Senior Supply Engineer

Knightscope; Sunnyvale (CA); On-site; USD 165,000 - 190,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Stock options

Medical, dental, vision

401(k)

Paid time off

Job summary

Knightscope seeks a Senior Supply Engineer to own strategic supplier relationships powering the K7 and related platforms. This senior IC on the ASR Engineering team builds the framework to supply design-led, low-volume, custom-heavy hardware reliably and affordably.

Based at our Sunnyvale HQ, you will manage the top-30% of suppliers by cost or criticality, craft multi-year agreements, and ensure on-time delivery while maintaining compliance with sourcing and security standards.

Qualifications

• Senior engineer with 10+ years in strategic supplier engineering for low-volume, high-complexity products.
• Automotive industry background required with vocabulary cadence and processes.
• Fluent in automotive supplier-development cadence (APQP, PPAP, IATF 16949, ISO 26262).
• Experience sourcing low-volume molded parts at production scale (composites, large-format injection-molded).
• Experience transitioning prototypes to production tooling and coordinating DFM with design teams.
• Familiar with McMaster-Carr and Digi-Key catalogs; able to reduce catalog sourcing as volumes mature.
• Knowledge of NIST 800-171, CMMC, SBOM and country-of-origin documentation.

Responsibilities

• Build the commercial framework with compliant master purchase agreements and pricing.
• Provide technical escalation with top-30% suppliers and enable fast hot-fix and design consultation.
• Lead the two-step handoff of integration-sourced BOM lines to Knightscope ownership.
• Run co-marketing and reference partner program with senior design leadership.
• Wean catalog-sourced parts to volume-sourced alternatives as production scales.
• Own embedded subsystem supplier strategy for compute and vision ecosystems.
• Drive cyber compliance and software supply chain security in contract language.

Skills

Strategic supplier engineering

Automotive industry experience

Contract negotiations

Sourcing

Vendor management

Cross-functional collaboration

Education

Engineering degree

Mechanical Engineering preferred

Tools

McMaster-Carr catalog

Digi-Key catalog

Job description

About Knightscope

Knightscope is a security technology company building the Nation’s First Autonomous Security Force. The company combines autonomous machines, advanced software, and human expertise to help protect people, property, and critical infrastructure. Knightscope’s long‑term mission is to make the United States of America the safest country in the world.

Job Summary

Knightscope is seeking a Senior Supply Engineer to own the strategic supplier relationships that power our hardware programs — the K7 Autonomous Security Robot, the K1 family (Hemisphere, Capsule, Super Tower), and the H1 wearable Augmented Security Agent platform. This senior individual‑contributor role on the ASR Engineering team builds the commercial, technical, and relational framework required to supply design‑led, low‑volume, custom‑heavy physical AI platforms reliably, affordably, and with the responsiveness autonomous systems demand.

About The Role

Reporting to the K7 Chief Program Engineer and partnering closely with the K1/H1 Chief Program Engineer, you will own the top‑30% supplier portfolio in each program — by cost or by criticality — and build the multi‑year, multi‑million‑dollar strategic agreements that determine the pace and cost of every program ramp. The role exists because Knightscope’s hardware programs have accumulated strategic supplier dependencies that require supplier engineering attention a transactional procurement function was never designed to provide. You will sit inside the CPE arc at our Sunnyvale HQ — when a supplier issue surfaces, you own it until it is resolved.

Location and Employment Type

Full‑time, on‑site at Sunnyvale HQ (No relocation provided). Approx. 15–25% travel to suppliers as needed.

Key Responsibilities

• Build the commercial framework, with compliance built in — negotiate Master Purchase Agreements with volume‑based pricing, tariff‑deferred offshore stocking (TAA countries only), warranty terms fit for mission‑critical use, and forecast/cancellation mechanisms. Maintain a TAA‑ and BABA‑compliant portfolio with no PRC sourcing for parts or embedded software, and structure tooling investments that protect Knightscope’s IP.
• Provide ready‑five technical escalation — build direct relationships with the principal engineers at every top‑30% supplier; make hot‑fix, failure analysis, and design consultation accessible in hours rather than weeks; read drawings, understand the platform at module level, and write the engineering escalation email yourself.
• Transition sourcing in‑house — lead the two‑step handoff of integration‑partner‑sourced BOM lines to direct Knightscope ownership, transfer customer‑of‑record status at each strategic supplier, and reduce outside consulting spend by substituting your own sourcing capability.
• Run the co‑marketing and reference partner program — structure the non‑monetary value Knightscope offers suppliers (visibility on a deployed physical AI platform, case studies, “powered by” branding) as a commercial lever, in coordination with the Chief Design Officer and Creative Director.
• Wean the BOM off catalog‑sourced parts — transition high‑spend catalog lines (McMaster‑Carr, Digi‑Key, distributor stock) to volume‑sourced alternates as production warrants, structuring release agreements that preserve responsiveness without retail pricing.
• Own embedded subsystem supplier strategy — track the AI compute and embedded vision ecosystem (NVIDIA Jetson, Qualcomm, Ambarella, Hailo, TI, Mobileye), keep Knightscope a credible partner, and re‑engineer accumulated dependencies so Knightscope drives technical direction.
• Drive supplier cyber compliance and software supply chain security — qualify suppliers against NIST 800‑171, CMMC, SBOM completeness, and signed‑update mechanisms, serving as the supply‑chain‑side counterpart to the Director of Cybersecurity through contract language and ongoing posture monitoring.

Required Qualifications

• Senior engineer, 10+ years, with strategic supplier engineering experience in low‑volume, high‑complexity, custom‑heavy product development.
• Automotive industry background required — must walk in already speaking automotive vocabulary and cadence fluently.
• Fluent in automotive supplier‑development cadence: APQP, PPAP, IATF 16949, ISO 26262 (functional safety / ASIL), run‑at‑rate validation, tooling kickoff, SOP/SORP dates, PSW signoff, and supplier scorecards.
• Strong background sourcing and qualifying low‑volume molded parts at production scale — composite, SMC/RIM, and/or large‑format injection‑molded, ideally including outdoor‑rated body panels or structural enclosures.
• Demonstrated experience managing the transition from prototype manufacturing methods to production tooling, including tooling investment structuring and DFM coordination with industrial designers.
• Fluent in the McMaster‑Carr and Digi‑Key catalogs as deliberate engineering tools, with the discipline to wean parts off catalog sourcing as volumes mature.
• Fluent in TAA and BABA compliance and country‑of‑origin documentation; familiar with software supply chain security frameworks (NIST 800‑171, CMMC, SBOM) and able to enforce them through supplier qualification and contract language.
• Engineering degree required; Mechanical Engineering preferred.
• Comfortable in both technical and commercial conversations with supplier engineering leadership; patient, detail‑oriented, and commercially savvy without being mercenary. Able to work on‑site at Sunnyvale HQ, with travel to suppliers as needed.

Compensation & Benefits

• Base Salary: $165,000 – $190,000 (DOE)
• Equity: Stock options
• Benefits: Medical, dental, vision, 401(k), paid time off