Lead Global Supply Manager - Drive Unit Differentials

Socket.dev; Irvine (CA); On-site; USD 126,000 - 172,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health benefits

401(k) plan

Employee Stock Purchase Program

Paid vacation/sick leave

Job summary

Rivian is seeking a Lead Global Supply Manager to drive strategic sourcing and lifecycle management for vehicle programs. You will lead complex supplier relationships, negotiate terms, and manage risk to meet aggressive cost targets and timelines.

This onsite role is based in Irvine, CA or Plymouth, MI, reporting to the Senior Manager of Global Supply Management. You will influence cross-functional teams and lead large projects with autonomy.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Supply Chain, or Engineering with 6+ years of relevant experience.
• Significant experience managing end-to-end procurement lifecycles; able to drive commodity strategies for next-gen platforms.
• Expertise in drive unit differentials (open and limited-slip), drive unit disconnects, and drive axles is highly preferred.
• Expert user of SAP and analytical tools; ability to identify should-cost opportunities before cost estimation groups.
• Exceptional interpersonal skills; ability to facilitate productive conversations and gain buy-in with a clear vision.
• Proven ability to resolve complex problems involving multiple variables and stakeholders; implement risk mitigation.

Responsibilities

• Sourcing: lead large projects with medium-high vehicle spend for drive unit commodities; run competitive bids with minimal direction.
• Systems & Process: act as expert user of procurement systems and train new team members.
• Technical Understanding: apply experience with drive unit commodities to support next vehicle programs and identify risks.
• Negotiations: negotiate most terms with limited legal involvement using non-monetary tradeoffs.
• Supplier Management: maintain senior-level supplier relationships and manage sub-suppliers.
• Stakeholder Management: communicate value to stakeholders to mitigate risk and enable timely decisions.
• Project Management & Risk Mitigation: lead large projects autonomously and map/mitigate risks to completion.

Skills

Strategic sourcing

Supplier relationship management

Negotiation

SAP

Analytical tools

Project management

Risk management

Cross-functional collaboration

Education

Bachelor's degree in Business, Supply Chain, or Engineering

Tools

SAP

Analytical tools

Job description

About Rivian

Rivianis on a mission to keep the world adventurous forever. This goes for the emissions-free Electric Adventure Vehicles we build, and the curious, courageous souls we seek to attract.

As a company, we constantly challenge what’s possible, never simply accepting what has always been done. We reframe old problems, seek new solutions and operate comfortably in areas that are unknown. Our backgrounds are diverse, but our team shares a love of the outdoors and a desire to protect it for future generations.

Role Summary

The Rivian Supply Chain team is looking for highly motivated and strategic purchasing leaders to bring Rivian’s engineered products to life. As a Lead Global Supply Manager, you are an advanced individual contributor and subject matter expert responsible for the strategic sourcing, supplier selection, and multi-generational lifecycle management for our vehicle programs, including R1, R2, R3, and Electric Delivery Vehicles.

In this role, you lead the commercial relationship for our most complex domains, partnering closely with cross-functional leadership to architect the future of our innovative technical requirements. You act autonomously to manage several large projects with significant spend, navigating changing economic and political landscapes to prevent production risks. You are responsible for ensuring Rivian meets aggressive cost targets and timelines while solving systemic challenges that affect long-term project health. We are looking for an expert thinker who is passionate about optimizing the sourcing process and driving organizational stability through advanced negotiation and risk prevention.

This position is based onsite in Irvine, California or Plymouth, Michigan and reports to the Senior Manager of Global Supply Management.

Responsibilities

• Sourcing: Concurrently lead several large projects with medium-high vehicle spend for drive unit commodities. Drive the competitive bid process with little to no leadership direction and lead Director-level communications and reviews.

• Systems & Process: Act as an expert user of supply chain systems to support business needs. Lead the onboarding and training of new team members to procurement systems.

• Technical Understanding: Apply significant experience managing drive unit commodities to drive a strategy that supports the next vehicle program. Identify risks proactively to maintain a neutral position for the organization.

• Negotiations: Negotiate most commercial terms with very limited legal involvement. Actively apply creative thinking in negotiations by utilizing non-monetary tradeoffs to achieve Rivian targets.

• Supplier Management: Maintain strong relationships at the supplier Senior Management level. Drive accountability and resolve conflicts with minimal escalation while maintaining a robust understanding of sub-suppliers through raw materials.

• Stakeholder Management: Leverage industry knowledge to build strong internal and external relationships. Proactively communicate valuable information to stakeholders to mitigate risk and enable timely decision-making.

• Project Management & Risk Mitigation: Lead large-scale projects with autonomy. Proactively identify and mitigate risks through detailed risk mapping and see resolutions through to completion.

