---
title: 'Senior Manager, Supply Chain Management at Persona AI Inc'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/senior-manager-supply-chain-management-persona-ai-inc-houston-zvnnntdj2p36'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-10-18'
---

# Senior Manager, Supply Chain Management at Persona AI Inc

- **Company:** Persona AI Inc
- **Location:** Houston, TX
- **Employment:** full-time
- **Posted:** 2026-09-23
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-10-18
- **Apply:** https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/persona.ai/63cc071b-49cb-4630-a7d2-4b8dcab7ba40

## Job description

Job Title: Senior Manager, Supply Chain Management Department: Operations Employment Type: Full Time FLSA: Exempt Location: Houston

## Who We Are

Persona AI is developing and commercializing rugged, multi-purpose humanoid robots that perform real work. Persona AI’s founding team has a decades-long history in humanoid robotics, bionics, and product development delivering robust hardware that has touched the stars, worked miles below the surface of the ocean, and even roamed Disney Parks. Our mission is focused squarely on shipping beautiful, reliable products at massive scale, while building a customer-focused team to achieve these aims.

Why Join Persona?

- We offer competitive compensation, a performance-based bonus, 100% employer-covered medical benefits for the majority of available plans (employee and dependents), early-stage equity, competitive PTO, and a company-wide paid winter break between December 24th and January 2nd
- You’ll shape technology that’s redefining the possibilities of robotics and human

## About the Role

We are seeking a seasoned Supply Chain Leader to design, build, and scale our end-to-end supply chain function from the ground up. This is an exciting opportunity for an experienced supply chain leader who thrives on establishing infrastructure, processes, systems, metrics and teams in a start-up environment that has yet to create a formalized supply chain operation. The ideal candidate has a proven track record of building supply chain organizations, not just managing or maintaining an existing one. This candidate operates equally well at both strategic and tactical levels. This candidate also thrives in negotiations, contracts, metrics and mentoring. Key to success is the ability to transition product from development stage to volume manufacturing at hyper speed.

What You Will Be Doing?

- Design the supply chain organization structure from scratch, including strategic sourcing, procurement, planning, and logistics.
- Develop strategy for supplier footprint, logistics, and warehousing to establish efficient, reliable, and repeatable delivery of product to Persona’s manufacturing site.
- Establish process and metrics for supplier qualification to meet Persona’s demanding plan for scale.
- Scrutinize suppliers' ability to repeatedly meet qualification levels as volume scales (Supplier Validation).
- Develop and maintain vendor partnerships; create scorecards for evaluation of supplier performance; manage RFx processes (RFI, RFP, RFQ).
- Establish a culture of accountability, continuous improvement, and cross-functional collaboration.
- Develop and execute a multi-year supply chain strategy aligned with business growth objectives.
- Lead make-vs-buy decisions and “risk buy” requirements.
- Implement an SOP process.
- Establish a warehousing strategy, including WMS selection, location, ownership, and logistics.
- Establish and communicate KPIs via a data collection strategy.
- Implement ISO certification and other industry compliance standards based on customer base and geographic locations (regulatory and compliance).
- Execute purchase orders for materials, components, and supplies needed for robotics manufacturing operations.
- Monitor and track all orders from placement through delivery, ensuring on-time receipt of materials.
- Expedite parts as required to keep the product schedule on track.
- Maintain optimal inventory levels, track stock levels, and coordinate with manufacturing to prevent shortages or excess inventory.
- Negotiate contracts, pricing, and terms with existing and potential suppliers to optimize cost and delivery.
- Analyze purchasing data and

## What We Are Looking For

- Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain Management, Business, Engineering, or related field (or equivalent experience)
- 10+ years of experience in purchasing, procurement, or supply chain management in a manufacturing environment
- Experience buying mechanical, electrical, cables, circuit boards, and soft and hard materials/components
- Understanding of manufacturing processes and material requirements, ideally in electronics, robotics, or precision manufacturing
- Proven ability to negotiate contracts, pricing, and terms with suppliers
- Experience implementing MSAs, SLAs, and NDAs
- Proficiency with ERP systems, inventory management software, and procurement platforms
- Strong analytical abilities, with experience in cost analysis, data interpretation, and report generation
- Excellent organizational skills with attention to detail and the ability to manage multiple orders simultaneously
- Advanced Excel skills for data analysis, reporting, and inventory tracking
- Experience supporting New Product Introduction (NPI) sourcing in a low-volume, high-mix manufacturing environment
- Experience collaborating with engineering on Design for Manufacturability (DFM) during early-stage sourcing

Bonus Skills

- Experience working with actuators
- Experience sourcing servo motors, harmonic drives, or planetary gearboxes
- Familiarity with precision bearings, encoders, or force/torque sensors
- Experience procuring lithium-ion battery cells/packs and BMS components
- Background sourcing custom cable harnesses and connectors for high-flex, high-cycle applications
- Experience with precision-machined, cast, or forged structural components
- Experience with dual-sourcing or supply risk mitigation strategies for constrained/allocated components (e.g., semiconductors)
- Familiarity with export control regulations (ITAR/EAR) relevant to robotics hardware
- Experience with AS9100 or ISO 9001 supplier quality requirements
- Experience sourcing from Taiwan/China electronics manufacturing ecosystems

Persona AI is an Equal Opportunity Employer All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, disability, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law.

