Sr Manager – Aviation Supplier Partner Management

Company Summary

Echo Star builds solutions that help families and communities stay connected. We’ll launch your career and empower you to change lives.

Our brands include Boost Mobile, DISH TV, Gen Mobile, Hughes and Sling TV. We serve millions of customers with offerings ranging from satellite to streaming services and global to personal networking solutions.

Echo Star has an exciting opportunity for a Sr Manager – Aviation Supplier Partner Management in our Hughes Network Systems division supporting our AERO Mobility business unit.

This role is essential for managing and optimizing the aviation vendor supply chain of key materials and products, ensuring timely and cost-efficient delivery while maintaining strong relationships with aviation suppliers. This position will play a critical role in negotiating supplier contracts, planning, forecasting, logistics management and ensuring alignment between Hughes procurement operations, program management, product, and engineering teams.

This role offers a great opportunity for career growth in a dynamic environment focused on innovation and operational excellence. This position will be located at our office in Lisle, IL or Germantown, MD
.

• Aviation Supplier Management:
  • Negotiate and manage contracts for new LRU products, aircraft engineering and certification services to ensure the best value for the company
  • Manage the SOW development and RFP process for products and engineering & certification services
  • Develop, implement, and optimize aviation supplier processes for the production of aviation components, ensuring efficiency, cost-effectiveness, and compliance with AS9100 quality standards
  • Monitor aviation supplier performance, including delivery times, quality, and reliability metrics, as well as compliance with contractual terms in the form of supplier scorecards and quarterly business reviews
  • Lead collaboration efforts with Hughes product management, aircraft engineering and aviation 3rd party suppliers for product production and ensuring timely completion and adherence to budget and cost minimization
  • Evaluate and select suppliers based on their reliability, cost efficiency, quality, and ability to meet deadlines
  • Negotiate pricing, contracts, and terms with suppliers to ensure the best value for the company
• Planning and Forecasting:
  • Collaborate with cross-functional teams (e.g., manufacturing, sales, product, and engineering) to forecast demand for 3rd party aviation suppliers
  • Develop and implement strategies to optimize aviation 3rd party supplier inventory levels, reduce lead times, and improve overall delivery efficiency
• Logistics Management:
  • Provide oversight and guidance for 3rd party logistics and Hughes’s supplier forward and reverse logistics
• Risk Management:
  • Identify and mitigate risks in the aviation 3rd party supply chain by developing contingency plans for potential disruptions or delays

• Bachelor’s degree in any of the following disciplines:
  Mechanical, Industrial Engineering, Supply Chain Management, and/or Business Administration
• Minimum of 10 years of experience in aviation supplier management

• Prior experience in managing relationships with suppliers, negotiating contracts, and improving supplier performance
• Certification in Lean Manufacturing or Six Sigma
• Experience using Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems (e.g., SAP, Oracle, or similar) and planning software
• This position will require up to 50% travel

• Certification in supply chain management (e.g., APICS, CSCP, CPM) is a plus
• Strong analytical skills with the ability to interpret data and make informed decisions
• Excellent negotiation and communication skills, both written and verbal
• High attention to detail and strong organizational skills
• Ability to work in a fast-paced environment, managing multiple tasks simultaneously
• Strong experience in negotiating contracts
• Strong knowledge of aviation design and manufacturing processes
• Familiarity with industry standards (e.g., AS9100, FAA regulations) and quality control…