Inventory & Procurement Manager

Important pre-read:

This job description will take ~15 minutes to read and ~15 minutes to apply. You increase your chances of selection by 10x if you read this to the end, slowly. Trust us on this.

What is Armory?

What we are building requires hard work, tenacity, ownership, creativity and way more man-hours than an everyday job.

If you are a savant at what you do, love autonomy, have high agency and genuinely want to impact the future of this country, we want you to work with us starting yesterday!

Modern conflicts waged remotely demand a radical rethinking of strategy as adversaries deploy inexpensive drones and technology to inflict maximum damage with minimal risk.

If you prefer routine over the dynamic unpredictability of innovation, Armory isn't for you. Our fast-paced environment requires genuine curiosity, resilience, a passion for continuous learning, and comfort with rapid change.

Armory is a new age defence tech startup building next-generation products to strengthen Indian forces in the modern battlefields.

About the founder

Amardeep Singh is an IIT Bombay alumnus & an aerospace engineer by education. He was a founding member of ideaForge - currently India's biggest drone company & the first drone company to get listed on the Indian stock exchange.

His 16-year entrepreneurial journey is marked by a series of ambitious ventures spanning across diverse tech domains like Drones, Consumer Hardware, B2B SaaS & AI.

Problems we solve

Our country's defence systems, conceived in a bygone era, have been outpaced by the rapid advancements in technology, revealing critical gaps that we, at Armory, are poised to bridge.

At Armory, we identify and solve the most critical, complex & specific challenges in modern warfare. By harnessing the power of artificial intelligence and diving deep into specific problems, we create innovative defence technologies and products that protect our nation and allies.

Why you should NOT join us:

If high stakes, tight deadlines, and significant challenges don't excite you, then our mission to revolutionise defence technology might not align with your career goals. We seek individuals who are ready to push boundaries and are motivated by the urgency of now.

Why you SHOULD join us:

We offer the opportunity to work on groundbreaking projects that strengthen national defence, supported by a team of A players.

Join Armory if you're drawn to solving hard problems and want to create a meaningful & profound impact to the national security.

At Armory, you will do the best work of your life. Period.

Requirements

About this role

As the Inventory & Procurement Manager at Armory, you will own the flow of materials that keeps our production running. From the smallest electronic component to critical sub-assemblies, you will make sure the right parts are in the right place at the right time and that we never stall a build because something wasn't on the shelf. You will also own how we buy: sourcing vendors, negotiating terms, and building a supply chain we can trust in a fast-moving, high-stakes environment.

• Inventory Management: Own end-to-end inventory across stores and the production floor, stock levels, bin locations, min/max thresholds, and reorder points: keeping accuracy tight and shortages to zero.
• Component & BOM Tracking: Track components against BOMs, manage lot and batch records, and maintain traceability for every part that goes into an Armory product.
• Procurement & Sourcing: Identify, evaluate, and onboard vendors; raise and manage purchase orders; and secure the best combination of cost, quality, and lead time.
• Vendor Management: Build and own supplier relationships, negotiate pricing and terms, track vendor performance, and keep critical suppliers accountable.
• Goods Receipt & QC Coordination: Manage inward material flow, GRN, and inspection hand-offs with the quality team so only good stock enters inventory.
• Stock Audits & Control: Run regular cycle counts and audits, reconcile discrepancies, and keep inventory records audit-ready at all times.
• Logistics & Planning: Coordinate inbound logistics, manage import timelines where applicable, and plan ahead so long-lead items never become a bottleneck.
• Systems & Reporting: Maintain inventory and procurement data in ERP/inventory tools, and report on stock health, spend, and lead times to the team.

Must haves

• 5+ years of experience in inventory management, stores, procurement, or supply chain - ideally in a hardware, manufacturing, or production environment.
• Strong grasp of inventory fundamentals: stock control, reorder planning, cycle counting, and BOM/component tracking.
• Hands-on procurement experience - vendor sourcing, negotiation, purchase orders, and supplier management.
• Proficiency with ERP or inventory management systems and strong working knowledge of Excel/Sheets.
• A sharp eye for accuracy, process, and detail: You treat a stock discrepancy like an urgent problem to be solved.
• Ability to coordinate across production, quality, and finance to keep material flow smooth.
• Experience managing audits and keeping records compliant and traceable.

