Procurement Prototyping Specialist

Mykelly; Foster City (CA); On-site; USD 70,000 - 110,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health, Dental, Vision benefits

401k

Job summary

Mykelly is seeking a Procurement Prototyping Specialist in Foster City, CA to swiftly obtain quotes, manage vendor relationships and coordinate rapid prototyping across machining, 3D printing and materials.

You will work embedded with the prototyping team, handle purchase orders, ensure timing, and perform vendor audits to maintain security and compliance.

Qualifications

• 2+ years in procurement or prototyping environment.
• Able to read and interpret engineering drawings.
• Experience with supplier management and onboarding is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Engage vendors quickly to obtain quotes on parts to be manufactured.
• Discuss drawing requirements, tolerances, and GD&T with vendors and engineers to optimize pricing and delivery.
• Present manufacturing options to engineers in daily standups for decisions.
• Coordinate full procurement flow: PO coordination, expediting, and tracking delivery schedules.
• Perform supplier onboarding, contract setup, and maintain partner networks for scaling.
• Conduct vendor and system audits to ensure compliance and supply security.

Skills

Read engineering drawings

Vendor management

Procurement processes

Communication

Organization

Google Suite

Tools

JIRA

Confluence

Smartsheet

SAP

Ariba

Job description

Procurement Prototyping Specialist

Department: Manufacturing Operations – Prototyping Program Management

Job Type: Contractor – Indefinite/ benefited w/ Health, Dental, Vision, 401k

Location: Foster City, CA

Job Description:

The Procurement Prototyping Specialist will support the prototyping team by swiftly obtaining external quotes and maintaining relationships with various manufacturing suppliers. This crucial role collaborates closely with fabrication, CNC, and additive prototyping teams to manage vendor setup, quoting, negotiations, and purchase request coordination. Additionally, the specialist will perform vendor and system audits to ensure supplier security and compliance.

Core Role & Reporting

• Embedded daily with the Prototyping team (Manufacturing Operations – Prototyping Program Management)
• Partly reports into the broader Procurement organization
• Acts as a key “cog in the machine”: bridges engineering/prototyping needs with external suppliers for rapid turnaround

Primary Focus & Materials

• Sourcing and coordinating low-volume prototypes (typically 1–100 parts): custom parts (machined, fabricated, 3D printed), assemblies, and raw materials.
• Supports rapid prototyping needs across ~3000 Zoox employees

Key Responsibilities

• Engage vendors quickly to obtain quotes on parts to be manufactured
• Discuss drawing requirements, tolerances, and GD&T with vendors and requesting engineers to optimize pricing, manufacturability, and delivery
• Present manufacturing options back to engineers (e.g., in daily standups) for feedback and decisions
• Handle full tactical procurement flow: purchase order coordination, expediting deliveries, tracking supplier adherence to schedules, troubleshooting payment delays, coordinating receipt of parts
• Strategic elements: supplier selection, onboarding, contract setup, building/maintaining a network of partners to enable scaling
• Perform vendor/system audits to ensure compliance and supply security

Qualifications:

• Minimum 2 years of experience in a similar role.
• Ability to read and understand engineering drawings.
• Highly organized with excellent communication skills.
• Strong team player.
• Experience working with and purchasing from vendors.
• Initiative to improve processes.
• Proficient in using various computer business applications (Google Sheets, Docs, Slides, etc.).

Bonus Qualifications (nice to haves but not necessary):

• Familiarity with JIRA, Confluence, Smartsheet.
• Experience with SAP, Ariba, or other purchasing applications.
• PMP or other project management coursework.
• Hands-on manufacturing experience (Sheet Metal forming, welding, machining, additive manufacturing, carbon manufacturing).
• Understanding of Geometric Dimensioning and Tolerancing (GD&T).