Senior Staff Commodity Manager, Graphite & Mechanical Components

Company Overview

Mainspring Energy is revolutionizing power generation with the world’s most flexible and adaptable local power generation technology, the Mainspring Linear Generator. Commercial, industrial, and utility leaders are choosing Mainspring over traditional options like engines, turbines, and fuel cells to quickly and reliably deliver local power for EV charging, commercial facilities, data centers, and grid-scale operations. The Mainspring Linear Generator is fuel flexible, ramps up and down to meet demand, and utilizes a flameless reaction with near-zero NOx emissions.

Backed by top-tier investors including Khosla Ventures, Bill Gates, American Electric Power, Lightrock, and General Catalyst Mainspring designs, manufactures and delivers its products to customers across the U.S. today, and we’re quickly scaling for international expansion.

Inspired by our vision of the affordable, reliable, net-zero carbon grid, Mainspring is rapidly expanding within the $816B global electricity equipment market, and we’re hiring the best talent to meet growing customer demand around the globe. We welcome a broad range of backgrounds, experiences, and talents to bring fresh perspectives and ongoing innovation to our customers.

We are looking to build relationships with people who share our values:

Pragmatic Optimism.

Building a new category of world-class power generation requires the optimism of ambition and creativity, balanced with practicality to solve problems efficiently. The challenges that arise are opportunities for growth.

Excellence without Ego.

We bring expertise and commitment to creating the best customer experience, from sales to deployment and service, just as we apply deep technical rigor to building and delivering world-class products. We strive for excellence and behave as leaders with the humility to acknowledge our challenges, both collectively and as individual contributors.

Proactive Collaboration.

The integration and cross-disciplinary nature of Mainspring’s business requires intentionally seeking out others who bring different skills, perspectives, and priorities. Our culture of inclusion and respect extends beyond our team to interactions with our partners and customers.

More information can be found at

www.mainspringenergy.com

Mainspring Energy is rapidly scaling production of its breakthrough Linear Generator technology, necessitating a highly experienced and strategic Senior Staff Commodity Manager to lead global sourcing for graphite materials and mechanical components - with a strong emphasis on isostatic impregnated graphite - and select critical mechanical components. This role is essential for developing and executing comprehensive sourcing strategies, managing supplier relationships, and ensuring the procurement of materials that meet stringent technical, quality, and commercial requirements.

The ideal candidate will be accountable for the entire lifecycle of assigned commodities, including supplier identification, technical qualification, contracting, risk mitigation, and performance monitoring. Cross-functional collaboration with engineering, materials science, operations, and quality is essential to meet business objectives and drive continuous improvement.

Responsibilities

- Develop and implement sourcing strategies for graphite grades in high temperature sealing applications, balancing cost, quality, capacity and supply continuity.

- Identify, qualify, and manage suppliers for graphite and mechanical components. Build strong partnerships and drive performance improvements.

- Leverage deep knowledge of graphite properties—such as isostatic molding, fine grain structure, and oxidation resistant impregnation chemistries —to ensure materials meet application demands.

- Source suppliers capable of precision machining of graphite components; evaluate capabilities in CNC milling, turning, and tolerance control for brittle materials, including experience with dust management, tooling wear, and dimensional stability in high-temperature applications.

- Ensure sourced materials meet technical specs. Support evaluation of failure modes and counterface compatibility for high-performance applications.

- Lead pricing and performance negotiations to achieve cost targets. Draft and manage supplier contracts with firm pricing, terms, and delivery SLAs.

- Build technical cost models, identify savings opportunities, and mitigate supply risks through alternate sourcing and strategy.

- Work with engineering, quality, and operations to align sourcing with business needs and ensure timely execution.

- Track market trends and supplier benchmarks. Monitor procurement KPIs and drive corrective actions where needed.

Qualifications

- Bachelor’s degree in Engineering (Materials, Mechanical, Chemical), Supply Chain, or related field; advanced degree or CPSM certification a plus.

- 15+ years of progressive experience in commodity management or strategic sourcing, with

a strong focus on graphite materials required

(preferably isostatic impregnated grades) and mechanical components.

- Experience sourcing for energy, aerospace, or semiconductor industries preferred.

- Proven success in supplier negotiations, long-term contract management, and global sourcing.

- Deep technical knowledge of graphite properties, manufacturing, and high-temperature applications (e.g., thermal sealing, oxidation resistance, unlubricated environments).

- Familiarity with graphite machining, wear testing, material failure modes, and counterface compatibility.

- Strong analytical, communication, and stakeholder engagement skills.

- Proficient in ERP systems and procurement tools; able to manage priorities in a fast-paced, cross-functional environment.

- Exposure to lean manufacturing or continuous improvement methods is a plus.

Does your experience not meet all of our posted requirements? Studies have shown that some people are less likely to apply to positions unless they meet every listed requirement. At Mainspring, we are committed to building a diverse, inclusive, flexible, and collaborative environment, so if you want to help us transition the world to clean and affordable electricity, and don’t meet all posted requirements for a particular role, we’d still love to hear from you. Mainspring can sometimes be flexible enough to shift responsibilities for the right person, or otherwise identify open or upcoming roles that may better fit your professional background.

In more traditional words, Mainspring Energy, Inc is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, or protected veteran status and will not be discriminated against on the basis of disability.

This compensation and benefits information is based on Mainspring Energy's estimate as of the date of publication and may be modified in the future. We generally do not negotiate on salary once we have made an offer. The level of pay within the range will depend on a variety of job-related factors that may include location, relevant prior experience and/or education, or particular skills and expertise. New hires joining the company tend to be paid within the starting base pay range noted above, with opportunities to increase pay over time based on development of additional skills, competencies, and company-specific knowledge.

We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process, such as reviewing applications, analyzing resumes, or assessing responses. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans. If you would like more information about how your data is processed, please contact us.

This position is 

remote

. The salary will be adjusted to reflect local market conditions based on employee location as well as the experience of the employee. Along with the base salary, Mainspring offers pre-IPO stock options + benefits.