Supply Chain and Procurement Lead

Blaze Talent • New York, New York • Full Time • $120,000–$155,000 / year

Posted on Thu, Sep 3, 2026

Ultra builds industrial AI robots that are working in the real world today. Our robots automate mission-critical warehouse labor end-to-end, starting with e-commerce order packaging. We deploy fast, learn from real production data, and iterate aggressively. We already have a quickly growing number of revenue-generating robots operating in U.S. warehouses, and are now scaling towards thousands of deployments over the next few years. Our mission is simple: build the world's most useful and deployable robot.
OverviewWe're looking for a Supply Chain & Procurement Lead to join our NYC-based team and take ownership of how parts get sourced, bought, and kept flowing as we scale robot production from 100 to 1000+ units. You'll build and run the supplier relationships behind every build, make ordering effortless for our manufacturing team, get inbound parts to the door on time, and hold our suppliers to a high quality bar. The goal is to turn buying the right parts at the right cost and lead time into a well-run system rather than a daily scramble.
We run this function software-forward: rather than scaling the team linearly with volume, we build tooling and lean on AI agents so the system does the repetitive work and the humans handle judgment, relationships, and exceptions. You'll shape and own that system as much as the sourcing itself. We're an early-stage company moving very fast in a rapidly growing space, and we welcome people from any background as long as you're excited about the mission, ready to drive impact from day one, and eager to help make automation accessible to all.
What You'll DoBuild and manage vendor relationships

Find, vet, and set up new supplier and contract-manufacturer relationships across our parts base, at home and internationally
Negotiate pricing, payment terms, and lead times — and revisit them as volumes grow
Develop and deepen existing relationships through regular reviews, supplier scorecards, and quick resolution of cost and delivery issues
Travel to China and other destinations to meet suppliers face-to-face, qualify new partners, and build out a resilient global supply base

Own ordering, purchasing, and planning

Place purchase orders and track them to keep builds on schedule — or make it fast and easy for the manufacturing team to place orders themselves
Run RFQs and turn new product introductions (NPI) and BOM changes into clean sourcing and buying decisions in partnership with the manufacturing and hardware teams
Own inventory accuracy and the demand/forecasting signals that drive purchasing — approached software-forward, with tooling and automation rather than manual spreadsheets wherever possible
Build the purchasing workflows, approvals, PO tracking, and the tooling behind them so ordering and planning stay simple as we scale
Manage lead times and costs against targets, and proactively flag and mitigate supply risk on single-source and long-lead parts

Support inbound logistics

Book transport for inbound parts when needed and keep shipments moving to the door
Track shipment status and get ahead of delays before they hit the build schedule
Coordinate international shipping, imports, and customs so parts clear cleanly and predictably

Drive supplier quality control

Set and enforce quality expectations with suppliers, and catch issues before parts reach the line
Track supplier quality performance over time and drive corrective action when parts fall short
Partner with the hardware team on incoming inspection criteria and specs so what we order is what we get

Who You Are

Highly operational and detail-oriented — you bring order to a tangle of parts, vendors, POs, and lead times
An owner, not an executor — when something is unsourced, mispriced, delayed, or about to run out, you've already moved on it
Software-forward — you reach for tooling and automation before headcount, and you're comfortable building lightweight systems (or working alongside AI agents) to run the function at scale
Scrappy, resourceful, and energized by fast-paced, high-autonomy environments where you're building the process as you run it
A strong relationship-builder who's comfortable negotiating and working across cultures and time zones
You think in cost, speed, and reliability — and know how to balance all three under real deadlines

Experience and Skills

5+ years owning procurement, sourcing, and/or supply chain in a hardware or manufacturing environment — or less, if you pair real procurement instinct with unusually strong systems and software fluency
Strong supplier management: finding and qualifying vendors, negotiating pricing and payment terms, and building long-term relationships
A track record of making ordering and purchasing run smoothly — POs, approvals, and the systems behind them (ERP/MRP, PLM, or equivalent)
Comfort with inventory management and demand/forecasting, and a bias toward building tooling to keep counts accurate at speed rather than managing them by hand
Familiarity with inbound logistics: booking freight, tracking shipments, and working through international shipping, imports, and customs
Experience holding suppliers to a quality standard — inspection, scorecards, and corrective action
Willingness and ability to travel internationally, including to China, to develop the supply base
Bonus: experience with contract manufacturing or scaling sourcing beyond in-house production
Bonus: Mandarin or other relevant language skills for working directly with overseas suppliers

Expected Compensation$120,000 - $155,000/annual salary + equity + benefits

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