Summary & Objective
A growing aviation organization is conducting a search for an experienced Director of Supply Chain to lead and optimize supply chain operations supporting a complex Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul (MRO) environment.
This leadership position will have responsibility for the end-to-end supply chain function, including strategic sourcing, procurement, inventory management, material planning, logistics, warehouse operations, and supplier performance.
The successful candidate will partner closely with senior leadership and operational teams to ensure material availability, improve turnaround time (TAT), control costs, strengthen supplier performance, and maintain compliance with applicable FAA and aviation quality requirements.
This position requires a hands-on professional who can develop strategy while remaining highly engaged in day-to-day execution within a fast-paced aviation operation.
Key Responsibilities
Supply Chain Strategy & Leadership
- Develop and execute a comprehensive supply chain strategy aligned with operational and organizational objectives.
- Lead and develop teams responsible for procurement, inventory, warehousing, logistics, and material support.
- Establish clear performance expectations, accountability, and measurable objectives across the supply chain organization.
- Identify opportunities to improve efficiency, scalability, service levels, and cost performance.
- Drive continuous improvement and operational discipline throughout the supply chain function.
Procurement & Supplier Management
- Lead strategic sourcing and procurement activities for aircraft parts, components, tooling, materials, and external services.
- Develop and maintain relationships with OEMs, approved suppliers, distributors, brokers, repair vendors, and service providers.
- Negotiate pricing, long-term agreements, warranties, service-level expectations, and commercial terms.
- Establish supplier performance metrics addressing quality, cost, lead time, responsiveness, and on-time delivery.
- Conduct regular supplier performance reviews and develop corrective strategies for underperforming suppliers.
- Identify opportunities to consolidate spend and improve purchasing leverage.
Material Planning & Forecasting
- Develop material-planning strategies based on scheduled maintenance activity, historical consumption, customer requirements, and operational forecasts.
- Ensure appropriate inventory levels to support operational demand while minimizing excess, obsolete, and slow-moving inventory.
- Partner with production, planning, and operational leadership to anticipate upcoming material requirements.
- Develop strategies for critical, long-lead-time, and high-utilization materials.
- Improve material availability to support aircraft turnaround-time objectives.
Logistics & AOG Support
- Oversee inbound and outbound logistics, freight management, customs requirements, and time-critical shipments.
- Ensure materials are positioned and delivered according to operational requirements.
- Provide supply chain leadership during Aircraft on Ground (AOG) and other time-sensitive operational events.
- Evaluate logistics providers, freight strategies, and transportation methods to improve speed and control costs.
- Develop contingency plans for critical material shortages and supply interruptions.
Inventory Control & Warehouse Operations
- Provide leadership and oversight for receiving, inspection coordination, storage, issuance, cycle counting, and inventory-control processes.
- Maintain high levels of inventory accuracy and material traceability.
- Ensure proper management of shelf-life-controlled materials and aviation components.
- Develop processes to reduce inventory discrepancies, excess inventory, shortages, and obsolescence.
- Ensure warehouse practices support applicable aviation quality and regulatory requirements.
Regulatory Compliance & Documentation
- Ensure supply chain processes support applicable FAA requirements and aviation quality standards.
- Maintain appropriate traceability and documentation for aircraft parts and materials, including applicable airworthiness and conformity documentation.
- Ensure appropriate controls surrounding OEM, PMA, repaired, overhauled, and other approved materials.
- Partner with Quality and operational leadership during regulatory, customer, and internal audits.
- Develop corrective actions when supply chain compliance or documentation deficiencies are identified.
Cost Management & Budgeting
- Develop, manage, and monitor the supply chain operating budget.
- Identify and implement measurable cost-reduction and cost-avoidance initiatives.
- Analyze purchasing and inventory spend to identify savings opportunities.
- Develop strategies involving supplier-managed inventory, purchasing agreements, inventory optimization, and surplus material disposition.
- Balance financial objectives with material availability, quality, compliance, and operational performance.
