Job Description:

Job title: Senior Supply Chain Project Manager
Location: Warwick
Contract length: 6 months rolling contract (with long-term potential)
Work Structure: Hybrid (3 days in the office)

Randstad Sourceright, a leading provider of RPO & MSP Recruitment Services is currently recruiting for a Senior Supply Chain Project Manager to join a World leader offering Products, Solutions and Services across the entire Mobility value chain on behalf of a well established manufacturing organisation to play a key role in supporting Manufacturing Operations.

The Supply Chain Project Manager (SCPM) is responsible for leading end-to-end supplier source transition projects to support new product development, cost-saving initiatives, and business continuity. In this role, you will coordinate cross-functional global teams and external vendors to develop project schedules, manage budgets, analyze cost-benefit models, and mitigate supply disruption risks. Tailored for an aerospace manufacturing environment, the ideal candidate brings 5+ years of corporate project management experience, a relevant bachelor’s degree, formal project management credentials (such as PMP), and a proven ability to deliver technical sourcing transfers on time and within budget while reporting progress to senior leadership. 

Some of the duties will include but are not limited to:

• Partner with procurement and quality teams to vet alternative suppliers against strict aerospace specifications, certifications, and compliance standards.

• Coordinate with engineering and quality assurance to ensure sample parts, first-article inspections (FAIR), and tooling meet technical tolerances before mass production begins.

• Coordinate the ramp-down of inventory from the incumbent supplier while simultaneously building inventory safety stocks and ramping up orders with the replacement vendor.

• Define critical paths, milestones, work breakdown structures (WBS), and resource plans using project tools (e.g., MS Project, Jira, or Smartsheet). 

• Follow up on actionable deliverables across engineering, manufacturing operations, procurement, legal/contracts, and logistics. 

• Monitor spend against allocated project capital/operational expenses (CapEx/OpEx), including tooling costs, requalification tests, and shipping adjustments.

• Identify potential bottlenecks (e.g., long-lead raw materials, shipping lane disruptions, export control/ITAR constraints, or geopolitical risks). 

• Log identified risks and implement mitigation plans—such as buffer inventory strategies or expediting agreements—to avoid assembly line shutdowns.

• Step in when a vendor misses sample delivery dates, quality defects occur, or internal testing falls behind, escalating roadblocks to leadership with actionable solutions. 

• Calculate true transition costs, factoring in piece prices, retooling fees, freight, tariffs, scrapping old inventory, and testing costs.

• Compare actual post-transition procurement spend against initial business case estimates to ensure projected cost reductions are achieved.

• Run regular stand-ups and status reviews with plant managers, design engineers, buyers, and external supplier reps.

• Publish weekly/monthly scorecards highlighting project health (RAG status: Red/Amber/Green), milestone achievements, budget variances, and upcoming deliverables for executive reviews.

Essential Requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain Management, Logistics, Industrial Engineering, Operations, Business Administration, or a related discipline.

• Recognized Project Management certification (e.g., PMP, CAPM, or PRINCE2), or verified active enrollment in an accredited program meeting eligibility criteria. 

• Preferred: Supply chain or continuous improvement credentials (e.g., APICS/ASCM CSCP/CPIM, or Lean Six Sigma Green/Black Belt).

• 5+ years of hands-on experience managing complex, multidisciplinary projects within a corporate/industrial environment. Familiarity with precision manufacturing standards, rigorous aerospace quality frameworks (e.g., AS9100, FAA/EASA compliance, ITAR/EAR), and standard qualification workflows (such as First Article Inspection / FAIR and PPAP).  

• Direct experience executing supplier source changes, dual-sourcing, vendor transitions, or factory transfers without disrupting ongoing production lines. High proficiency in enterprise scheduling and tracking tools (e.g., MS Project, Primavera P6, Jira, or Smartsheet).

• Hands-on experience working with enterprise resource planning systems (e.g., SAP MM/PP, Oracle SCM) for bill-of-materials (BOM), purchase orders, and inventory monitoring.

• Ability to build and defend business cases, cost-benefit analyses, and Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) models using advanced data analysis (spreadsheets, metrics dashboards). Proven capability using structured risk management tools (e.g., FMEA, RAID logs) to spot supply vulnerabilities early.

• Experience aligning geographically distributed, matrixed teams across procurement, design engineering, plant operations, quality assurance, and legal. Skill in holding external suppliers accountable to service-level agreements (SLAs), delivery milestones, and quality benchmarks.

Desirable Requirements:

• MBA, Master of Science in Supply Chain Management, Industrial Engineering, or Operations Management. 

• Lean Six Sigma Green Belt or Black Belt, demonstrating mastery in root cause analysis (DMAIC, 8D) and waste elimination across supplier processes.

• Familiarity with precision aerospace fabrication techniques (e.g., CNC 5-axis machining, composite layups, castings/forgings, surface treatments, or wire harness assemblies).

• Advanced hands-on experience in SAP S/4HANA (specifically MM, PP, and QM modules) or Oracle Cloud SCM.

• Experience building executive tracking dashboards and automated KPI reports using Power BI, Tableau, or advanced Excel modeling. Working knowledge of applying Agile, Scrum, or Kanban frameworks to hardware, engineering, and manufacturing work streams.

• Prior experience leading international supplier moves (e.g., nearshoring, reshoring, or Low-Cost Country Sourcing / LCCS). Fluency in languages relevant to major aerospace manufacturing hubs (e.g., French, German, or Spanish).