Purchasing Specialist

About Us

At Arbor Energy & Resources Corporation ("Arbor Energy"), we’re creating technology to power our lives while protecting the planet that sustains them. Our advanced power systems deliver clean, reliable baseload electricity with zero operating emissions—modular, fuel-flexible, and engineered for the realities of today’s energy demand. At the core is a supercritical CO₂ turbine with integrated carbon capture, designed to bring carbon-neutral power online quickly at meaningful scale.

Our team includes aerospace engineers, combustion experts, and systems thinkers with a shared goal: to build technology worthy of the world we want to live in. While many of us began our journeys looking to the stars, we’re applying that expertise here at home to deliver dependable, emission-free baseload power and a future of lasting abundance.

If you share our values and are drawn to rigorous work with lasting impact, we’d love to learn more about you. Come build what the future will run on.

Steward our planet : We build for tomorrow, ensuring every bolt we tighten and every hand we lend leaves our environment stronger than we found it.

Lead with Love : We champion the success of our people, partners, and planet, nurturing excellence through camaraderie and rigor.

Explore the Uncharted : We embrace the unknown with curiosity, using courage and discipline to transform uncertainty into opportunity.

Role Overview

Arbor Energy is seeking a Purchasing Specialist to help build the foundation of a world-class supplier ecosystem as we scale from early prototypes to production-ready hardware. You will work directly with the Head of Supply Chain to manage increasing purchasing volume, expand our supplier base, and ensure we stay ahead of both current and future supply needs.

You will collaborate closely with our Turbomachinery and Combustion teams, as well as Systems, Test, and Manufacturing Engineering. This role is central to how Arbor's values show up in our supplier ecosystem — leading with love in how we communicate, stewarding our planet through responsible sourcing, and exploring the uncharted as we build new supply pathways for novel hardware.

As Arbor grows, this role may evolve into a senior or lead position and help shape the future Supply Chain team. This is an onsite opportunity in our El Segundo, CA office.

Responsibilities

Supplier & Purchasing Operations

Manage day-to-day communication with a broad set of suppliers

Track delivery status, performance, and risks across multiple programs

Surface delays early and communicate openly with internal teams

Support purchasing as volume increases over the next 3–6 months

Take and make calls to unblock issues and maintain momentum

Sourcing & Commercial Support

Analyze supplier capabilities, market conditions, and technology roadmaps to support sourcing strategy

Identify potential suppliers and develop sourcing approaches for internal stakeholders

Prepare sourcing recommendations and present clear options to leadership

Support negotiations for NDAs, terms & conditions, and RFQ-related agreements

Compare supplier quotes, cost breakdowns, and commercial terms

Support supplier capability assessments and technical reviews

Maintain accurate pricing, supplier data, and sourcing roadmaps in internal systems

Supplier Discovery & Research

Identify, evaluate, and qualify new suppliers for current and future builds

Conduct research to expand our supplier base as complexity grows

Gather technical and commercial data to support supplier qualification

Cross-Functional Collaboration

Partner with Turbomachinery, Combustion, Systems, Test, and Manufacturing Engineering

Provide clear updates on supplier status, risks, and mitigation plans

Help establish the culture, expectations, and working norms of the Supply Chain function

Requirements

3+ years of procurement, supply chain, engineering, supplier-facing experience, or related field

Experience working with multiple suppliers or external partners

Strong analytical skills and attention to detail

Experience analyzing data to track supplier performance, cost trends, or sourcing decisions

Comfortable with high-volume communication (calls, emails, follow-ups)

Must have the ability to travel to supplier facilities, including on short notice when business needs require, and comply with applicable visitor, safety, security, and export-control protocols

Open, proactive communicator — especially when issues arise

Ability to disagree constructively and commit once aligned

Reliable follow-through and ownership mindset

Light technical literacy (comfortable reading basic drawings, understanding part descriptions, and discussing manufacturing processes)

Preferred Qualifications

Experience with specialty metals and advanced manufacturing processes, including additive manufacturing, castings, coatings, heat treat, or custom/high-mix low-volume machining

Sales or customer-facing background

Strong research skills

Willingness to travel occasionally for supplier visits

Benefits & Compensation

Pre-IPO stock options

Medical, dental, and vision insurance (Arbor covers 90% for employees)

Basic life insurance fully covered

Health savings account (HSA) with matching

Flexible savings account (FSA)

Unlimited PTO

12+ company holidays, including Earth Day!

401(k)

Commuter benefits

Annual learning and development stipend

And more!

Base Pay : $90,000 - $115,000 USD/year. The salary is subject to the applicant's skills, qualifications, experience, and geographic location.

Our Commitment

Arbor Energy is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We evaluate qualified applicants without regard to race, religion, national origin, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, marital or veteran status, disability, or any other protected characteristic under applicable law. Solving global energy challenges requires a wide range of perspectives and experiences, and we are committed to building a team that reflects the world we serve.

Our hiring process is designed to be accessible, fair, and focused on the work that matters most for this role. Reasonable accommodations are available throughout the hiring process and employment—please let us know if you need one.