Waymo

Strategic Sourcing Manager - Contract Manufacturing & Compute

Waymo$200K — $247K *
Manufacturing & Automotive
8 - 10 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • 10+ years in strategic sourcing or global supply management with Tier 1 Manufacturers
  • Expertise in manufacturing cost analysis and pricing models
  • Proven experience in negotiating and executing complex manufacturing agreements
  • Hands-on sourcing with electronic sub-tier commodities
  • Bachelor's degree in Electrical or Mechanical Engineering or equivalent experience
  • Strong skills in commercial negotiation and financial modeling

Responsibilities

  • Develop long-term sourcing strategies for complex compute hardware and components
  • Lead negotiations around cost, rates, cycle times, and other commercial terms
  • Collaborate with legal on manufacturing agreements to secure advantageous terms
  • Manage pricing and supply assurance for crucial compute components
  • Create detailed cost models for assemblies and lead cost-reduction initiatives
  • Serve as a commercial liaison across multiple engineering and planning functions

Benefits

  • Participation in discretionary annual bonus program
  • Access to equity incentive plan
  • Comprehensive company benefits program
  • Remote work flexibility available
  • Opportunities for international travel (20%)
Full Job Description
You will:
  • Develop CM & Compute Sourcing Strategy: Design and execute multi-year sourcing strategies for Tier 1 Contract Manufacturers (JDM/Hybrid/ODM) supporting complex compute hardware, custom server platforms, high-speed interconnects/connectors, and select off-the-shelf (OTS) silicon in Mixed Signal / Analog spaces.
  • Lead Complex Commercial Negotiations: Drive all commercial aspects of CM engagements, including MVA, SMT/FATP line rates, labor, cycle/lead times, test and assembly costs, tooling/test capex amortization, and yield/scrap sharing models.
  • Drive Commercial & Strategic Contracts: Partner closely with Legal to draft, negotiate, and execute key manufacturing and supply agreements (MSAs, MPAs, HSAs, SOWs, SLAs, LTAs), securing favorable commercial, operational, and strategic terms for Waymo.
  • Own Integrated Sub-Tier Commodities: Lead commercial relationships, master pricing, and supply assurance for key compute commodities, with emphasis on connectors and off-the-shelf active silicon, eliminating margin stacking across the Tier 1 supply chain.
  • Drive Cost Modeling & Total Cost of Ownership (TCO): Build open-book, bottoms-up should-cost models for PCBA and box-build assemblies. Lead continuous cost-reduction programs and annual productivity workflows..
  • Partner Cross-Functionally with Engineering & AME: Act as the single commercial focal point between Compute Hardware Engineering, Advanced Manufacturing Engineering (AME), Quality/SDE, and Material Planning to guide overall Compute module strategic direction, DFM/DFT decisions, factory footprint selection, and NPI build execution.

You have:
  • 10+ years of strategic sourcing, global supply management (GSM), or commodity management experience with Tier 1 Contract Manufacturers and complex compute/electronic systems.
  • Deep expertise in manufacturing cost dissection (SMT/FATP line costing, cost per placement, assembly touch-times, test overhead, tooling amortization, and yield curves).
  • Demonstrated track record negotiating and executing Master Manufacturing Agreements (MMAs/MSAs), SOWs, and complex liability/warranty terms.
  • Hands-on sourcing experience with electronic sub-tier commodities (connectors, cabling, passives, or OTS silicon).
  • Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Supply Chain, Operations, or equivalent practical experience.
  • Exceptional commercial negotiation, executive presentation, and spreadsheet financial modeling skills

We prefer:
  • Prior work experience as a CM/Compute GSM at leading hardware/OEM firms (e.g., Apple, Google, Meta, Tesla, Amazon/Zoox, NVIDIA, Cisco) or senior commercial roles at Tier 1 EMS/ODMs (e.g., Foxconn, Quanta, Flex, Jabil, Celestica).
  • Deep technical understanding of high-speed digital compute architectures, server PCBA manufacturing, and automotive reliability standards (IATF 16949, AEC-Q100).
  • Master's degree in Electrical Engineering (MSEE) and/or MBA.
  • Direct experience managing CM manufacturing sites and executive supplier engagements across North America, Taiwan, and Southeast Asia.

Travel Requirements:
  • 20% domestic and international travel.


The expected base salary range for this full-time position across US locations is listed below. Actual starting pay will be based on job-related factors, including exact work location, experience, relevant training and education, and skill level. Your recruiter can share more about the specific salary range for the role location or, if the role can be performed remote, the specific salary range for your preferred location, during the hiring process.

Waymo employees are also eligible to participate in Waymo's discretionary annual bonus program, equity incentive plan, and generous Company benefits program, subject to eligibility requirements.

Salary Range

$200,000-$247,000 USD

About Waymo

Waymo LLC is a self-driving technology development company. It is a subsidiary of Alphabet Inc., the parent company of Google. Waymo develops autonomous driving technology and provides ride-hailing services through its Waymo One program. The company has been testing its self-driving technology on public roads since 2009 and has logged millions of miles of autonomous driving. Waymo has partnerships with several automakers and has been working on developing autonomous trucks for use in logistics.
Learn more about Waymo
Size
2,000 employees
Industry
Founded
2009

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