The posting
Company Overview
Metrea delivers effects-as-a-service to national security partners across five domains and more than a dozen mission areas. These include airborne ISR, electronic warfare, secure communications, aerial refueling, special air missions, aerial firefighting, and advanced simulation. We own the whole stack: designing, building, and operating turnkey capabilities that give our partners decisive, asymmetric advantage against rapidly evolving threats.
Our operating model is built around three interlocking pillars. The Support Groups provide a global shared-service – spanning people, finance, platform, operations, legal, and engagement. This frees up our Core Groups, who develop and own mission capabilities end-to-end, to focus entirely on delivery. The Market Groups apply a regional lens, ensuring that our agile and adaptable capabilities remain aligned to the wicked problems that matter most to our partners across the Americas, EMEA, and Asia-Pacific.
At the heart of our model is a simple but powerful idea: be a true partner with skin in the game. Our partners need effects, not just equipment. By owning the full stack – from the lab to the field – we are able to drive a continuous cycle of innovation that keeps our partners ahead. It's a fast-moving, intellectually demanding environment where talented people are given real responsibility, work on problems that matter, and contribute to an enterprise that is growing quickly and deliberately.
Headquartered in Washington, DC, with facilities across the United States, the United Kingdom, as well as Continental Europe and Asia-Pacific.
Group Overview
Aerospace Engineering Group (AERO) provides an integrated, end-to-end capability for the rapid modification and fielding of mission-specific aircraft. The Airborne Asset Adaptation (A3) Cell acts as the central command and coordination hub, managing requirements and external interfaces from inception to operational delivery. Specialized technical execution is delivered by the Aircraft Integration Centre (AIC), a Part 145 facility focused on airframe modification, and Aerospace Design (ASD), which provides organic design engineering and FAA-authorized certification. Collectively, these elements bridge the gap between initial requirements and the deployment of flight-certified, mission-ready assets.
Position Summary
The Buyer III is a strategic partner who mentors junior staff and manages the most critical vendors and is a subject matter expert responsible for the lifecycle management of complex products and services. This role provides leadership within the Purchasing team and partners with Strategic Sourcing to drive long-term strategies and manage vendor performance and relationships.
This role will specifically be responsible for ensuring procurement requirements of the AERO Group Part 21 efforts, with a focus on the Metrea Aircraft Integration Center (MAIC) Part 145 Repair Station. This includes improving and maintaining all aspects of our MAIC purchasing operations, IAW higher level enterprise standards and guidance. This role will be responsible for ensuring purchasing requirements that are derived from engineering data, requirements entered into the ERP, required vendor audits, developing vendor relationships and facilitating purchasing transactional relationships.
What You'll Do
- Identify material needs, vendor qualification requirements, create and manage RFQs, negotiate pricing, lead time, and other operational requirements and place and manage purchase orders
- Support the negotiation of high value, Long-Term Agreements (LTAs) and Master Service Agreements (MSAs)
- Monitor and track purchase order status and proactively expedite shipments to meet aircraft entry to service, maintenance production schedules and AOG requirements
- Perform cost analysis and market research to identify cost-saving opportunities and improve procurement strategies
- Conduct macro-economic analysis and monitor industry and geopolitical trends to anticipate fluctuations in pricing and availability of aircraft components and key raw materials
- Serve as the primary procurement voice in FILE and Operations meetings to align operations and maintenance production schedule targets with vendor capacity
- Proactively resolve discrepancies between purchase orders and invoices, handle returns for defective materials and resolve supply chain bottlenecks
- Build and maintain relationships with vendors and assess their performance
- Identify underperforming critical vendors and participate in cross-functional "Tiger Teams" (e.g., Quality, Engineering, Logistics) to improve their manufacturing processes
- Ensure all purchasing activities comply with relevant aerospace industry standards, regulations, and company policies
- Identify and implement process improvements to enhance efficiency, reduce costs, and improve overall procurement performance
What You Bring
- Bachelor's degree or equivalent demonstrated experience required, MBA or specialized Master's preferred
- 5–10+ years’ procurement experience with heavy emphasis on aerospace/aviation
- Demonstrated experience negotiating high value contracts and strategic sourcing
- Demonstrated mitigation of global supply chain risks
- Demonstrated competence in aerospace manufacturing processes and/or aircraft systems
- Knowledge and understanding of Aviation Part Numbers/Alternate Part Numbers and National Stock Numbers
- Demonstrated proficiency in understanding the documentation required for a part to be "airworthy." (e.g., FAA Form 8130-3)
Additional Eligibility Qualifications
- Extensive and demonstrated utility with typical Business Software applications (Excel, Power-Bi, Teams, etc.)
- Seasoned commercial awareness
- Experience interacting with and counselling senior business leaders
- Demonstrated ERP/MRP Proficiency through managing assigned parts, item masters, vendor records, and running reports to evaluate and forecast requirements to drive material availability to the highest levels while optimizing cost and inventory levels
Benefits
- Comprehensive medical plan options
- HSA/FSA accounts
- Dental and vision coverage
- 6% employer 401(k) match
- Fully paid parental leave for all new parents
- Generous PTO
- Life and disability insurance
- Long-term and Short-term disability coverage
- AD&D Coverage
- Pet Insurance
- Employee Assistance Program
- Subsided gym membership / plans through Wellhub
Work Authorization / Security Clearance
Applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States.
AAP/EEO Statement
This Company is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Employment decisions are made without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, veteran status or other characteristics protected by law.
Position Type and Expected Hours of Work
This is a full-time exempt position with typical working hours of Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Hours and work shifts may change in accordance with department and business needs. Exempt Employees must have the ability to be on-call and available, as business needs require.
Work Environment
This job operates in an office, aircraft hangar and warehouse setting.
Travel
Ability to travel up to 10-20%, including International.
Base Pay Range
The compensation range shown below is a good faith estimate and reflects the expected base pay for this position upon hire. This is just one component of Metrea's overall approach to total rewards and final compensation decisions, including the ultimate salary or hourly rate agreed upon, may vary depending on factors such as job location, job-specific knowledge, skills, experience, and the overall negotiated compensation package. Eligible full-time employees also receive a comprehensive benefits package designed to support their health, wellbeing, and long-term success.
Pay Range
$95,000—$105,000 USD
Our Firmware
At Metrea, our single core value is Rooted in Humility, and our four cornerstone attributes are Entrepreneurial, Systematic, Discerning, and Over-Deliver. These form what we call our Teammate Firmware. Just like technical firmware connects software and hardware, our Firmware is the constant interface between our mission and our people. It defines how we show up, how we work together, and how we solve complex problems.
Our team Firmware creates a web-like, hyper-collaborative, dynamically hierarchical way of working that helps us adapt quickly, communicate openly, and distribute decision-making to where expertise actually lives. It enables groups to self-organize around hard problems, shift fluidly as priorities evolve, and operate with the trust, curiosity, and discipline required in a complex mission space. This foundation allows us to deliver elegant, effective solutions and uphold our purpose: protecting our precious inheritance.
