Materials Program Manager, Zipline Africa
Materials Program Manager, Zipline Africa
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$ 125000 - 155000
1 Vacancy
Job Description
About Zipline
About You and The Role
Ziplines first-generation long-range autonomous drone system is already delivering millions of medical products across Africaand the strength and agility of our supply chain is at the heart of our ability to scale this impact. As a Materials Program Manager you will lead the planning and coordination of materials across Ziplines supply chain ensuring readiness from early development through volume production and sustainment. Youll sit at the intersection of Engineering Operations Manufacturing Logistics and Global Supply Management driving decisions and systems that ensure the right materials are in the right place at the right time. Youll manage the entire material lifecyclefrom new product introduction (NPI) to production ramp and retrofit campaignsand build the processes that unlock speed responsiveness and reliability.
This is a high-impact cross-functional role for someone who thrives in fast-paced environments builds from first principles and is excited to make a tangible impact on millions of lives.
What Youll Do
Materials Planning
- Materials S&OP Process pulling in global demand for P1 components across new expansion spares and retrofit campaigns.
- Collaborate with Supply Chain Operations and Sales to identify and resolve material shortages.
- Establish planning frameworks that balance supply constraints with demand priorities to keep programs on schedule.
Allocation Strategy
- Lead the cross-functional allocation process for high-demand or constrained materials.
- Provide aggregated views of supply vs. demand to guide allocation decisions across programs and regions.
- Coordinate closely with Supply/Demand Management Operations and Procurement teams to execute allocation strategies that deliver the highest impact.
Executive Reporting & Decision Support
- Develop concise reporting for leadership on material status risk allocation decisions and readiness KPIs.
- Use data and scenario analysis to inform operational and strategic decision-making across supply and production planning.
Logistics & Trade Compliance
- Coordinate with logistics and sourcing teams to ensure materials flow efficiently across Zipline 3PL storage suppliers and Nest operations Globally
- Optimize movement for lowest cost freight logistics and tariff implications
New Product Introduction (NPI) Material Readiness
- Ensure material readiness for new product ramps by partnering with Engineering Manufacturing and Global Sourcing teams.
- Identify supply risks early in development and guide mitigation plans to protect ramp timelines.
- Support engineering release cycles risk buys and supplier onboarding to ensure a smooth handoff to volume production.
Excess & Obsolete (E&O) Management
- Monitor and manage E&O exposure across the material lifecycleespecially during transitions ECNs and phase-outs.
- Collaborate with Finance Engineering and Manufacturing to evaluate risk drive mitigation actions and close the loop on financial reserves and claims.
What Youll Bring
- 5 years of experience in supply chain materials management or operations in a fast-paced high-complexity environment.
- Proven ability to manage supply constraints allocation strategies and cross-functional coordination.
- Experience supporting new product launches or transitions in hardware or manufacturing organizations.
- Strong analytical skills and familiarity with planning tools (ERP Excel/Sheets or similar systems).
- Comfort working across geographies time zones and culturesespecially in emerging markets.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
- Creative problem solver that can make design and development decisions with limited or imperfect data.
- Ability to thrive in ambiguity and build structure where it doesnt yet exist.
- Strong sense of accountability and integrity and are not afraid to challenge the status quo.
- Self-motivated with strong learning multi-tasking organizational and documentation skills.
- Passion for Ziplines mission and a commitment to operational excellence at scale.
- Nice to Have:
- Demonstrable history of assuming ownership of complex (technical) problems and driving them from inception to solution.
- Experience leading projects with multi-disciplinary teams to solve technical problems in a fast-paced environment.
- Ability to analyze inventory materials & supply chain data and develop data analysis tools in languages like Python SQL MATLAB
What Else You Need to Know
Required Experience:
Manager
Employment Type
Full Time
