R&D Purchasing Specialist - Mechanical (Senior to Staff)

Company Overview

Driven by our vision of the affordable, reliable, net-zero carbon grid of the future, Mainspring has developed a new category of power generation — the linear generator — that delivers local, scalable, and fuel-flexible power to help accelerate the transition to the net-zero carbon grid.

The unique combination of attributes offered by Mainspring’s linear generator enables applications on both the commercial and utility sides of the meter for the $816B global electricity equipment market. We serve a wide range of Fortune 500 customers across markets and industries as well as top-tier utilities and other gridside providers.

We are looking to build relationships with people who share our values:

• Pragmatic Optimism. Building a new category of world-class power generation requires the optimism of ambition and creativity, balanced with practicality to solve problems efficiently. The challenges that arise are opportunities for growth.
• Excellence without Ego. We bring expertise and commitment to creating the best customer experience, from sales to deployment and service, just as we apply deep technical rigor to building and delivering world-class products. We strive for excellence and behave as leaders with the humility to acknowledge our challenges, both collectively and as individual contributors.
• Proactive Collaboration. The integration and cross-disciplinary nature of Mainspring’s business requires intentionally seeking out others who bring different skills, perspectives, and priorities. Our culture of inclusion and respect extends beyond our team to interactions with our partners and customers.

Mainspring is based in Menlo Park and has partnered with top-tier investors and utilities such as Khosla Ventures, Bill Gates, NextEra, and American Electric Power. More information can be found at www.mainspringenergy.com.

Responsibilities

Mainspring Energy is hiring a Senior to Staff, R&D Purchasing Specialist, Mechanical. This position provides critical support to the Mainspring Energy CTO (Chief Technical Officer) and R&D Engineering Teams to increase the velocity of R&D iteration of initial concepts on our next generation products. Participating in new product development is a key aspect of this position. Your responsibilities will encompass end-to-end management of suppliers—from Concept Design to PO and contracts, parts information, quality checks, and payment processes. Cross-functional collaboration with various teams including production, NPI, engineering, logistics, material handling, and suppliers, are integral to success in this role. In this role you will:

• Manage/improve the selection process for suppliers in an R & D environment
• Develop relationships and maintain quick turn Bay Area mechanical suppliers
• Identify and develop additional global, non- Bay Area quick turn mechanical suppliers
• Support requests for quick turn supply recovery of mechanical production Clear To Build parts/assemblies
• Develop quick turn R&D supply chain processes/improvements that will conform to Mainspring Supply Chain practices and procedures when making decisions concerning negotiating, sourcing, and contracting for all goods and services purchased for R&D efforts
• Support/develop process/procedures to ensure any suppliers supporting past the R&D phase meet Approved Vendor Listing (AVL) requirements
• Identify Key Process Indicator (KPI) metrics and targets that provide good R&D performance tracking and improvement
• Proactively resolve risk issues from long lead raw material, capacity, sole source, and other constraints that arise in the design phase within the Supply Chain
• Handle associated RFQs (Requests for Quote) against requirements
• Track and manage all associated R&D blanket agreements/PO/Contracts
• Negotiate best alignment agreements with suppliers to drive “quick turn” responses. This may include capacity reservation and time + material relationships
• Work with Finance and Legal to ensure any contracts align with Federal, State and Local laws
• Identify Design For Manufacturability (DFM) improvements from initial R&D designs for long term cost down prior to move to production

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree in Engineering (Preferred), Business, Economics, Supply Chain Management or similar discipline
• Knowledge of Mechanical components and technologies (not limited to Casting, Forging, Stamping, CNC Machining, Welding, Assembly, Fixtures & Tooling, Sheet Metal)
• Actual machining and mechanical manufacturing experience a plus
• Technical and collaborative capabilities to work with CTO and Engineering leaders/teams
• At least 5 to 15 years of experience in Quick turn prototyping for Engineering & R&D in a complex product manufacturing environment.
• Excellent network with Bay Area suppliers capable of supporting Quick turn needs (Preferred)
• Comprehensive understanding of supplier manufacturing, inventory management, supply chain, and material requirements planning (MRP)
• Independent, excellent communicator, and collaborator with Engineering, Quality, Program Management, and Manufacturing
• Proficiency in Excel, Google Workspace suite, and ERP/MRP solutions
• Possess a valid “Real ID” driver’s license, and clean driving record

The Bay Area salary for this role is $100k-$135kbase + pre-IPO stock options + benefits. This position can be hybrid. The salary will be adjusted to reflect local market conditions based on employee location as well as the experience of the employee.

Does your experience not meet all of our posted requirements? Studies have shown that some people are less likely to apply to positions unless they meet every listed requirement. At Mainspring, we are committed to building a diverse, inclusive, flexible, and collaborative environment, so if you want to help us transition the world to clean and affordable electricity, and don’t meet all posted requirements for a particular role, we’d still love to hear from you. Mainspring can sometimes be flexible enough to shift responsibilities for the right person, or otherwise identify open or upcoming roles that may better fit your professional background.

In more traditional words, Mainspring Energy, Inc is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, or protected veteran status and will not be discriminated against on the basis of disability.

This compensation and benefits information is based on Mainspring Energy's estimate as of the date of publication and may be modified in the future. We generally do not negotiate on salary once we have made an offer. The level of pay within the range will depend on a variety of job-related factors that may include location, relevant prior experience and/or education, or particular skills and expertise. New hires joining the company tend to be paid within the starting base pay range noted above, with opportunities to increase pay over time based on development of additional skills, competencies, and company-specific knowledge.