Athena Manufacturing, LP is a career-minded company that cares about our employees and their success. We invest in all employees by providing the training and skills they need to be successful in their occupation and the opportunity to grow and advance within the company.
Overview: The Outside Service Specialist manages Athena Manufacturing's outsourced manufacturing operations, including waterjet processing, special processes, finishing services, and other outside services. This role coordinates the full outside-service workflow—from sourcing, quoting, and purchase orders through supplier scheduling, material movement, quality resolution, and final receipt—to ensure suppliers meet quality, delivery, and cost expectations.
The Specialist serves as the primary liaison among Supply Chain, Program Management, Quality, Estimating, Production, Engineering, Shipping, customers, and external suppliers. The role proactively manages supplier performance and risk while developing a qualified, scalable supplier base that supports production schedules, customer commitments, and Athena's continued growth.
Key Responsibilities: Essential duties and functions, pursuant to the Americans with Disabilities Act, include but are not limited to the following:
Outside Service Operations
- Manage outside service providers, including subcontract manufacturers, waterjet suppliers, finishing providers, and special process vendors.
- Generate, issue, and maintain purchase orders for outside services; verify pricing, quantities, specifications, due dates, and required documentation.
- Maintain outside service schedules, open orders, supplier lead times, and status updates within applicable ERP/MRP systems.
- Coordinate the movement, pickup, delivery, receipt, and processing of material to and from suppliers in partnership with the Outside Service Packer, Shipping, Receiving, and Production teams.
- Ensure outsourced operations support production schedules and customer delivery commitments.
- Monitor lead times and open orders, identify schedule or capacity risks, and implement recovery plans to minimize customer impact.
- Communicate part-processing issues, status changes, and potential delays promptly to relevant internal departments.
- Serve as a liaison with customers on outside service-related matters, as needed and in coordination with Program Management.
Supplier Performance & Development
- Monitor supplier delivery, quality, responsiveness, cost, and overall performance.
- Develop and maintain supplier scorecards, performance metrics, and supporting records.
- Participate in supplier performance reviews and communicate expectations, results, and required improvements.
- Coordinate supplier corrective actions, recovery plans, and continuous improvement initiatives.
- Support supplier audits, qualification activities, and ongoing supplier development.
- Develop and maintain a qualified supplier base that supports current operations, future growth, capacity needs, and supply chain resiliency.
- Escalate supplier-related risks and concerns to leadership and Program Management.
Quality & Compliance
- Partner with Quality and suppliers to resolve damaged, missing, returned, or nonconforming material, including RMAs and Discrepant Vendor Material Reports (DVMRs).
- Coordinate Supplier Corrective Action Requests and Corrective Action Requests (SCARs/CARs), obtain timely responses, and monitor completion.
- Ensure suppliers understand and comply with Athena quality requirements, purchase order requirements, customer-specific requirements, and applicable regulatory standards.
- Support compliance with ISO 9001, AS9100, export-control, government-contract, and other applicable requirements.
- Participate in internal audit activities and maintain accurate supplier qualification, quality, and compliance documentation.
Strategic Sourcing & Cost Management
- Obtain and evaluate supplier quotations for pricing, lead time, capacity, quality, and commercial terms.
- Develop sourcing strategies that support quality, delivery, cost, and business continuity objectives.
- Identify, evaluate, and qualify new suppliers to support growth, specialized processing, and capacity requirements.
- Perform supplier cost analysis and pursue ongoing cost savings without compromising quality or delivery.
- Negotiate pricing, terms, and service agreements as directed.
- Support supplier diversification and other supply chain risk-mitigation efforts.
- Partner with Finance and Accounts Payable to resolve invoice, receipt, and pricing discrepancies.
Program Management & Estimating Support
- Maintain accurate supplier lead times in ERP routings and communicate changes to Program Management, Production, Engineering, and Estimating.
- Support RFQ and New Product Introduction (NPI) activities by obtaining and evaluating supplier quotations.
- Participate in estimating and sourcing-strategy discussions for outsourced manufacturing opportunities.
- Provide supplier capacity, capability, pricing, and lead-time information to support customer quoting and planning.
Cross-Functional Collaboration & Continuous Improvement
- Drive effective communication among internal stakeholders, customers, and external suppliers.
- Maintain accurate outside-service records, schedules, purchase orders, supplier data, and related documentation.
- Support special projects and departmental or company continuous improvement initiatives.
