Global Supply Manager

Bedrock Robotics Inc; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 180,000 - 250,000; Full time

Job summary

Bedrock Robotics Inc is seeking a Global Supply Manager to bridge hardware engineering, financial forecasting, and supplier operations. You will shape sourcing strategies, manage critical components, and coordinate with contract manufacturers and EMS partners to ensure supply for production ramps and fleet deployments.

You will lead supplier qualification, risk assessments, and performance reviews while negotiating terms and driving cost optimization across multi-source global networks.

Qualifications

• Experience building global sourcing strategies.
• Ability to onboard strategic suppliers for robotics components.
• Experience with capacity planning and long-lead items.
• Ability to manage AVLs and supplier risk profiles.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute global sourcing strategies by commodity and technology category.
• Identify, evaluate, qualify, and onboard strategic suppliers for robotics components.
• Establish dual-source, multi-source, and regional sourcing strategies to reduce single-source risk.
• Own and maintain the Approved Vendor List (AVL) with supplier capabilities and risk profile.
• Secure capacity and long-lead components ahead of production ramps via long-term commitments.
• Negotiate pricing, terms, LTAs, and other commercial terms; track market dynamics.
• Lead supplier qualification, prototype builds, and production readiness for new products.
• Drive supplier performance reviews, risk mitigation, and continuity planning.

Skills

Global sourcing

Supplier management

Cost optimization

Strategic planning

Risk management

Job description

Join the team bringing advanced autonomy to the built world

At Bedrock, we're moving AI out of the lab and into the real world. Our team includes veterans who helped launch Waymo, scaled Segment to a $3.2B acquisition, and grew Uber Freight to $5B in revenue. Today, we're deploying autonomous systems on heavy construction equipment across the country, improving safety on job sites and accelerating schedules on critical infrastructure projects.

We're not here debating the future of AI. We're deploying it in the real world.

This is where algorithms meet steel-toed boots. You'll work alongside construction veterans and world-class engineers to solve physical-world problems that simulations can't touch. If you're ready to do meaningful work on hard problems, we'd love to have you join us.

As the Global Supply Manager (GSM) at Bedrock Robotics, you will serve as the key link between technical hardware engineering, financial forecasting, and global supplier operations. Robotics systems integrate complex custom mechanical components, high-spec sensors, precision electronics, and specialized software-hardware interfaces, so a GSM must manage both advanced commodity strategies and the physical availability of supplies.

Key Responsibilities

1. Global Sourcing & Commodity Strategy

• Develop and execute global sourcing strategies by commodity and technology category.
• Identify, evaluate, qualify, and onboard strategic suppliers for critical robotics components, including compute, memory, sensors/LiDAR, cameras, PCBAs, harnesses, actuators, gearboxes, batteries, and electromechanical assemblies.
• Establish dual-source, multi-source, and regional sourcing strategies to reduce single-source dependency and mitigate geopolitical, tariff, capacity, and lead-time risks.
• Develop China+1 and regionalization strategies where appropriate.
• Own and maintain the Approved Vendor List (AVL), including supplier capabilities, capacity, technology roadmap, financial health, and risk profile.
• Establish supplier segmentation and strategic sourcing roadmaps aligned with long-term product and fleet requirements.

2. Supplier Capacity & Supply Assurance

• Develop supplier capacity strategies aligned with 3–5 year production and fleet deployment forecasts.
• Secure capacity and long-lead components ahead of production ramps through capacity reservations, LTAs, NCNR commitments, and strategic buys where appropriate.
• Monitor supplier capacity, utilization, material availability, sub-tier constraints, and technology transitions.
• Establish supply continuity plans and recovery strategies for constrained or allocation components.
• Ensure supply plans support the transition from prototype through pilot, production ramp, and sustaining operations.

3. Commercial, Cost & Contract Management

• Own commodity cost strategies and annual cost-reduction targets.
• Develop should-cost models based on raw materials, manufacturing processes, labor, tooling, overhead, and supplier margins.
• Negotiate pricing, volume commitments, LTAs, rebates, payment terms, Incoterms, warranty, liability, tooling, and other commercial terms.
• Track commodity indices, FX, tariffs, raw material costs, and market dynamics to anticipate cost movements.
• Drive VA/VE, DFM, competitive bidding, and supplier productivity to achieve BOM cost targets.
• Establish contractual protections against unexpected price increases, supply disruptions, and delivery performance issues.

4. New Product Introduction & Manufacturing Readiness

• Partner early with Hardware Engineering, Manufacturing, Quality, and Program Management to establish sourcing strategy before design freeze.
• Lead supplier RFQs, selection, qualification, prototype builds, and production readiness.
• Partner with engineering on DFM/DFA to ensure designs are optimized for cost, quality, scalability, and repeatable manufacturing.
• Conduct BOM reviews to identify EOL, obsolete, long-lead, allocation, and single-source components early in the development cycle.
• Manage the transition from quick-turn prototype suppliers to qualified high-volume CMs/EMS/ODM partners.
• Ensure suppliers are capable of supporting EVT → DVT → PVT → Production → Sustaining requirements.

5. Supply Chain Risk & Resilience

• Maintain a critical-component risk register covering supply, cost, capacity, technology, geopolitical, tariff, and single-source exposure.
• Identify sub-tier dependencies and vulnerabilities across critical semiconductors, memory, sensors, PCBs, batteries, and other strategic components.
• Develop qualified alternate sources and substitute components for high-risk items.
• Assess supplier business continuity, disaster recovery, financial health, and geopolitical exposure.
• Proactively identify emerging risks and develop mitigation plans before they impact production or fleet deployment.

6. Supplier Performance & Strategic Relationship Management

• Own strategic supplier relationships and executive-level engagement with critical Tier-1 suppliers.
• Establish QBRs and performance reviews covering cost, quality, delivery, capacity, technology roadmap, and risk.
• Track supplier KPIs including OTD/OTIF, yield, defects, lead time, responsiveness, and cost performance.
• Partner with Supplier Quality Engineering on supplier qualification, factory audits, FAI, 8D/CAPA, and corrective actions.
• Build strategic supplier partnerships to secure priority allocation and engineering support during constrained market conditions.
• Escalate and resolve chronic supplier performance and commercial issues.

7. Manufacturing, Fleet Operations & Supply Execution

• Align rolling demand forecasts from Manufacturing, Fleet Operations, and Deployment teams with supplier capacity and material availability.
• Ensure material availability supports production schedules and fleet deployment requirements.
• Partner with CMs/ODMs/EMS providers on material planning, allocation, inventory, and production execution.
• Develop appropriate VMI, safety stock, hub inventory, and strategic stocking strategies to balance working capital and supply risk.
• Drive improvements in supplier lead times, MOQ, lot sizes, logistics, and delivery performance.
• Act as the primary escalation point for allocation, customs, freight disruptions, production interruptions, and supplier shutdowns.

8. Tooling, Supply Intelligence & Long-Term Planning

• Own commercial strategy for soft tooling, hard tooling, fixtures, test equipment, and supplier CapEx.
• Negotiate tooling ownership, amortization, maintenance, capacity, transfer rights, and end-of-life provisions.
• Ensure tooling investment and capacity are aligned with long