Supplier Operations Manager - 2984 (Contract)

Supplier Operations Manager - Harwell
6 months contract - Full Time - Competitive

Acorn Recruitment is working on behalf of a well-established international company whose focus is on the design and manufacture of advanced satellites and systems for telecommunications, earth observation, and navigation and science programmes.
The role will be based in Harwell and include biweekly trips to Germany.

The person shall lead the execution of space equipment development & delivery supply contract of around €40M value, in taking the signed supply equipment Subcontracts, Specifications and Statement of Work and work this through to the delivery of hardware, for a huge scope of truly cutting edge RF-space electronics development on the MetOp-SG program. The customer is the European Space Agency (ESA) and ultimately Eumetsat, the project is one of the premier European space programmes.

This programme management role will require someone of the highest calibre, full of energy, drive & the appropriate skillset to drive deliveries through the supply chain, led by two major contractors. The addition of the person looked after would strengthen the team presently leading this development, the current jobholder would focus on Product Assurance.

Due to the inherent risks present in development projects, it is a mandatory requirement that the person shall have demonstrated experience of leading multimillion space product development projects, in a complex industrial setup,
preferably with ESA customer and preferably with electronics products.

The scope of the project includes building and delivering Qualification Models for 9 receivers, stringent manufacturing processes qualification and EEE components qualification to ensure reliability for more than 20 years, then 10 Proto-flight Models, Flight Models 2 & 3 and Spares, in total >40 receivers.

Responsibilities as Supplier Operations Manager

oOwn and be accountable for the deliveries of these high frequency receivers to instruments of MetOp-SG
(MWS in Portsmouth, MWI in Toulouse, ICI in Madrid), as well as all associate documentation.
For this key mission, the jobholder will be supported by a Responsible Engineer responsible for product performance matters and a Product Assurance engineer for PA matters.
oProactive management of supplier schedules to ensure supplier delivery dates meet the needs of the three MetOp-SG instruments. This requires risk anticipation and mitigation, rapid management of any non-conformances, and generally being proactive and dynamic in resolving issues as they occur.
A key success criterion for this role is the achievement of schedule adherence.
*Act as the single voice and main point of contact for the suppliers, on behalf of all three instruments & two Satellite Prime teams. Coordinate with instrument teams at operational and management levels, liaising with ESA.
This requires commanding the respect of senior, seasoned professional individuals in the various organisations engaged in the MetOp-SG programme, including experts in the European Space Agency.
*Lead and pace the development as appropriate, with MRRs, TRRs, CDRs, TRBs/DRBs, MPCBs, PCBs, ERCBs, as well as the appropriate dry-runs or formal meeting preparation. Chair such reviews.
Ensure monthly progress reports and progress meetings provide adequate information for the required decisions to be taken, without disturbing the development flow.
Similarly, ensure that NRBs are being held swiftly and that the necessary inputs are available to support agreement on the short-term and mid-term action plan.
*Drive the responsiveness, on time availability & quality of all inputs to the product development project.
Efficiently use the skills and experience of the assigned Responsible Engineer(s), accountable for performances. Organise expert support (EEE, M&P, multi-disciplines technical engineers, ..)s
*Report weekly to the all instruments project managers via flash report, monthly with inputs in the instrument-level progress report.
*Make sure risks are proactively identified and mitigated and that contingency plans are implemented.
Additional expectations
*Embedded with the contractors, the jobholder should truly be considered as part of their equipment development team & as part of the instruments' team. Their success is ours.
*He/she shall provide full visibility of contractors' activities.
Focus should remain on the critical path(s) activities at all time.
*He/she shall be able to escalate/generate resolution or corrective plan very efficiently within all layers, from shop floor to top management.
Qualifications and experience required
*Degree in an Aerospace or relevant Electrical Engineering subject.
In general, technical skills and appetite to quickly understand the key technical attributes of these receivers & their development logic and therefore enable productive dialogue with all stakeholders
Proven experience as a space product development project manager or subcontract manager (similar role)

Keywords : Aerospace, Operations Space Product Development, Electronics, Engineering


Acorn Recruitment Ltd is acting as an Employment Business in relation to this vacancy.