Performance Monitoring & Reporting
- Establish and monitor key supply chain performance indicators, including:
- Supplier on-time delivery
- Material availability
- Inventory accuracy
- Inventory turnover
- Procurement cycle time
- Purchase-price performance
- Supplier quality
- AOG responsiveness
- Excess and obsolete inventory
- Provide meaningful reporting and recommendations to executive leadership.
- Use operational and financial data to identify trends, risks, and opportunities for improvement.
Cross-Functional Leadership
- Partner closely with Operations, Maintenance, Planning, Quality, Project Management, Finance, and other business functions.
- Ensure supply chain priorities remain aligned with aircraft schedules and customer commitments.
- Support resolution of customer and operational escalations involving material availability or supplier performance.
- Serve as a strategic supply chain advisor to senior leadership.
Risk Management
- Identify and mitigate supply chain risks involving shortages, supplier capacity, long lead times, geopolitical disruptions, regulatory changes, and single-source dependencies.
- Develop alternate sourcing and business-continuity strategies for critical materials.
- Maintain appropriate visibility into supply chain risks that could impact aircraft schedules or customer commitments.
The ideal candidate will demonstrate:
- Proven ability to build, develop, and lead high-performing supply chain teams.
- Strong executive presence with the ability to communicate effectively across all levels of an organization.
- A high degree of accountability, urgency, and ownership.
- Ability to remain calm and decisive during AOG events, material shortages, and other operational disruptions.
- Strong negotiation and supplier-management capabilities.
- Experience driving process improvement and organizational change.
- Strong analytical and financial acumen.
- Excellent organizational, communication, and problem-solving skills.
- High ethical standards in supplier relationships, purchasing practices, and regulatory compliance.
- Ability to balance strategic leadership with hands-on operational execution.
Aviation Supply Chain Expertise
Qualified candidates should possess experience or working knowledge in several of the following areas:
- Aviation MRO supply chain operations
- FAA-regulated maintenance environments
- Aircraft parts sourcing and procurement
- Airworthiness and traceability documentation
- OEM and PMA material sourcing
- Rotable, repairable, expendable, and consumable inventory
- AOG material support
- Supplier performance management
- Contract and commercial negotiations
- Inventory optimization
- Warehouse and logistics operations
- ERP/MRO inventory and procurement systems
- Data analysis and KPI reporting
- Regulatory and customer audits
- Strategic sourcing and supplier development
Work Environment
This position operates within a fast-paced aviation maintenance environment and requires frequent collaboration with operational and executive leadership.
Work is primarily performed in an office environment with periodic exposure to aircraft maintenance and hangar operations.
Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the position.
Required Education & Experience
- Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain Management, Business, Aviation Management, Operations, or a related discipline preferred; equivalent relevant experience will be considered.
- 8+ years of progressive experience in supply chain management, procurement, materials management, logistics, or inventory operations.
- Aviation, aerospace, MRO experience strongly preferred.
- Experience working within a regulated or quality-controlled operating environment.
- Strong supplier negotiation, relationship-management, and contract-management skills.
- Highly proficiency with ERP, MRO, procurement, inventory-management, and Microsoft Office applications.
- Knowledge of FAA requirements and aviation material traceability practices preferred.
Employment Requirements
- Must be legally authorized to work in the United States without sponsorship.
- Successful completion of applicable pre-employment screening requirements is required.
EEO statement
This employer does not discriminate based on race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, sex stereotyping, gender identity, gender expression or transgender status), national origin, sexual orientation, physical or mental disability, age, protected genetic information, status as a parent, marital status, political affiliation, or retaliation based on prior protected EEO activity.
Pay: $95,000.00 - $115,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- 401(k)
- 401(k) matching
- Dental insurance
- Employee assistance program
- Flexible spending account
- Health insurance
- Health savings account
- Life insurance
- Paid time off
- Pet insurance
- Relocation assistance
- Vision insurance
Application Question(s):
- How many years of experience do you have within an Aviation MRO/Maintenance environment?
Experience:
- Supply chain management: 8 years (Required)
Ability to Relocate:
- Goldsboro, NC 27530: Relocate before starting work (Required)
Work Location: In person
