • Identify value engineering and should-cost opportunities with Engineering and Operations. 
  • Support proposal development and capture activities through competitive sourcing strategies. 
  • Conduct executive supplier business reviews and performance assessments. 
  • Manage supplier performance using scorecards and corrective actions. 
  • Ensure ethical sourcing and compliance with procurement policies. 

Government Procurement 

  • Ensure procurement practices comply with FAR, DFARS, and contractual flow-down requirements. 
  • Lead supplier negotiations involving Certified Cost or Pricing Data and other government contracting requirements. 
  • Develop procurement policies and controls that support compliance and future readiness. 
  • Maintain procurement documentation supporting customer, DCMA, and DCAA audits.

Business Systems Development 

  • Develop procurement policies and business systems supporting scalable growth and future readiness. 
  • Lead continuous improvement of ERP/MRP planning and procurement processes. 
  • Improve forecast accuracy, material visibility, and data integrity. 
  • Develop executive dashboards and supply chain analytics. 
  • Support development of earned value management (EVM) material planning processes. 
  • Participate in Sales & Operations Planning (S&OP) and integrated material planning processes.

Supply Chain Operations & Program Support 

  • Lead integrated material planning to ensure material availability while optimizing working capital. 
  • Partner with Engineering on supplier selection, new product introduction, and make/buy decisions. 
  • Lead enterprise DMSMS and obsolescence management strategies. 
  • Support transition from technology development through full-rate production. 
  • Coordinate with Program Management to identify and mitigate material risks. 
  • Support customer visits, supplier audits, and strategic reviews. 
  • Resolve critical supplier performance issues and material shortages. 
  • Ensure compliance with company policies, export regulations, and safety requirements. 

Supervisory Responsibilities: 

Leads Procurement, Strategic Sourcing, Supplier Quality, and Supplier Development functions. Responsible for organizational design, hiring, coaching, performance management, succession planning, and leadership development. 

Requirements

Qualifications:  

To qualify for this position, an individual must possess the following knowledge, training, experience and abilities. 


Required:  

  • Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Supply Chain, Business, or related discipline. 
  • Minimum ten (10) years of progressively increasing leadership responsibility supporting highly engineered products. 
  • Demonstrated success negotiating strategic supplier agreements and leading cross-functional organizations. 
  • Experience with FAR/DFARS, certified cost and pricing data, DMSMS, ERP/MRP systems and supplier development. 
  • Experience leading cross-functional teams supporting product development and production. 

Preferred:  

  • Experience in Aerospace & Defense manufacturing. 
  • MBA and/or CPSM, CPIM, PMP, or Lean Six Sigma certification. 
  • Experience supporting proposal development, supplier development, and digital transformation. 

Other: 

  • Must be willing to work overtime as required 
  • Travel up to 20% of working time 

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities 

  • Executive leadership and influence. 
  • Strategic sourcing, negotiations and contract management expertise. 
  • Strong financial and business acumen. 
  • Excellent written and verbal communication. 
  • Analytical, data-driven decision making. 
  • Ability to build collaborative relationships across the enterprise. 
  • Talent development and organizational leadership. 

Physical & Mental Demands:
The physical demands and work environment characteristics described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of the position. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.  

  • Physical demands: While performing the duties of this position, the incumbent is primarily required to sit for extended periods, stand, walk, and use hands for typing and document review. Required to speak and communicate clearly with others in person, by phone, and via video conference. May need to exert up to 10 pounds of force occasionally to move files or office materials. 
  • Mental demands: While performing the duties of this position, the incumbent is required to read, write, analyze data and reports, exercise judgment, develop plans, procedures and goals, present information to others and work under pressure. 
  • Work Environment: While performing the duties of this position, the incumbent works primarily in a professional office environment. The noise level is generally low to moderate. May be required to work in secure or classified environments when handling ITAR-controlled or classified information. Occasional travel to supplier sites is required. 

Compensation and Benefits: 

The salary range for this role is $170k – $210k and is commensurate with the applicant’s experience. This range represents the anticipated minimum and maximum base for this position. The final compensation for this position will be set based on the applicant’s qualifications (education, training and/or experience related to this role), and therefore, may fall outside the range shown, depending on the circumstances. 

Barber-Nichols offers a comprehensive benefits package including:  

  • Medical, Dental, and Vision Insurance 
  • FSA and HSA with company paid HSA quarterly contributions 
  • Disability, Life, and AD&D Insurance 
  • 401(k) with 4% Company Match and Profit Sharing 
  • Employee Stock Purchase Plan (NYSE: GHM) 
  • Generous PTO and Paid Holidays with an option to purchase additional PTO 
  • Tuition reimbursement  
  • Performance-based bonus program 
  • Paid Parental Leave, Military Leave, Jury Duty, and Bereavement Leave 

To view our full list of benefits, please visit?Careers | Barber-Nichols. 


ITAR Requirements:?To conform to U.S. Government commercial space technology export regulations, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), 8 U.S.C. § 1324b(a)(3), applicants for employment at Barber-Nichols must be a U.S. citizen or national, lawfully admitted for permanent residence into the U.S. (i.e., current green card holder), or lawfully admitted as a refugee or granted asylum under 8 U.S.C. § 1157-1158 and able to work in the U.S. without sponsorship.?Ability to obtain a U.S. government security clearance is required.  


Equal Opportunity Employer: 

Barber-Nichols is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer committed to a workplace free from discrimination, harassment, and retaliation of any type. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other protected status as defined by law. Barber-Nichols will ensure individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us to request accommodation.  


Barber-Nichols participates in E-Verify, the federal program for electronic verification of employment eligibility.