Senior Supply Chain Manager – Critical Materials

About the role

EXO Talent Partners is conducting a retained search for a confidential defense electronics manufacturer. The Senior Supply Chain Manager will lead the enterprise strategy for rare earth and critical material risk mitigation across a complex defense manufacturing environment. This newly created strategic role builds the function from the ground up, establishing risk registers, mitigation playbooks, and executive reporting.

Key responsibilities

• Develop and maintain a critical material risk register covering rare earth elements, gallium, germanium, graphite, tungsten, tantalum, cobalt, lithium, indium and other strategic materials.
• Lead mitigation strategies such as qualifying alternate domestic and allied suppliers, creating substitution roadmaps with engineering, negotiating long‑term agreements, setting safety stock policies and exploring closed‑loop sourcing.
• Map multi‑tier supply chains to the smelter and refiner level, identify concentration risks and upstream bottlenecks before they impact programs.
• Monitor geopolitical developments, export controls, sanctions and market signals and translate them into actionable sourcing plans with measurable milestones.
• Partner with engineering, program management, quality, contracts and compliance to implement risk reduction without compromising schedule or certification.
• Provide executive‑ready briefings on risk posture, mitigation progress, funding needs and residual risk.
• Ensure compliance with FAR, DFAR, conflict minerals, specialty metals and traceability requirements and support internal and customer audits.

Required profile

• Eight or more years of progressive supply chain, sourcing, materials management or supplier management experience in a regulated manufacturing environment.
• Direct experience with rare earth element supply chains or critical minerals (magnet materials, specialty alloys, semiconductor‑related or battery materials) – this is a hard requirement.
• Proven ability to negotiate long‑term agreements, capacity reservations and contractual risk protections with strategic suppliers.
• Strong capability to synthesize complex supply chain risk into clear actions and communicate with senior leadership.

Required skills