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Breakthrough Energy Ventures Portfolio Company Career Opportunities

Senior Buyer

Commonwealth Fusion Systems

Commonwealth Fusion Systems

Software Engineering, Accounting & Finance
Devens, MA, USA
Posted on Wednesday, March 15, 2023
Commonwealth Fusion Systems (CFS) has the fastest, lowest cost path to commercial fusion energy.
CFS collaborates with MIT to leverage decades of research combined with groundbreaking new high-temperature superconducting (HTS) magnet technology. HTS magnets will enable compact fusion power plants that can be constructed faster and at lower cost. Our mission is to deploy these power plants to meet global decarbonization goals as fast as possible. To that end, CFS has assembled a team of leaders in tough tech, fusion science, and manufacturing with a track record of rapid execution. Supported by the world’s leading investors, CFS is uniquely positioned to deliver limitless, clean, fusion power to combat climate change. To implement this plan, we are looking to add dedicated people to the team who treat people well, improve our work by adding multifaceted perspectives and new ways of solving problems, have achieved outstanding results through a range of pursuits, and have skills and experience related to this role.
The Senior Buyer is a key member of the Supplier Integration team within CFS that is actively working on transformation of the clean energy industry. The Senior Buyer – electrical systems will be accountable for meeting the internal customers’ needs for the respective systems by executing overarching supply chain strategies; selecting the best sources within the assigned budget for each system; negotiating, placing, and managing contracts and orders; and overseeing suppliers’ activities from order to delivery and support. They will integrate suppliers into the SPARC project from the product design stages and establish long-term relationships with capable partners to support the ARC production at optimal schedule, cost, and quality needs. This individual will be required to travel, up to 25%.

This team member will:

  • Act as a sourcing and supply chain expert for their assigned commodities/systems within electrical systems
  • Drive execution to a commodity strategy, coordinating cross-functionally to ensure project success.
  • Be an active participant of all applicable electrical system internal and external technical reviews and provide input as it relates to quality, manufacturability and cost drivers.
  • Investigate, evaluate, and recommend new and/or alternate sources of supply as needed to support product development, capacity expansion, cost reduction activities, regional content needs and/or to improve supplier performance
  • Negotiate short and long-term agreements for all purchased items (raw materials, components, subassemblies, finished goods, equipment, tooling, supplies, and/or services) from suppliers
  • Skillfully balance the price, delivery, quality, service, and value tradeoffs and rationalize the supply base
  • Visit suppliers as necessary to conduct business reviews, kick off new projects, check on manufacturing milestones, or resolve technical issues
  • Create, review, and/or approve purchase orders up to authorized limits for all purchased items from suppliers in support of development and production requirements
  • Adhere to all supply chain policies, procedures, guidelines and instructions including those regarding the procurement of materials, intellectual property, and export compliance
  • Coordinate planning and scheduling activities with the assigned planner in a matrixed organization (functionally reporting to the head of Inventory and Supply Planning team)
  • Report out on project status, develop risk mitigation strategies and issues to the supply chain and the systems leadership teams.
  • Negotiate internally and externally at all levels or with persons of influence frequently
  • Develop and track reporting against objectives and results.

The ideal candidate will have most, if not all, of these requirements:

  • Minimum 5-years of related work experience in a manufacturing, supply chain, engineering or other relevant environment
  • Bachelor’s degree in the field of Supply Chain, Engineering, Business, or other related field (Master’s degree preferred)
  • Demonstrated ability to work cross-functionally with engineering, manufacturing, quality, finance and other teams from requirements definition to product availability: requirements gathering, quoting and source selection, supplier relationship management and coordination with planning/inventory
  • Experience in evaluating new supplier capabilities, take part in technical and commercial audits and effectively on-board for on-going relationship.
  • Demonstrated ability to negotiate procurement contracts with suppliers
  • Ability to read and interpret technical documents and engineering drawings
  • Experience working with or in tactical procurement: managing order placement and fulfillment, line of balance, etc.

Additional preferred experience and/or qualifications:

  • Previous experience in a start-up or high growth environment
  • Previous experience sourcing large-scale and complex electrical systems
  • Proven experience in supporting critical new product introduction activities for highly technical products, managing suppliers during the contract execution and support phases
  • Previous experience sourcing Low Volume – High components
  • Experience with financial control systems or cost accounting structures.
  • Required Skills:
  • Exceptional understanding of strategic sourcing skills and tools
  • Solid knowledge of electrical systems and architectures as well as working knowledge of mechanical parts
  • Technical and cost knowledge of relevant commodities including but not limited to electronic components, PCBA manufacturing, packaging and large complex engineered systems
  • Solid understanding of procurement contract structures and clauses
  • Organizational and project management skills, with the ability to prioritize work to meet the business needs
  • Excellent critical thinking and judgment, with the ability to make and execute on decisions
  • Working in a global environment across time zones and cultures
  • Team player comfortable leading by example, and directly contributing
  • Experience with MS Office or Google Suite
  • History of working with enterprise quality systems (e.g., ISO 9000, AS9100, TS16949, etc.)
  • Ability to work well in high-pressure environment.
  • Perform activities such as typing, standing, or sitting for extended periods of time
  • Willingness to travel or work required nights/weekends/on-call occasionally
Don't meet every single requirement? Studies have shown that large number of candidates are less likely to apply to jobs unless they meet every single qualification. At CFS, we are dedicated to building a diverse, inclusive and authentic workplace, so if you're excited about this role but your past experience doesn't align perfectly with every qualification in the job description, we encourage you to apply anyway! You may be just the right person for this or other roles.
CFS team members thrive in a fast-paced, dynamic environment and have demonstrated exceptional results through a range of different pursuits. We all tightly align with our company values of integrity, execution, impact and self-critique. As we grow, we are looking to add talented people who are mission driven and bring diverse perspectives and new ways of solving problems.
At CFS, we deeply value diversity and are an equal opportunity employer by choice. We consider all qualified applicants equally for employment. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, ancestry, citizenship status, protected veteran status, religion, physical or mental disability, marital status, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, or any other basis protected by law, ordinance, or regulation.