Program Manager II, Automation Equipment Category Management, Cloud Supply Chain

Socket.dev; Atlanta (GA); On-site; USD 132,000 - 189,000; Full time

Job summary

Google Cloud is seeking a Category Manager to lead strategic indirect spend across professional and software services, third-party logistics, transportation, automation, real estate, and reverse logistics. This is a strategic leadership role designed to build a scalable foundation for the future.

You will own the commercial relationship with top suppliers, drive long-term demand planning, and collaborate with operations to realize value, supported by centralized centers of excellence that manage

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent practical experience.
• 2 years of experience in procurement or category management.
• Experience with automation, hardware engineering, or electromechanical engineering.
• Experience in commodity management and product lifecycle management.

Responsibilities

• Develop and document a comprehensive multi-year category strategy, utilizing structured methodologies and tools to align with Google Cloud’s long-term goal.
• Serve as the undisputed relationship owner for a portfolio of strategic suppliers, managing all commercial aspects and acting as the single point of contact to orchestrate a cohesive one voice approach.
• Embed deeply with executive leadership in operations and global capacity planning to serve as a trusted advisor, shaping long‑term business decisions and ensuring category strategies are fully integrated.
• Partner with our centralized cost intelligence and supplier performance teams to apply sophisticated should-cost and cost intelligence models in all commercial activities.

Skills

Procurement experience

Category management

Automation / hardware engineering

Commodity management

Product lifecycle management

Education

Bachelor's degree or equivalent practical experience

Job description

Minimum qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent practical experience.
  
• 2 years of experience in procurement or category management.
• Experience with automation, hardware engineering, or electromechanical engineering.
• Experience in commodity management and product lifecycle management.

Preferred qualifications:

• 5 years of experience managing cross-functional or cross-team projects.
  
• Demonstrated experience building and implementing new category management processes and frameworks from the ground up.
• Agreement creation, analysis, and execution knowledge as well as supplier strategy, strategic supplier assessments, and industry benchmarking, with a deep understanding of supplier incentive programs.
• Ability to collaborate and influence across multiple levels of an organization with experience leading cross-functional process improvements and holding project leads accountable to the greater project goals.

About the job:

A problem isn’t truly solved until it’s solved for all. That’s why Googlers build products that help create opportunities for everyone, whether down the street or across the globe. As a Program Manager at Google, you’ll lead complex, multi-disciplinary projects from start to finish — working with stakeholders to plan requirements, manage project schedules, identify risks, and communicate clearly with cross-functional partners across the company. Your projects will often span offices, time zones, and hemispheres. It's your job to coordinate the players and keep them up to date on progress and deadlines.

As a Category Manager, you will be at the forefront of a new, strategic organizational design. You will be empowered to transform how Google Cloud manages its key indirect spend categories, including professional and software services, third party logistics, transportation, automation, real estate, and reverse logistics. This is not an operational role, it is a strategic leadership position designed to build a scalable foundation for the future.

You will act as the single, strategic voice to our most critical suppliers, owning the commercial relationship and long‑term category vision. Your mandate is to move beyond tactical execution and drive the end‑to‑end strategic flow from partnering with business leaders to determine long‑term demand planning within your category, category strategy, sourcing execution, and value realization to handoffs with operations who will help see this strategy realized. You will be supported by centralized centers of excellence that manage contract execution, cost intelligence, and supplier performance, freeing you to focus on high‑impact strategic initiatives and executive stakeholder engagement.

Behind everything our users see online is the architecture built by the Technical Infrastructure team to keep it running. From developing and maintaining our data centers to building the next generation of Google platforms, we make Google's product portfolio possible. We're proud to be our engineers' engineers and love voiding warranties by taking things apart so we can rebuild them. We keep our networks up and running, ensuring our users have the best and fastest experience possible.

Individual pay is determined by factors including job-related skills, experience, and relevant education or training.
US: $132000 - $189000 (USD) + 15% bonus target + equity + benefits
Learn more about benefits at Google.

Responsibilities:

• Develop and document a comprehensive multi-year category strategy, utilizing structured methodologies and tools to align with Google Cloud’s long-term goal.
• Serve as the undisputed relationship owner for a portfolio of strategic suppliers, managing all commercial aspects and acting as the single point of contact to orchestrate a cohesive one voice approach.
• Embed deeply with executive leadership in operations and global capacity planning to serve as a trusted advisor, shaping long‑term business decisions and ensuring category strategies are fully integrated.
• Partner with our centralized cost intelligence and supplier performance teams to apply sophisticated should-cost and cost intelligence models in all commercial activities.