Senior Purchasing Manager (m/f/d) - Fernride GmbH

Fernride is building the future of autonomous logistics by combining advanced automation technology with human‑guided teleoperations. We enable logistics companies to transition toward safer, more efficient, and more sustainable driverless operations. With strong expertise in robotics, AI, and automotive engineering, Fernride delivers scalable solutions that bring real‑world autonomy to industrial environments.

What is your Day to Day Mission:

• End-to-End Orchestration: Direct and optimize the supply chain from Ukrainian and Polish suppliers to our primary assembly locations in Germany.

• Strategic Procurement: Manage the relationship with key partners, ensuring contract compliance, quality standards, and optimized lead times.

• Risk Mitigation & Resilience: Develop and execute contingency plans for the Ukrainian supply route to ensure business continuity regardless of external disruptions. Troubleshoot material shortages and logistical delays swiftly to minimize operational downtime. 

• Logistics & Customs: Navigate the regulatory landscape of EU and non-EU trade, managing customs documentation and cross-border logistics efficiently.

• Inventory Management: Full responsibility for the supply chain process: from order placement to delivery to production

• Stock Management: Leverage predictive analytics to balance stock, mitigating downtime and warehouse overload. 

• Manage Bill of Materials: Managing the bill of materials (BOM) and ensuring production components are supplied in full in accordance with the production plan

What you bring to the team:

• Experience: 5+ years in Supply Chain Management or Strategic Purchasing, ideally within the defense, aerospace, or heavy machinery sectors.

• Regional Expertise: Proven experience managing suppliers in Eastern Europe (Poland/Ukraine). Understanding the local logistical nuances is a significant plus.

• Problem Solver: You don’t just report delays; you find routes around them. You thrive in high-pressure, "living" supply chains.

• Communication: Fluent in English and German. Proficiency in Ukrainian is a strong plus.

• Mobility: Willingness to travel between the JV sites in Germany and partner locations in Poland as required.

Your Benefits: 

• Direct impact: See your contributions rapidly integrated from cutting-edge research into industrialized products, flying in the field within short development cycles. 

• Culture & Environment: A dynamic, fast-paced, and collaborative startup environment with flat hierarchies, efficient collaboration, and a strong emphasis on continuous learning opportunities. 

• Work-life Balance: We offer flexible work schedules, and 30 days of paid vacation each year to support your personal and professional life. 

• Lunch Benefit: We promote healthy eating and the well-being of our employees with a monthly lunch budget. 

• Health & Wellness: We support your physical well-being with a company-subsidized eGym Wellpass membership, giving you access to thousands of gyms and sports facilities.