Billy Harlin joined Amentum in 1996 under a legacy acquisition as a supply technician helper in San Angelo, Texas. Today, he leads the global supply chain for Amentum, an advanced engineering and technology solutions provider with 50,000 employees in more than 70 countries.
Over the years, Harlin has served both in the field and at the corporate level across capacities including operations, global logistics, supplier management and procurement. He progressed with the company through various levels of leadership to the role he currently holds: senior vice president of global supply chain management.
“Throughout my nearly 30-year career working in the government services industry, I’ve experienced an amazing journey of company growth accelerated through mergers and acquisitions in an ever-evolving industry,” he told WashingtonExec. “Now, I’m serving alongside my great team at Amentum solving the global supply chain challenges of tomorrow.”
In this Q&A, Harlin shares the role his family played in his career journey, his personal connection to Amentum’s mission, his team’s plan to continue providing innovative go-to-market supply chain offerings to customers and more.
Why was this the path you chose, and how influential was it to your career?
Family was integral to helping choose my career path. My father was the head of a purchasing department for a federal government prime contractor, so I have been exposed to the government services industry for most of my life. I witnessed the dedication and contributions of the prime contractors in directly supporting our national security posture and positively impacting global events and crises.
Do you have a personal connection to the current mission you support?
Yes, I do have a personal connection to Amentum’s mission of bringing advanced engineering and technology solutions to the most significant challenges in science, security and sustainability. As a father and engaged member of an increasingly interconnected world, I’m invested in sustainable solutions for our future such as effectively meeting the rising energy demand.
What are your current top priorities and responsibilities? How do these relate to Amentum’s overall mission/growth strategy?
The current top priority for the Global Supply Chain Management team and me is to create a supply chain strategy and culture that empowers the company to respond to what’s next. We’re focused on a future-ready supply chain framework centered on resiliency and autonomous procurement, which will enhance our market intelligence, enable speed, and accelerate the scale of delivery.
Our goal is to provide innovative go-to-market supply chain offerings that drive transformative outcomes and value creation, while advancing strategic capabilities for our clients. The evolved supply chain delivery will strengthen Amentum’s competitive positioning and our future strategy within emerging markets such as global nuclear resurgence and space systems and technologies.
Where do you and your team see growth opportunities in supply chain management and the markets you support?
Amentum’s global scale, multi-disciplined capabilities and strategic growth markets position us to demonstrate our advanced supply solutions for future market success. We are deploying AI while remaining vigilant against volatility and disruptions, an inherent part of any supply chain network, all while helping our customers navigate these challenges with innovative solutions.