Job Opening: Supply Chain Specialist

Sparkz Inc., is looking to hire a Supply Chain Specialist at their California location. Posted July, 18 2022.

Job Description

Sparkz is looking for a knowledgeable and committed supply chain specialist to assist the Cell Raw Materials Supply Chain team in supporting our expanding in-house battery manufacturing business. In this role, you will act as the primary point of contact between Sparkz’s internal stakeholders, such as engineering and manufacturing, and commodity players. This is a critical position in our organization; you will be in charge of increasing efficiency and lowering costs in our supply acquisitions. Our ideal candidate has at least five years of supply management experience and a track record of success in purchasing roles while reducing overall costs.

Duties and Responsibilities

  • Leads supply chain program execution and is responsible for resource planning, material cost, forecasting, schedule performance, and risk/opportunity management.
  • Assess supplier operations according to quality benchmarks and standards, supplier performance, and supply chain issue resolution.
  • Track KPIs and generate reports for supply chain performance.
  • Develop and implement changes and improvements to supply chain procedures to increase productivity and reduce waste.
  • Collaborate with other departments to ensure a unified understanding of the process.
  • Manufacturing experience: exposure to the lithium-ion industry is required.
  • Foster strong partnerships with other businesses

Requirements and Qualifications

  • Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain, Finance, or another relevant field is preferred.
  • 5+ years of experience in supply chain operations
  • Proven experience in data mining, analysis, and reporting.
  • Strong working knowledge of Microsoft Office, relational databases, and ERP systems (e.g., NetSuite).
  • Deep understanding of supplier qualification processes and drive continuous improvement in the supply chain.
  • Experience in working with technical teams in developing and reviewing competitive and compliant proposals, including teaming strategies and complex subcontracting strategies.
  • Experience with specific regulations and compliance practices governing imports in the supply chain activities (e.g., CPB, Shipping, Customs, ITAR, other)
  • Strong leadership, communication, strategic thinking, change management, and analytical skills.
  • Exceptional communication and organizational skills.

Apply Here >

Founder & CEO

Dr. Sanjiv Malhotra

Dr. Sanjiv Malhotra is the founder and CEO of Sparkz—the battery start-up reinventing the energy supply chain.

 

Malhotra has been a leader in the energy sector for nearly three decades as a founder, investor and executive. Most recently, he served as the inaugural director for the Energy Investor Center at the U.S Department of Energy (DOE), serving under both Democratic and Republican administrations.

 

At DOE, Malhotra led the Obama Administration’s initiative to boost public-private partnerships to accelerate the commercialization of technologies developed in national research centers like Oak Ridge National Labs.

 

Malhotra was recruited to the Department of Energy after a successful exit of Oorja Protonics—the world leader in methanol fuel cells—which he founded and led as CEO for 10 years. Oorja raised $50 Million in equity financing from leading VCs such as Sequoia, DAG Ventures, Artis Capital and others during his tenure. He boosted Oorja’s revenue and profitability growth, while expanding operations globally in Japan, China, South Africa, Mexico, and India.

 

Oorja was acquired in 2014 by the Private Equity firm MinXing Growth Fund.

 

As an investor and consultant, Malhotra has worked at leading venture capital firms, including Kleiner Perkins Caufield and Byers as an advisor on clean energy and advanced materials.

 

Earlier in his career, Malhotra led the engineering and product development team at H Power, a pioneer in hydrogen fuel cells. As part of the management team, he managed the successful IPO, which raised more than $100 million in August 2000.

 

He began his career as a post-doctoral fellow at the renowned Lawrence Berkeley National Labs on electrochemical storage systems. Dr. Malhotra has authored seven patents and more than 40 publications in various fields of energy storage technology and materials. He holds a PhD in chemical engineering and an M.B.A from University of Iowa.