Head of Supply Chain

FORGE ATOMICS Humanity faces two critical challenges: securing reliable energy and aggressively lowering our environmental impact. At Forge, we believe nuclear fission is the key to solving both at once. Today Forge is developing the technology to rapidly scale the deployment of nuclear fission. As the Head of Supply Chain, this position involves establishing the supply chain organization behind our first nuclear reactor – Ember, and growing it from its first hires into a complete material planning and procurement team.

The role owns material planning and purchased parts end to end, from sourcing and supplier development through purchasing, production planning, inventory, logistics, and supplier quality. The team's mandate is to ensure every production cell has the material it needs while balancing cost, reliability, and build rate. Successful candidates will have previously built and led high-performing supply chain teams for complex hardware products, and will be highly motivated to power humanity with abundant, clean energy.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Recruit, build, and lead a team of buyers/planners and supplier quality engineers spanning material planning, purchasing, and supplier development
• Own the end-to-end planning lifecycle for reactor sub-assemblies, including bill of materials and configuration management
• Develop and manage the supplier base for critical materials and outside processes such as forgings, plate and tube stock, machined parts, and specialty fabrication services
• Lead sourcing decisions, contract and pricing negotiations, and make-versus-buy trade studies in partnership with engineering and finance
• Collaborate with engineering, production, and procurement stakeholders on rate goals and design changes
• Balance cost, reliability, and production rate through proactive risk management in a dynamic environment
• Optimize inventory management while maintaining full production line output capacity
• Communicate accurate material forecasts to internal and external stakeholders
• Identify and mitigate multi-tier supply chain risks, monitoring supplier capacity constraints across primary and secondary tiers
• Stand up the supplier quality function: supplier audits and assessments, receiving and source inspection requirements, and supplier corrective actions
• Support new product introduction alongside stable production, planning design and process changes without disrupting build rates
• Support insourcing initiatives for supply security
• Maintain accurate master data on lead times, yields, and order policies
• Select and implement the planning and purchasing systems (e.g., ERP/MRP) and define scalable processes leveraging world-class manufacturing practices
• Develop key performance indicator dashboards and reporting for material readiness, cost, and supplier performance BASIC QUALIFICATIONS
• Bachelor's degree in supply chain management, engineering, business, or a related discipline - 5+ years of experience in supply chain, purchasing, contract negotiation, material or production planning, operations, or master production scheduling - 2+ years of direct leadership or management experience leading supply chain, purchasing, or planning teams PREFERRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE
• Experience building a supply chain function from its earliest stages at a hardware startup or a new factory
• Experience in high-volume or highly regulated industries such as aerospace, automotive, energy, or medical devices
• Technical knowledge of mechanical commodities and metallic raw materials
• Experience with supplier quality programs, including audits, source inspection, and supplier corrective actions
• Experience selecting or implementing ERP/MRP systems, with deep familiarity with purchasing and planning workflows
• Proficiency with data analytics tools such as SQL, Tableau, or Power BI, and advanced Microsoft Excel skills
• Experience navigating multi-tier bills of materials
• Cross-functional project management experience through new product introduction
• Strong communication and presentation abilities, representing the company to suppliers and reporting to senior leadership
• Detail-oriented, self-motivated, and adaptable to a fast-paced environment ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS
• Position will be based in the South Bay area of Los Angeles County and will require relocation if not already local. The position will be full-time in the office.
• Ability to work extended hours and weekends as necessary
• Ability to travel domestically and internationally to suppliers and reactor construction sites as necessary COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS Pay range:
• Head of Supply Chain: $140,000.00 - $200,000.00/per year Your actual level and base salary will be determined on a case-by-case basis and may vary based on the following considerations: job-related knowledge and skills, education, and experience. Base salary is just one part of your total rewards package at Forge. You may also be eligible for long-term incentives, in the form of company stock or stock options, as well as potential discretionary bonuses and the ability to purchase additional stock at a discount through an Employee Stock Purchase Plan. You will also receive access to comprehensive medical, vision, and dental coverage, access to a 401(k) retirement plan, paid vacation, paid parental leave, and various other perks. Employees accrue paid sick leave pursuant to Company policy which satisfies or exceeds the accrual, carryover, and use requirements of the law. Forge is an Equal Opportunity Employer; employment with Forge is governed on the basis of merit, competence and qualifications and will not be influenced in any manner by race, color, religion, gender, national origin/ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, mental or physical disability or any other legally protected status. This position involves access to technology that is subject to U.S. export controls. Any job offer made will be contingent upon the applicant's capacity to serve in compliance with U.S. export controls.