Bonus points for

• Experience in defense, aerospace, electronics, or other high-reliability hardware supply chains.
• Exposure to electronic components, mechanical parts, and import/customs processes.
• Familiarity with quality standards and traceability requirements for regulated or defense products.
• A cost-savings mindset: You've driven real reductions in spend or lead time, and can prove it.
• Comfort setting up inventory processes from scratch in a young, fast-scaling setup.
• A track record that makes us go, "This person will never let us run out of anything."

What will make you successful in this role?

• Deep operational expertise in inventory and procurement.
• A systems-and-process mindset that enables you to build repeatable workflows over one-off fixes.
• Ability to solve supply problems with first-principles thinking.
• Taking full ownership of material availability and ensuring production never stalls.
• A hands-on approach where you're on the floor and in the stores.
• A mindset geared towards rapid execution and tight control.
• Getting s**t done.

How will we set you up for success in this role?

• A live mandate: You will own real inventory and procurement from day one. No dummy or test projects.
• State-of-the-art tools and technologies: You will have access to the systems and tools required to run a modern supply chain.
• Access to resources: You name it, we will do everything to get it for you.
• Supportive team: You will be surrounded by the best minds ready to help you.

Our Hiring Process

We target to close the hiring process within 14 days of your application.

Round 1: Screening Application

Duration: At your own pace but if it takes you less than 15 minutes to apply, you are unlikely to move to the next round.

How to ace: Do not copy-paste your answers from a website or ChatGPT. Be specific in your answers. It's about you.

Codeword: Use RESTOCK in the application form where it asks you for Codeword. This way we know you have read the JD :)

Round 2: Introduction round

Duration: 1 hour

How to ace: Be yourself. We want to know YOU, not some ideal unrealistic person. Demonstrate your expertise in the area we are evaluating. Ask good questions.

Round 3: Take home exercise

Duration: 2 hours

How to ace: Show curiosity. Go beyond what you were expected to do. Come back with more ideas.

Round 4: Culture Fitment

Duration: 1 hour

How to ace: Help us understand your goals & aspirations. Share some of the stories that have made you what you are. Ask good questions.

Next Step

Congratulations! You are now a part of Armory. You will build something that let's you sleep at night with a feeling you did something meaningful. Buckle up for a ride into the future.

Work Location

Armory highly values having employees working in-office. We are establishing a collaborative work environment and company culture and that simply does not happen from home. We are based out of Gurgaon and require employees to be in office.

Benefits

What we expect from you

• Genuine curiosity
• Founder's mindset
• First principles thinking
• Execution, not just ideas
• Bias for action
• High energy
• High agency
• Highest level of integrity
• Getting your hands dirty
• Audacious state of mind

What to expect from us

• Team of A players
• Work directly with the founder
• Ridiculous levels of responsibility
• Fast & decisive approach
• Work on hard problems

What your first 3 months at Armory will look like:

30 Days

• Complete onboarding, understand the mission, and meet the team.
• Familiarize yourself with Armory's products, BOMs, and current inventory setup.
• Audit existing stock and procurement processes, and flag gaps and risks.
• Set up your workflow with the required systems and tools.
• Take over day-to-day inventory control and purchase order management.

60 Days

• Establish clean reorder points, min/max levels, and cycle-count routines.
• Onboard and consolidate key vendors, and renegotiate terms where it saves cost or lead time.
• Build a reliable tracking system for long-lead and critical components.
• Work closely with production and quality to smooth material flow.
• Deliver the first clear report on stock health, spend, and supply risks.

90 Days

• Take full ownership of inventory accuracy and procurement for all live builds.
• Put a repeatable, audit-ready inventory and procurement process in place.
• Establish vendor performance tracking and a sourcing strategy for critical parts.
• Identify cost-saving and lead-time improvements and drive them.
• Collaborate with production, quality, and finance to align supply with company goals.

Tips

Irrespective of you applying at Armory or not, some of the following tips will definitely help you in your job search.

How to get hired

Targeted Applications: Ensure your application is tailored specifically for the job you're applying for by understanding its requirements and showcasing relevant experiences and skills. Apply for THIS job, not some job.

Quality Over Quantity: Instead of applying to 100 jobs casually, it's far better to apply to 4 seriously.

Stand out: Most people don't put any efforts in applying to jobs, their applications look exactly the same. It's easy to stand out from them just by putting a little effort and showcasing your relevant experience and interest for the said job.

How to NOT get hired

If your cover letter starts with "Honestly, I possess all the skills and experience that you're looking for", then you are not going to make it. In fact, we wrote a long thread on all the ways you will NOT get hired. https://x.com/singhamardeep/status/1459114743398998018?s=46 We highly recommend you to read it.

We wish you the best in your job search!