Karman Industries
Karman Industries is a Torrance-based thermal technology company building the backbone for giga-scale AI infrastructure. Founded by a team from SpaceX, Rocket Lab, and GE, Karman is moving beyond legacy cooling with the launch of the HPU (Heat Processing Unit) - a new category of thermal architecture designed for the 100kW+ rack era.
The HPU shrinks the exterior mechanical yard by up to 80% while reducing peak energy consumption by 10%+. Unlike traditional systems, the Karman HPU provides zero-water (WUE 0) cooling that ensures high-TDP GPUs and HBM4 memory stay at optimal thermal setpoints without throttling.
Founded in 2024, we’re a fast-growing team of passionate professionals dedicated to making a tangible impact on the future of humanity. We design, build, and test real hardware, and we lead with ownership: you’ll own your work from concept to hardware and help shape how we scale. Our values are Ownership, Performance Excellence, Radical Transparency, and Customer-Centricity.
Join us in our mission to transform the industry and contribute to a more sustainable world.
Senior Buyer, Electronics & Power Systems
We are building the supply chain behind the HPU, and its power electronics and high-speed motors are the long-lead items most likely to stop a build. You will own supply for electronics and power systems end to end: category strategy, sourcing, supplier performance, and supply continuity for PCBAs, power semiconductors, solid-state transformer (SST) hardware, high-speed electric motors, sensors, connectors, and wire harnesses. You will work directly with Engineering and Production to turn BOMs and build plans into on-time, on-cost deliveries, and to surface supply risk before it becomes a line-down.
Key Responsibilities:
Category strategy and sourcing
- Own the electronics and power systems category strategy: supplier selection, dual- and second-source plans, consolidation, and long-term agreements
- Run RFQs and competitive bids; compare total landed cost, lead time, MOQ, and quality history, then recommend awards
- Negotiate pricing, payment terms, lead times, and capacity commitments with manufacturers, authorized distributors, and EMS, PCB, and custom-build vendors
- Drive cost-down through should-cost analysis, volume leverage, and design-to-cost input to Engineering; report savings against a baseline
Power electronics and motors
- Source power semiconductors (SiC and GaN devices, IGBT modules), gate drivers, and medium-voltage-rated components; manage allocation, capacity commitments, and long-term supply agreements with device makers
- Source SST subassemblies and materials: high-frequency magnetics, DC-link and film capacitors, insulation systems, bushings, and cooling plates
- Source high-speed motor components and builds: stators and windings, rotors, permanent magnets, electrical steel laminations, magnet wire, and bearings; manage build-to-print and custom-wound suppliers
- Source inverters, motor drives, encoders, resolvers, and sensors
- Manage raw-material exposure (copper, rare earths, electrical steel) with index-based pricing or hedged terms where possible
Supplier management and qualification
- Build and maintain the approved manufacturer and approved vendor lists with Engineering and Quality
- Coordinate supplier qualification with Engineering and Quality: first article inspection, sample builds, high-pot and insulation testing, and rotor balancing records
- Run supplier scorecards covering on-time delivery, quality, and cost; lead quarterly business reviews, corrective actions, and improvement plans
Planning and supply continuity
- Translate production forecasts and BOMs into purchase plans; review MRP output and set buy, safety stock, and buffer strategies for long-lead parts
- Join supply and demand planning with Production and Program teams; give accurate supply status each week
- Track open POs, expedite late deliveries, and escalate shortages with a recovery plan
Supply risk and compliance
- Monitor EOL and PCN notices, flag single-source parts, and drive last-time-buy and second-source decisions
- Prevent counterfeit and gray-market exposure by buying from authorized channels and enforcing traceability and incoming inspection requirements
- Manage trade compliance inputs: HTS classification, country of origin, tariff exposure, RoHS and REACH documentation, and export-control requirements, including for magnets and power semiconductors
Basic Requirements
- 5+ years in purchasing, strategic sourcing, or supply management for electronics, power electronics, electromechanical, or advanced manufacturing
- Experience buying power electronics, magnetics, or electromechanical components such as motors, generators, or drives
- Working knowledge of electronic components: resistors, capacitors, ICs, connectors, magnetics, power modules, and PCBAs
- Ability to read BOMs, datasheets, mechanical drawings, and basic schematics, including motor and power-module datasheets (voltage, current, losses, thermal limits, insulation class)
- Experience building category or sourcing strategies and negotiating supply agreements
- Experience with ERP/MRP systems (NetSuite, SAP, Oracle, or similar), including planning and purchasing modules, and advanced Excel skills
- Working knowledge of import and export basics: customs, tariffs, Incoterms, and country-of-origin documentation
- Bachelor’s degree in supply chain, business, engineering, or a related field, or equivalent experience
Preferred Requirements
- Experience with SiC or GaN supply markets, including allocation and long-lead dynamics
- Experience with permanent magnet motors, magnet supply chains, or custom winding and rotor suppliers
- Experience with high-speed or turbomachinery motor programs
- Experience buying for low-volume, high-mix, or prototype-to-production hardware programs
- Experience with should-cost modeling, total cost of ownership analysis, and cost-down programs
- Familiarity with UL, IEC, and IEEE safety and insulation standards for power equipment
- Familiarity with component search and BOM tools (Octopart, SiliconExpert, Digi-Key, Mouser, Arrow, Avnet)
- Knowledge of IPC standards, RoHS and REACH compliance, and counterfeit-avoidance practices (AS5553 or similar)
- APICS CPIM, CSCP, or CPSM certification
- Background in energy, HVAC, data center, aerospace, or other industrial hardware
Karman Industries is an Equal Opportunity Employer; employment with Karman Industries is governed on the basis of merit, competence and qualifications and will not be influenced in any manner by race, color, religion, gender, national origin/ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, mental or physical disability or any other legally protected status.
Direct applicants only - we are not working with outside recruiters or agencies for this role.
