Procurement Lead

Procurement Lead 

Parallel Systems is seeking a highly driven, tenacious procurement lead to own procurement across the materials, components, and services required to build and operate our autonomous rail vehicles. This person will be the connective tissue between engineering, operations, finance, and suppliers, making sure the right parts and services show up on time, at the right cost, with the right documentation. 

This is not a passive purchasing role. We need someone who can push, escalate, negotiate, solve problems before they build delays, and bring order to a fast-moving hardware environment. The right person is detail-oriented, organized, and relentless about follow-through. They know how to manage a mix of off-the-shelf, custom, prototype, and production procurement, and they take real ownership over supplier performance, lead times, and purchasing execution. 

Key Responsibilities: 

• Request quotes for mechanical, electrical, custom-fabricated, and long-lead components that support prototype, pilot, and production builds. 
• Own purchasing for maintenance, repair, and operations items, as well as project-based capital and non-capital equipment. 
• Review quotes, compare supplier options, and negotiate pricing, payment terms, delivery schedules, and commercial terms. 
• Issue and manage purchase orders end to end, including supplier follow-up, delivery tracking, and documentation accuracy. 
• Drive urgency with vendors to ensure on-time delivery and proactively escalate when commitments are at risk 
• Coordinate domestic and international shipments, including freight, customs documentation, and inbound logistics as needed. 
• Partner closely with engineering, operations, and finance to understand BOM requirements, build priorities, inventory needs, and lead time risks. 
• Track order receipts, resolve discrepancies, and ensure purchase orders are properly matched to invoices for payment. 
• Inspect incoming materials as needed and work cross-functionally to resolve quantity, quality, or documentation issues. 
• Build and maintain strong supplier relationships while holding vendors accountable on responsiveness, quality, cost, and execution. 
• Drive supplier onboarding, qualification, and commercial negotiations to improve reliability and long-term value. 
• Maintain clean, accurate purchasing records, part data, order history, and supporting documentation. 
• Identify sourcing risks early and develop backup plans for constrained, custom, or critical-path components. 
• Recommend and implement process improvements across procurement, vendor management, and supply chain workflows. 

What Success Looks Like: 

• In 30 Days: Get up to speed on current builds, open purchasing needs, supplier landscape, and internal workflows. Begin issuing and managing POs with strong follow-through and minimal oversight. 
• In 60 Days: Take ownership of procurement across designated systems, categories, or build priorities. Improve supplier responsiveness, tighten PO tracking, and start reducing avoidable delays. 
• In 90 Days: Fully own day-to-day purchasing execution for upcoming builds, with clear visibility into lead times, supplier risks, order status, and cost drivers. Establish yourself as a trusted operator who keeps hardware moving. 

Basic Qualifications: 

• 4+ years of experience in purchasing, procurement, supply chain, or buyer roles in a hardware, manufacturing, construction, automotive, aerospace, robotics, or industrial environment. 
• Experience with ERP, purchasing, or MRP systems in a manufacturing environment. 
• Proven ability to manage purchasing across a mix of mechanical, electrical, fabricated, and commercial off-the-shelf components. 
• Strong sense of ownership with a track record of driving vendors, solving supply issues, and keeping timelines on track. 
• Excellent organizational skills and attention to detail across part tracking, purchase orders, receipts, and documentation. 
• Strong communication skills, sound judgment, and confidence in supplier negotiations. 

Preferred Qualifications: 

• Experience supporting prototype, NPI, or low-volume production builds in a fast-moving hardware company. 
• Familiarity with international shipments, customs documentation, and Incoterms. 
• Experience sourcing custom parts, fabricated assemblies, and technical components with variable lead times. 
• Comfort reading design drawings, BOMs, and technical specifications well enough to support purchasing execution. 
• Background in supplier performance management, cost analysis, and commercial negotiations. 
• Experience in automotive, aerospace, rail, robotics, defense, or other complex hardware industries.