Procurement Engineer

Rival; Zürich; Vor Ort; CHF 105.000 - 150.000; Vollzeit

Zusammenfassung

RIVR, part of Amazon in Zürich is seeking a Procurement Engineer to act as the technical-business bridge, managing procurement of robot components from PCBs to mechanical assemblies and handling six-figure capital expenditures.

You will own vendor timelines, negotiate prices, and ensure hardware arrives on time, on budget, and to spec, enabling engineers to focus on innovation while scaling supply chains for autonomous robotics.

Qualifikationen

• Proven experience in technical procurement for hardware.
• Experience negotiating large purchase orders and vendor contracts.
• Ability to read mechanical and electrical drawings and specs.
• Bias for action in evolving processes and clear decision making.
• Strong cross‑functional communication across international teams.

Aufgaben

• Serve as the primary technical supplier liaison for pricing, quality, lead times and contract terms.
• Own purchasing for robot-specific components: PCBs, cables, mechanical parts.
• Modernize material tracking and prepare for ERP implementation.
• Coordinate with CTO Zürich and Supply Chain Head Shanghai to translate engineering needs into production plans.
• Identify supply risks and develop mitigation strategies.
• Support make v.s. buy decisions with detailed cost analyses for high‑value orders.
• Oversee hardware transition from prototype to volume production, including vendor reviews.
• Ensure parts meet durability, performance and safety standards.
• Communicate findings and propose hardware changes to non‑technical stakeholders.
• Refine validation and test processes for incoming hardware and track supplier delivery status.
• Maintain supplier relationships and feed insights back into the engineering backlog.
• Collaborate with suppliers from Europe, China and the USA.

Kenntnisse

Technical procurement

Vendor negotiations

Supply chain

Make vs buy

English proficiency

Tools

CAD

ERP systems

Cost modeling

Jobbeschreibung

About RIVR, part of Amazon

RIVR, part of Amazon is a robotics company pioneering Physical AI through real-world doorstep delivery. Founded in 2024 as an ETH Zurich spin-off, RIVR developed wheeled-legged robots designed to operate in complex, unstructured environments such as stairs, gates, doors, and uneven urban terrain. We believe that achieving general physical intelligence requires solving real customer problems in the real world, where robots can learn from rich operational data at scale.

Following our acquisition by Amazon in March 2026, we are continuing this mission with greater reach and speed. By combining custom robot hardware, onboard autonomy, and cloud-based coordination, RIVR, part of Amazon is building the next generation of safe, reliable autonomous robots for last-mile delivery.

Job Description

As the Procurement Engineer at RIVR, you will be the dedicated technical-business bridge in our Zürich office, designed to take the "negotiation load" off our core engineering team.

We need a professional who can independently manage the procurement of complex robot components - from PCBs to custom mechanical assemblies - handling six-figure capital expenditures for mission-critical robotics infrastructure.

In this role, you will operate as a significant and autonomous contributor. You will solve difficult procurement challenges by applying technical best practices and materials knowledge. You will take ownership of vendor timelines and price negotiations that were previously handled by engineers, ensuring our designers can stay focused on innovation while you ensure our hardware arrives on time, on quality, and on budget.

What You’ll Be Doing

• Act as the primary point of contact for technical suppliers, managing all communications regarding pricing, quality issues, lead times, and contract terms.
• Independently manage the purchasing for robot-specific commodities: PCBs, custom cables, metallic and non-metallic components.
• Lead the evolution of our material tracking from manual spreadsheets into professionalized workflows, preparing the organization for future ERP implementation.
• Partner with the CTO in Zürich and the Head of Supply Chain in Shanghai to ensure engineering requirements are perfectly translated into production plans.
• Proactively identify supply chain risks, such as raw material shortages or price surges, and develop decisive mitigation strategies.
• Assist engineers in making the right "make vs. buy" decisions and provide detailed cost-justification studies for high-value orders.
• Support the transition of hardware from the concept/prototype phase into volume production by managing initial vendor technical reviews.
• Ensure all procured parts meet RIVR’s high standards for durability, performance, and safety requirements.
• Communicate findings and constructively propose ideas or corrections to hardware specifications to non-technical partners.
• Optimize best practices for validation and test processes related to incoming hardware.
• Track supplier part delivery status to ensure quality and timeliness.
• Maintain supplier relationships and continuously feed industrial insights back into the engineering backlog.
• Cooperate with suppliers from Europe, China and the USA.

What You Must Have

• Proven experience in technical procurement, buying, or supply chain management in a hardware-centric industry.
• Proven track record of managing and negotiating substantial purchase orders and vendor contracts.
• Ability to understand technical drawings and engineering specifications for mechanical and electrical components.
• Ability to take lead in an environment where processes are still evolving; a strong "bias for action" and clarity.
• Ability to make the right hardware design trade-offs (e.g., make vs. buy, OEM vs. ODM).
• Exceptional verbal and written English; ability to harmonize views between international teams.

Bonus Points

• Skills in bottom-up cost analysis and should-cost modeling for custom-machined or injection-molded parts.
• Experience in an early-stage startup or a high-pressure "overdrive" environment.
• Ability to use prototyping or schematic capture software (e.g., CAD, MATLAB).
• Experience with ERP systems or supporting a first-time ERP implementation.
• Experience with suppliers from all over the world.