- Actively participate in Athena's 2 Second Lean (2SL) culture by identifying and implementing small daily improvements that reduce waste and improve workflow.
- Follow all safety, quality, information-security, and operational policies and procedures.
- Perform other duties as assigned by leadership.
Qualifications: Minimum preferred qualifications, pursuant to the Americans with Disabilities Act, include but are not limited to the following:
- High school diploma or equivalent; associate degree in Supply Chain, Business, Manufacturing, Engineering, or a related field preferred.
- Minimum three (3) years of experience in purchasing, sourcing, supplier management, manufacturing operations, logistics, vendor coordination, or supply chain preferred; equivalent combinations of education and relevant experience may be considered.
- Experience working with outsourced manufacturing suppliers or outside service providers in a manufacturing environment.
- Experience supporting aerospace, defense, semiconductor, precision manufacturing, or similarly regulated industries preferred.
- Working knowledge of ISO 9001 and/or AS9100 quality systems preferred.
- Experience with ERP/MRP systems, supplier audits, corrective actions, supplier qualification, and supplier development preferred.
- Lean Manufacturing or continuous improvement experience preferred.
Knowledge, Skills & Abilities
- Strong supplier relationship management, negotiation, analytical, and problem-solving skills.
- Excellent organization, project coordination, attention to detail, and follow-through.
- Ability to manage multiple priorities and changing deadlines in a fast-paced manufacturing environment.
- Understanding of manufacturing processes, including fabrication, welding, waterjet processing, finishing, special processes, and assembly.
- Ability to interpret manufacturing drawings, specifications, purchase order requirements, and supplier documentation.
- Effective verbal and written communication skills with internal teams, suppliers, and customers.
- Ability to work independently, exercise sound judgment, escalate risks appropriately, and remain open to learning and coaching.
Physical Requirements
- Light work: ability to occasionally exert up to 20 pounds of force, frequently exert up to 10 pounds, and/or constantly exert a negligible amount of force to move objects.
- Ability to sit, stand, walk, climb, balance, stoop, kneel, crouch, bend, reach, handle objects, and use hands throughout the workday.
- Ability to communicate verbally and hear effectively in office and manufacturing environments.
- Visual abilities including near acuity, far acuity, and depth perception.
- Ability to work in office and manufacturing environments that may include noise, vibration, and atmospheric conditions.
- Ability to travel locally to supplier locations as required.
Preferred Tools & Technology
- ERP/MRP, warehouse, inventory, scheduling, and capacity-planning systems, including Made2Manage (M2M) and Shop Floor Manager (SFM).
- Microsoft Office Suite, including Excel (PivotTables, VLOOKUP/XLOOKUP, and data analysis), Word, Outlook, PowerPoint, and Teams.
- Purchase order management, RFQ/quoting, supplier scorecard, performance management, and vendor qualification tools.
- Quality Management Systems (QMS), AS9100/ISO 9001 documentation systems, and corrective action management systems (CAR/SCAR).
- Power BI, SQL reporting, SharePoint, or similar business intelligence and document management platforms.
- Paperless Parts, High QA, and Micro Estimating Software preferred.
- Personal computers and other standard office technology.
Required Work Clothing & PPE
- Attire must not interfere with job performance or safety.
- Athena-provided safety glasses must be worn as required.
- Closed-toe safety shoes are required.
Information Security, Export Control & Government Requirements
Athena Manufacturing supports commercial, aerospace, and government customers and is committed to maintaining compliance with applicable information security, export control, and government contract requirements, including the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) program.
Certain roles may require access to controlled information, systems, or programs subject to U.S. government regulations, including export control requirements. Access to specific work, systems, or data may therefore be restricted to individuals who meet applicable regulatory eligibility requirements, including U.S. Person requirements as defined by federal regulations. Eligibility will be determined before assignment and may be re-evaluated as business or regulatory needs change.
Our 2 Second Lean Culture
At Athena Manufacturing, we foster a culture of continuous improvement through the principles of 2 Second Lean. Team members are encouraged to identify and implement small daily improvements that streamline processes, reduce waste, and make work safer, easier, and more efficient. By taking ownership of our workspaces and sharing ideas, we improve every day—2 seconds at a time.
Pay: Up to $60,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- Dental insurance
- Health insurance
- Life insurance
- Paid time off
- Vision insurance
Work Location: In person
