Supplier Development Manager (SDM) (Aerospace)

Location: On-site in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

Company

Orbitworks manufactures satellites in Abu Dhabi, building on hirify.global’s heritage to produce tens of satellites annually for physical and virtual space missions.

What you will do

• Assess supplier manufacturing readiness through on-site process audits, capability reviews, and risk assessments.
• Improve supplier travelers, work instructions, inspection plans, process controls, torque control, crimp validation, and bonding processes.
• Validate machining capability, including CNC programming, tooling, GD&T interpretation, surface finish, material traceability, and first article inspection.
• Strengthen wire harness production through crimp and pull-test validation, routing and shielding controls, workmanship standards, and manufacturing records.
• Oversee honeycomb panel rework and modifications, including bonding validation, environmental controls, configuration integrity, and alignment with nondestructive inspection requirements.
• Develop supplier qualification roadmaps and performance dashboards, implement AS9100, AS9102, APQP, and PPAP practices where applicable, and lead containment, root cause analysis, and corrective action for supplier quality escapes.

Requirements

• Flight-hardware manufacturing experience with understanding of aerospace process control, documentation, and traceability requirements.
• Deep machining knowledge covering CNC processes, GD&T, materials, tooling, surface finish, and inspection.
• Wire harness manufacturing expertise, including crimp validation, pull testing, routing, shielding, and workmanship controls.
• Proven supplier development experience with measurable improvements in capability, quality, or manufacturing readiness.
• Working knowledge of AS9100-based quality systems, AS9102 first article inspection, and manufacturing process validation.
• Experience leading root cause analysis, containment, and corrective action using methods such as 8D or RCCA.
• Hands-on shop-floor expertise, ability to work independently, and strong communication skills for aligning suppliers with internal technical stakeholders.

Nice to have

• Honeycomb or composite structures, bonding, nondestructive inspection, and controlled structural rework experience.
• IPC/WHMA-A-620 certification or knowledge of certification requirements, and NADCAP special process exposure.
• APQP, PPAP, Lean, or Six Sigma Black Belt experience.
• Experience building a supplier development function, integrating ERP/MRP systems, or working with international suppliers.

Culture & Benefits

• On-site work in a 50,000-square-foot satellite manufacturing facility in Abu Dhabi.
• Cross-functional collaboration with Engineering, Manufacturing, Quality, Procurement, Contracts, D2M, and Supply Chain.
• Opportunity to start as an individual contributor and potentially build a broader supplier development function.
• Recruitment may use AI tools to support application, resume, and response review; final hiring decisions are made by humans.