Procurement Manager

Location: Columbus, OH

Reports to: VP, GTM & Strategic Partnerships

Department: Delivery

Position Overview

As the Procurement Manager at Motion LLC, you will sit at the intersection of procurement, engineering, project management, and logistics. You will be responsible for building and managing distributor and manufacturer relationships while managing the end-to-end sourcing, purchasing, and lifecycle tracking of specialized hardware—including gateways, cellular hubs, wireless sensors, controllers, power units, cabling, and mounting accessories. The ideal candidate possesses a high technical aptitude for hardware specifications, a proven track record in end-to-end vendor management, hands-on experience navigating procurement software/ERPs, meticulous order-tracking capabilities, and scaling visibility to key stakeholders.

Key Responsibilities

• Strategic Vendor Management/Vendor Relationship Management: Serve as the primary point of contact for external vendors, OEMs, distributors, and logistics partners; conduct periodic business reviews (QBRs) and monitor vendor performance metrics (provisioning lead time, on-time delivery, defect rates, cost variance).
• Contract & Price Negotiation: Negotiate commercial terms, pricing, master service agreements (MSAs), lead times, Minimum Order Quantities (MOQs), and warranty/SLA terms to optimize cost and service quality.
• Vendor Sourcing & Onboarding: Evaluate, benchmark, and onboard new component and hardware suppliers, establishing contingency and secondary sourcing strategies to mitigate supply chain disruptions and diversify partner ecosystem for continued growth.
• Hardware Procurement & Operations: Oversee full-cycle purchasing for gateways, network hubs, wireless/wired sensors, power supplies, enclosures, and related hardware accessories.
• Technical & BOM Review: Collaborate directly with hardware and network engineers to review Bills of Materials (BOMs), verify component specifications, review data sheets, and identify approved product alternatives during shortages.
• Systems Administration: Input, manage, and audit purchase requisitions, part numbers, serial numbers, and vendor profiles within procurement/ERP systems (e.g., NetSuite, SAP, Coupa, Odoo).
• Tracking, Inventory & Logistics: End-to-End Tracking & Logistics: Track orders from initial PO issuance through factory dispatch, customs clearance, and warehouse receipt. Resolve shipping delays, tariffs, and customs holds.
• Inventory Control & RMA: Oversee safety stock levels, maintain active tracking of MAC addresses/serial numbers, conduct quality audits, and process Return Merchandise Authorizations (RMAs) for defective units.

Required Professional Experience

• 5+ Years in Technical Procurement / Supply Chain: Proven experience managing hardware procurement, purchasing pipelines, or supply chain operations within IoT, electronics, telecommunications, or hardware manufacturing environments.
• Proven Vendor Management Track Record: Direct experience managing hardware vendor portfolios, negotiating vendor contracts, and evaluating OEM/distributor performance.
• Hands-on Hardware Experience: Practical experience sourcing and tracking physical IoT hardware components, including gateways, hubs, sensors, controllers, antennas, cabling, and power units.
• Procurement Systems Proficiency: Hands-on experience operating modern ERP or procurement platforms (e.g., NetSuite, SAP, Coupa, Odoo, or Jira workflow tools) and performing complex data analysis in Excel/Google Sheets.
• Logistics & Compliance Experience: Demonstrated understanding of domestic/international freight forwarding, tariff/HS codes, lead-time forecasting, and serial number management.

Qualifications & Technical Competencies

• Technical Literacy: Ability to read engineering spec sheets, technical data sheets, and BOMs (understanding protocols such as LoRaWAN, Cellular LTE-M/NB-IoT, Bluetooth/Zigbee, IP enclosure ratings, and power requirements).
• Cross-Functional Leadership: Strong communication skills to bridge technical hardware requirements between engineering, finance, delivery teams, and external vendor partners.
• Education: Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain Management, Business Administration, Industrial/Electrical Engineering, or equivalent practical experience.

Why Join Motion

• Play a pivotal role in shaping the strategy, execution process, and efficiency of the inventory operations for a rapidly growing company.
• Influence the future of the data center industry through innovative technology.
• Work with a high-performing executive team committed to impact, transparency, and excellence.

What We Offer

• Competitive base salary + bonus
• Stock option package
• Full health, dental, and vision benefits, 401K, Flex time off policy
• Flexible work environment and generous PTO
• Opportunity to join a fast-growing