Qualifications

• Education and Experience: Bachelor’s degree in Business, Supply Chain, or Engineering and a minimum of 6+ years of relevant experience.

• Domain Expertise: Significant experience managing end-to-end procurement lifecycles; proven ability to drive commodity strategies for next-gen platforms.

• Commodity Specific Experience: Expertise in drive unit differentials (open and limited-slip), drive unit disconnects, and drive axles is highly preferred
• Technical Skills: Expert user of SAP and analytical tools; ability to identify should-cost opportunities prior to engaging cost estimation groups.

• Communication: Exceptional interpersonal skills; ability to facilitate productive conversations and gain buy-in with a clear vision.

• Execution: Proven ability to resolve complex problems involving multiple variables and stakeholders; implements comprehensive risk mitigation.

• Operational Style: Acts instinctively to manage and prioritize complex workloads with little manager input; serves as a cross-functional advisor.

Pay Disclosure

The salary range for this role is $125,800 - $157200 for Plymouth, Michigan based applicants and $137,800 - $172,200 for Irvine, California based applicants. This is the lowest to highest salary we in good faith believe we would pay for this role at the time of this posting. An employee’s position within the salary range will be based on several factors including, but not limited to, specific competencies, relevant education, qualifications, certifications, experience, skills, geographic location, shift, and organizational needs.

The successful candidate may be eligible for annual performance bonus and equity awards.

We offer a comprehensive package of benefits for full-time and part-time employees, their spouse or domestic partner, and children up to age 26, including but not limited to paid vacation, paid sick leave, and a competitive portfolio of insurance benefits including life, medical, dental, vision, short-term disability insurance, and long-term disability insurance to eligible employees. You may also have the opportunity to participate in Rivian’s 401(k) Plan and Employee Stock Purchase Program if you meet certain eligibility requirements. Full-time employee coverage is effective on their first day of employment. Part-time employee coverage is effective the first of the month following 90 days of employment. More information about benefits is available at rivianbenefits.com.

Equal Opportunity

Rivian is an equal opportunity employer and complies with all applicable federal, state, and local fair employment practices laws. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, ancestry, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information or characteristics, physical or mental disability, marital/domestic partner status, age, military/veteran status, medical condition, or any other characteristic protected by law.

Rivian is committed to ensuring that our hiring process is accessible for persons with disabilities. If you have a disability or limitation, such as those covered by the Americans with Disabilities Act, that requires accommodations to assist you in the search and application process, please email us at [e-mail].

Candidate Data Privacy and Technology

Rivian may collect, use and disclose your personal information or personal data (within the meaning of the applicable data protection laws) when you apply for employment and/or participate in our recruitment processes (“Candidate Personal Data”). This data includes contact, demographic, communications, educational, professional, employment, social media/website, network/device, recruiting system usage/interaction, security and preference information. Rivian may use your Candidate Personal Data for the purposes of (i) tracking interactions with our recruiting system; (ii) carrying out, analyzing and improving our application and recruitment process, including assessing you and your application and conducting employment, background and reference checks; (iii) establishing an employment relationship or entering into an employment contract with you; (iv) complying with our legal, regulatory and corporate governance obligations; (v) recordkeeping; (vi) ensuring network and information security and preventing fraud; and (vii) as otherwise required or permitted by applicable law.

Rivian may share your Candidate Personal Data with (i) internal personnel who have a need to know such information in order to perform their duties, including individuals on our People Team, Finance, Legal, and the team(s) with the position(s) for which you are applying; (ii) Rivian affiliates; and (iii) Rivian’s service providers, including providers of background checks, staffing services, and cloud services.

Rivian may transfer or store internationally your Candidate Personal Data, including to or in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and the European Union and in the cloud, and this data may be subject to the laws and accessible to the courts, law enforcement and national security authorities of such jurisdictions.

How We Use AI in Our Hiring Process: To ensure transparency, we want candidates to know that Rivian uses iCIMS Talent Cloud Artificial Intelligence (TCAI) and AI-enabled tools to assist with screening, reviewing, organizing and highlighting profiles and applications that match the key requirements for each role.

AI does not make hiring decisions: Qualified candidate applications are reviewed by a member of our team, and all decisions throughout the process are made by humans. We use AI to support efficiency and consistency, not to replace human judgment. We are committed to a fair, thoughtful, and equitable experience for every candidate.

Participation in AI profile matching is entirely voluntary. If you prefer that your profile not be used in this process, you can opt out at any time. Opting out means your profile will be excluded from automated matching and will not be surfaced for additional roles through this system. Your current application remains active and will not be affected in any way.

Please note that we are currently not accepting applications from third party application services.