## About Persona AI Inc

## Company Overview
- **One-liner**: Persona AI develops industrial humanoid robots designed for skilled physical work in complex environments like shipyards, construction sites, and energy infrastructure.
- **Entity Type**: Private (Pre-Seed stage)
- **Headquarters**: Houston, Texas, United States
- **Founded**: 2024
- **Founders**: Nicolaus Radford (CEO), Jide Akinyode (COO), Dr. Jerry Pratt (CTO)

## Core Business
- **Primary industry/industries**: Industrial Robotics, Humanoid Robotics, AI, Manufacturing, Construction, Energy, Shipbuilding
- **Target customers**: B2B / Enterprise — heavy industrial sectors including shipbuilding, construction, energy (oil & gas, utilities), manufacturing, and defense.
- **Mission or purpose statement**: To build industrial humanoid robots that perform skilled physical work in complex environments, addressing labor shortages, improving safety, and increasing operational efficiency across heavy industry. The company focuses on the "4D jobs" — dull, dirty, dangerous, and declining — so that humans don't have to perform them.

## Products & Services
- **Persona AI Humanoid Platform**: A modular industrial humanoid robot designed for real-world applications in shipyards, construction sites, energy infrastructure, and manufacturing facilities. The system is engineered for skilled physical work in complex environments and supports tasks such as welding, grinding, inspection, material handling, fabrication, and equipment maintenance. The modular design allows integration with standard industrial tools and adaptation to different workflows.

## Market Standing
- **Valuation/Market Cap**: Not disclosed
- **Key Metric**: Total Funding — $30M (oversubscribed Pre-Seed round, closed June 2025)
- **Notable Investors/Partners**: Tides Ventures, Unity Growth Fund, POSCO DX, GOOSE Capital, SGH Capital, Embedded Ventures, and 19 other investors. Partners include Under Armour (performance materials), ABS (shipyard safety), and the State of Louisiana (pilot program at SSE Steel Fabrication).
- **Growth Signals**: Headcount of ~65 employees (as of mid-2025) with a monthly growth rate of +3.9%. Active job postings have grown +13.3% monthly and +54.5% quarterly. The company has announced key hires including Brian Davis (Head of Global Manufacturing) and Michael Perry (Head of Commercial Strategy). It has secured a pilot program with the State of Louisiana and a partnership with ABS for shipyard applications.

## Competitive Advantages
- **Deep domain expertise**: The leadership team has contributed to 15+ humanoid projects and published impactful robotics research, giving them a strong technical foundation.
- **Modular, task-focused design**: The robot platform is built to integrate with standard industrial tools and adapt to different workflows, making it practical for real-world deployment rather than being a general-purpose humanoid.
- **Early mover in a critical niche**: Persona AI is specifically targeting the skilled industrial labor gap in sectors like shipbuilding, construction, and energy, which face acute labor shortages and high demand for automation.
- **Strong government and industry partnerships**: Early pilot programs with the State of Louisiana and a partnership with ABS (American Bureau of Shipping) demonstrate real-world traction and validation.

## Strategic Focus
- **Productization and deployment**: Moving from R&D to deploying humanoid robots in real industrial environments, with a focus on welding, fabrication, and maintenance tasks.
- **Scaling the team**: Aggressively hiring across robotics engineering, machine learning, mechanical design, and commercial strategy roles to build out the organization.
- **Building commercial partnerships**: Establishing relationships with major industrial players (e.g., POSCO, HD Hyundai affiliates, Under Armour) and government entities to secure pilot programs and long-term contracts.
- **Expanding use cases**: Targeting shipbuilding, construction, energy infrastructure, and defense as primary verticals.

## Why Work Here
- **Mission-driven work**: The company is tackling a tangible, high-impact problem — the skilled labor shortage in heavy industry — by building robots that perform dangerous, dirty, and physically demanding tasks.
- **Strong technical team**: The leadership includes veterans from NASA, the robotics research community, and major defense/industrial companies. The CTO, Dr. Jerry Pratt, is a well-known figure in humanoid robotics.
- **Early-stage growth**: As a 2024 startup with $30M in funding and a headcount of ~65, new hires can have significant impact on the product and company direction.
- **Diverse, hands-on roles**: Open positions range from Welding Engineer and Robotics Technician to Machine Learning Engineer and XR Rendering Engineer, offering a variety of technical challenges.
- **Houston-based**: Headquarters in Houston, Texas, with a growing international presence. The company appears to be on-site or hybrid given the nature of hardware development.
- **Notable perks/culture**: The company emphasizes a "build" culture, with a focus on putting "tough humanoids to work." The team includes veterans from Anduril, Nauticus Robotics, and NASA, suggesting a high-caliber, mission-driven engineering environment.

## Sources
1. [persona.ai](https://persona.ai/)
2. [LinkedIn - Persona AI](https://www.linkedin.com/company/persona-humanoids-at-work)
3. [CB Insights - Persona AI](https://www.cbinsights.com/company/persona-ai)
4. [Ashby Careers - Persona AI](https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/persona.ai)
5. [Persona AI - The Team](https://persona.ai/the-team/)

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