Supply Chain Lead

About Origin

Trained in high-fidelity simulation and already deployed on live sites, our robots deliver 5x faster execution, 250%+ margin expansion, and significant cost savings. Join India’s most talent-dense robotics team consisting of individuals from IITs, Stanford, UCLA, etc.

About the role

The Supply Chain Lead acts as the operating system that turns engineering output into reliably manufactured, shippable robots, working closely with Engineering, Industrial Design, Manufacturing, Finance, and Product.

• Hire and build the founding supply chain team across India HQ and China/SEA — Technical Sourcing Engineer (Mechanical), Technical Sourcing Engineer (Embedded), Purchase & Planning Executive, China/SEA Local Sourcing Manager, and China/SEA QC Executive.
• Document roles, responsibilities, KPIs, and decision rights for each sub-function within the supply chain team.
• Design the supply chain operating model, sourcing strategy, and governance framework for dual-geography manufacturing (India + China/SEA).
• Establish a weekly operating rhythm with Engineering, Manufacturing, Finance, and Product to align production plans, risks, and escalations.
• Select, roll out, and operationalise the ERP / inventory tool; define PO process, approval matrix, vendor master, and BOM ownership model with engineering — including version control, change management, and costing visibility.
• Establish the trade compliance framework — HS codes, India IGCR, India–China/SEA–US flows — with logistics partners.
• Evaluate, select, and onboard China/SEA contract manufacturers; sign MSA, NDA, and quality agreements aligned to the 80-unit milestone.
• Lead NPI transfer to contract manufacturers — BOM, drawings, work instructions, inspection plans, golden samples — and complete pilot builds with defined pilot-exit criteria met.
• Establish production capacity planning across all manufacturing partners — monthly build volumes, line capacity, long-lead component coverage, and headroom for the 200/year ramp.
• Set up the DFM process with contract manufacturers, working closely with Industrial Design, Mechanical, and Embedded teams to drive manufacturability feedback into design.
• Build a resilient Approved Vendor List (AVL) — at least 3 qualified vendors per BOM item across India and China/SEA — with dual-sourcing for critical components and active mitigation of single-source dependencies.
• Establish BOM cost baseline and drive 30–40% cost-reduction opportunity across mechanical and electrical categories; deliver ≥ 40% from baseline.
• Set up supplier scorecards (quality PPM, OTIF, responsiveness) for top 20 vendors; run quarterly business reviews.
• Deliver the 80-unit China/SEA + India production target on time, in full, on cost, and at quality — while sustaining the 1–2 robots/month India R&D build cadence.
• Own ramp gates, IPC inspection plans, FAI process, and first-pass yield ≥ 95% at the CM with the China/SEA QC Executive on-site.
• Track field quality issues back to supplier or process root causes; close the loop with engineering and the CM through structured 8D / corrective action.
• Maintain working capital, Days of Holding (DOH), and freight as % of COGS within plan; track and report board-level supply chain metrics.
• Build the supply chain risk map — geographic, single-source, raw material, capacity, and trade exposure — and review quarterly with leadership.
• Document S&OP, MRP, supplier development, and quality processes; make the function ready to support 200+ units/year without redesign.
• Develop a talent bench — identify second-line leaders for each sub-function as the team scales.

• MUST HAVE: Has personally set up at least one contract manufacturing relationship from scratch — CM evaluation and selection, MSA / NDA / quality agreement negotiation, NPI transfer, pilot builds, and production ramp. Required either in India or outside India; China experience is strongly preferred.
• MUST HAVE: Has held a combined Manufacturing and Supply Chain leadership role — operational ownership of both the factory / production execution side AND the inbound sourcing / procurement / planning side in a single role or in adjacent roles at the same organization. Candidates with only one of the two will not be considered.
• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical / Production / Industrial / Electronics / Manufacturing Engineering.
• 8–12 years of supply chain and manufacturing experience in Electric Vehicles, Automation, Industrial Equipment, Robotics, Wearables, Drones, Aerospace, or comparable hardware companies.
• Has built a supply chain function from scratch at a startup, OR scaled an existing supply chain through a 5–10x volume step-up.
• Strong people leadership — has built and led teams of 8–15+ across multiple geographies.
• Strong business and financial acumen — speaks the language of BOM cost, gross margin, working capital, DOH, and freight as % of COGS.
• Comfortable with cross-border operations across India, China/SEA, and global suppliers; understands trade compliance, IGCR, customs, and Incoterms in practice.
• Comfortable operating at both strategic (board-level metrics, working capital, CM strategy) and tactical (FAI escalation, expediting, supplier audit) levels.
• Willing to travel — India, China, South East Asia, and supplier locations — particularly heavy during NPI and ramp phases.

• Direct experience setting up a contract manufacturing relationship in China (Shenzhen, Dongguan, Suzhou) or Vietnam, Thailand, or Malaysia.
• Experience working with EMS / ODM / OEM partners for complex electromechanical products.
• Knowledge of ISO 9001 / IATF 16949 quality systems, IPC standards, process capability (Cp, Cpk), and manufacturing SOPs.
• Hands-on rollout experience of an ERP or procurement management system (SAP, Oracle, Zoho, Odoo, Tally).
• MBA, executive program, or equivalent leadership development from a recognised institute.
• Prior exposure to robotics, drones, autonomous systems, or other emerging hardware categories with rapid product evolution.

• Strategic supply chain architecture and operating model design
• Team building, hiring, and leadership across geographies
• Contract manufacturer selection, negotiation, and ramp management
• NPI transfer, pilot build management, and ramp-gate execution
• Risk management and supplier resilience planning
• Should-cost modeling and cost negotiation
• Data-driven decision making — AVL coverage, OTIF, FPY, DOH
• Cross-border trade compliance and logistics
• Strong Excel, data analysis, and executive communication skills