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Senior Manager, Supply Chain
Operations
Burnaby, BC, Canada
Posted on Jun 27, 2026
Cellula is looking to add a Senior Manager, Supply Chain to its Supply Chain team to support its growing list of projects.
Cellula Robotics Ltd. is a world-leading marine technology company focused on changing the paradigm of subsea survey, science and security through modular, long range, autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) systems. Our company is growing and is transitioning from building mostly one-of-a-kind prototypes to completing the development of our four core products and will be delivering multiples of those products to our customers. Our products are configured for each client to deliver required capabilities to the end-user. We are committed to producing sustainable solutions for the defense, mineral exploration, and energy sectors driven by innovation and industry knowledge. We’re looking for enthusiastic and energetic people to join us in this growth and transition.
At Cellula we believe in collaboration, innovation, adaptability and reliability. These values are woven through all our products and how we do business. Our products are designed to be solutions to the challenges and capability needs of our clients, which often requires developing new capabilities and subsystems unique to a particular application. These systems are designed, built, and tested in-house by a skilled team of engineers, technicians, and support staff. People are at the heart of our business, and we pride ourselves in having a team-based workplace and building partnerships to solve the most difficult challenges in ocean technology. We believe in learning and innovating by doing. We send staff along with our products into the field to learn from our clients which informs our innovation.
As the Senior Manager, Supply Chain, you will lead and execute all supply chain, procurement, logistics, planning, supplier qualification, and supplier management activities during a critical growth phase. This role is designed for a hands-on leader who can initially operate as an individual contributor, owning day-to-day procurement, supplier management, logistics, inventory planning, OQE follow-up, and supplier performance analysis while progressively building a scalable supply chain organization.
The Senior Manager, Supply Chain will play a pivotal role in transitioning Cellula from prototype development to repeatable production by establishing systems, processes, supplier networks, vendor management practices, and data-driven reporting that support long-term growth. The role requires strong execution capability, commercial judgment, cross-functional collaboration, and the ability to build structure while continuing to support urgent project and production needs.
As a company, we offer team members a chance to grow professionally. Our office is a casual, collaborative environment where you will be able to learn about our state-of-the-art systems from technical experts. We’re excited for you to contribute your experience and make a positive impact on how we grow. In addition, we offer flexible work hours, benefits, and competitive compensation. This position is primarily an on-site position with some limited flexibility for remote work.
Duties and Responsibilities
End-to-End Supply Chain Ownership
- Manage procurement, inventory, logistics, supplier coordination, and supply chain execution across projects and production needs.
- Ensure continuity of supply by balancing cost, quality, delivery, risk, and regulatory requirements.
- Monitor inventory levels and manage purchase requisitions to support desired stock levels and production flow.
- Coordinate inbound and outbound logistics, including shipping, receiving, import/export activities, customs documentation, and regulatory compliance.
- Follow up on production plans versus parts deliveries, addressing emergencies and unexpected issues related to parts and services.
Procurement and Commercial Leadership
- Develop and execute procurement strategies aligned with company goals, cash flow planning, delivery scheduling, and usage patterns.
- Lead supplier negotiations, contracts, terms, pricing strategies, and cost-saving initiatives.
- Manage RFQs, RFIs, RFPs, sourcing activities, and supplier selection for standard, custom, and engineering-to-order components.
- Analyze spending, identify buying trends, and improve purchasing efficiency.
- Procure goods, materials, and services while considering price, quality, delivery, and continuity of supply.
Supplier and Vendor Management
- Own the supplier lifecycle, including sourcing, qualification, classification, onboarding, performance management, reassessment, and exit.
- Identify, assess, and evaluate potential suppliers based on industry requirements, business needs, internal quality standards, capability, pricing, delivery performance, and regulatory compliance.
- Classify suppliers as quality-critical or standard based on their potential impact on product quality and regulatory compliance.
- Conduct supplier assessments, risk analysis, audits, and performance reviews to verify quality, compliance, reliability, and ongoing suitability.
