Engineering & Hardware Category Manager

Waymo LLC; United States; Remoto; USD 159.000 - 196.000; Tempo pieno

Descrizione del lavoro

Waymo LLC is seeking a senior procurement leader to drive strategy for Engineering Services and hardware sourcing. You will manage high‑volume outsourced contracts, leading complex SOWs and NRE agreements to ensure delivery and ROI.

You will optimize JDM/ODM relationships, perform make vs. buy analyses, and collaborate with Legal to uphold IP protection and cybersecurity standards across all engineering engagements. Remote work may be possible from select locations.

Competenze

• 7+ years of strategic procurement experience, with 4+ years in Engineering Services, R&D, or Hardware sourcing.
• Deep expertise in outsourced engineering models (MSAs, NREs, staff augmentation, fixed-bid).
• Proven ability to draft and negotiate complex commercial contracts including MSAs, NREs, JDM/ODM agreements and SOWs.
• Experience managing R&D hardware lifecycles and negotiating with prototyping houses.

Mansioni

• Develop and execute a comprehensive procurement strategy for Engineering Services and R&D hardware.
• Proactively manage a high-volume pipeline of outsourced engineering contracts and negotiate favorable long-term terms.
• Structure and negotiate complex SOWs and NRE agreements for hardware development.
• Optimize JDM and ODM relationships for R&D components and logistics.
• Lead make vs. buy analyses and align requirements to drive value and mitigate supply chain risk.
• Partner with Legal to ensure IP and cybersecurity standards are met.

Conoscenze

Strategic procurement

Engineering sourcing

SOW negotiation

Contract negotiation

Strumenti

Ariba P2P

e-sourcing

Spend Analysis

Descrizione del lavoro

Waymo is an autonomous driving technology company with the mission to be the world's most trusted driver. Since its start as the Google Self-Driving Car Project in 2009, Waymo has focused on building the Waymo Driver-The World's Most Experienced Driver-to improve access to mobility while saving thousands of lives now lost to traffic crashes. The Waymo Driver powers Waymo's fully autonomous ride-hail service and can also be applied to a range of vehicle platforms and product use cases. The Waymo Driver has provided over ten million rider-only trips, enabled by its experience autonomously driving over 100 million miles on public roads and tens of billions in simulation across 15+ U.S. states.

Waymo's Procurement and Vendor Enablement Office (PVEO) is the strategic engine behind our rapid commercial scaling. We don't just buy services; we design the workforce architecture that powers the Waymo Driver. In this senior leadership role, you will lead the Enterprise Outsourcing & Services vertical. You will partner with Executives across Engineering, Operations, and Corporate functions to define the "Future of Work" at Waymo-determining how we leverage the global external ecosystem to scale our Mapping, Labeling, Engineering, and Corporate capabilities.

You will:

• Develop and execute a comprehensive procurement strategy for Engineering Services and R&D Hardware, balancing cost optimization with speed-to-market for prototypes and technical development.
• Proactively manage a high-volume pipeline of outsourced engineering workforce contracts; lead negotiations for mission-critical engineering design firms to secure favorable long-term commercial and IP terms.
• Structure and negotiate complex Statements of Work (SOWs) and Non-Recurring Engineering (NRE) agreements for hardware development to ensure successful project delivery and ROI.
• Optimize Joint Design Manufacturing (JDM) and Original Design Manufacturing (ODM) relationships for R&D components, ensuring competitive pricing and seamless fulfillment logistics for hardware iterations.
• Act as the trusted advisor to Engineering and Hardware leadership; lead complex "make vs. buy" analyses and influence technical requirements to drive commercial value and mitigate supply chain risk.
• Partner with Legal (IP/Security) to ensure all engineering services and hardware agreements meet Waymo's rigorous intellectual property protection and cybersecurity standards.

You have:

• 7+ years of strategic procurement experience, with at least 4+ years dedicated to Engineering Services, R&D, or Hardware sourcing.
• Deep expertise in outsourced engineering models (managed services, staff augmentation, fixed-bid) and experience negotiating with Tier 1 engineering service providers.
• Proven ability to draft and negotiate complex commercial contracts, including MSAs, NREs, JDM/ODM agreements, and highly technical Professional Services SOWs.
• Experience managing R&D hardware lifecycles (EVT, DVT, PVT) and negotiating with custom component manufacturers and prototyping houses.
• Strong financial acumen with the ability to present TCO (Total Cost of Ownership) analysis to Finance and Hardware Engineering leadership.
• Ability to operate in a high-velocity environment, managing multiple concurrent high-priority sourcing events for unreleased technologies.

We prefer:

• Experience in a hyper‑growth Tech, Autonomous Vehicle (AV), or automotive manufacturing environment.
• Engineering background or profound understanding of hardware development and systems engineering principles.
• Experience using Ariba P2P, e‑sourcing, and Spend Analysis tools.

Travel:

• Estimated 10-15% (Vendor QBRs, supplier audits, & HQ visits as needed).

Please note that Waymo may not be able to employ remotely in all locations. Please speak with your recruiter about your preferred location for remote work when you begin the interview process. Reference the following list of cities we can hire remotely out of:

• Atlanta, GA
• Austin, TX
• Dallas, TX
• Houston, TX
• Los Angeles, CA
• Miami, FL
• Nashville, TN
• Orlando, FL
• Phoenix, AZ
• San Antonio, TX
• San Francisco Bay Area, CA

Salary Range

$159,000 — $196,000 USD

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.