- Maintain and develop the Approved Vendor List and Vendor Management System, including supplier records, assessments, evaluations, and onboarding documentation.
- Build and maintain strong supplier relationships while addressing issues and supporting communication between suppliers and internal teams.
Quality and Compliance Integration
- Work closely with Quality and Materials Coordination to maintain supplier quality documentation, OQE records, certifications, regulatory approvals, compliance records, and supplier delivery documentation.
- Support supplier non-conformances by investigating issues, coordinating corrective actions, triggering vendor NCRs as required, and ensuring timely closure.
- Conduct or support supplier audits to verify manufacturing practices, quality management systems, SOPs, compliance records, and adherence to applicable requirements.
- Ensure suppliers meet ISO 9001 and other applicable quality or regulatory requirements, including documentation and audit expectations.
- Define supplier expectations, roles, compliance requirements, performance expectations, and onboarding requirements in formal agreements and supporting materials.
Planning, Data, and Systems
- Analyze supply chain data, spending patterns, supplier performance metrics, quality performance, delivery trends, compliance performance, and supplier risk.
- Develop, track, and report KPIs for supply chain performance, supplier effectiveness, department performance, and production support.
- Create, modify, and manage ERP/MRP data, reports, and supply chain analytics to support procurement, logistics, inventory, and production planning.
- Support ERP/MRP implementation, optimization, vendor management system usage, and scalable reporting practices.
- Collect and present data on supply chain and production trends to support operational and leadership decisions.
Cross-Functional Integration
- Partner with Engineering, Project Management, Program Management, Production, Quality, and Materials Coordination to integrate supply chain into project execution and production planning.
- Act as the primary interface between internal teams and external suppliers for supply chain processes, project needs, technical requirements, lead times, shipments, and supplier issues.
- Support engineering-to-order and custom build environments, including off-the-shelf and customized parts.
- Assist leadership and production management in maintaining planned production schedules and resolving supply-related constraints.
Build and Scale the Supply Chain Function
- Establish supply chain processes, workflows, governance frameworks, procedures, and best practices.
- Identify hiring needs and progressively build the supply chain function, including procurement, analytics, supplier management, and logistics capabilities.
- Implement scalable tools, systems, and reporting practices that support repeatable production and long-term growth.
- Transition from a hands-on individual contributor role to a functional leadership position as the department scales.
- Identify opportunities to improve supplier qualification, vendor management, procurement, inventory, logistics, and supply chain reporting workflows.
Required Skills & Experience
- 8+ years of progressive experience in supply chain, procurement, logistics, operations, or related leadership roles.
- Strong background in manufacturing, engineering, project-based, or production environments.
- Hands-on experience across procurement, supplier management, logistics, inventory planning, supplier qualification, and supplier performance management.
- Proven ability to build systems, processes, reporting structures, and teams from the ground up.
- Experience with ERP/MRP systems, vendor management systems, supply chain analytics, and production management tools.
- Experience with import/export regulations, customs procedures, classification, and logistics documentation.
- Strong commercial acumen, negotiation skills, supplier relationship management, and contract management experience.
- Experience with supplier audits, vendor compliance, OQE documentation, supplier NCRs, and corrective action follow-up.
- Bachelor’s degree in STEM, Supply Chain Management, Operations, Business, or a related technical discipline is preferred.
Desirable Skills & Experience
- Experience in defense, marine, robotics, subsea, offshore, or highly engineered systems.
- Familiarity with ISO 9001, AS9100, ISO 13485, or equivalent quality systems and supplier audit practices.
- Experience with NetSuite, Assent VMS, TDG shipping practices, and vendor compliance frameworks.
- Ability to read technical or engineering drawings and work closely with engineering teams.
- Microsoft Office Suite experience, specifically Outlook, Word, and Excel.
Please include a cover letter as part of your application.
Reports to: Production and Engineering Services Manager
Position type: Full time
Structure: Initial role is hands-on individual contributor with full ownership, transitioning to team leadership as the supply chain function scales.