Strategic Sourcing Manager, Mechanical Components

Zoox; Foster City, Northern (CA, KY); On-site; USD 129,000 - 171,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Long-term care insurance

Disability insurance

Life insurance

Paid time off

Job summary

Zoox is seeking a Strategic Sourcing Manager of Direct Procurement to drive sourcing for vehicle materials and partnerships. You will identify and engage suppliers, draft RFQs, and negotiate terms while coordinating with engineering, design, and finance to align with the company’s autonomous vehicle program.

You will lead the cost analysis, contract coverage, and supplier performance assessments, ensuring strategic alignment with Zoox’s long-term roadmap and business goals.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required.
• 4+ years of experience in hardware procurement or direct purchasing.
• Strong contract negotiation and vendor management skills.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder influence across functions.
• Advanced Excel and data analysis capabilities.

Responsibilities

• Lead procurement and partnership initiatives for vehicle direct materials (interiors, structural components, advanced hardware).
• Engage with stakeholders across engineering, operations, manufacturing, strategy, finance, and design to chart a 3–5 year road map.
• Develop long-term supply chain and partnership footprint with a strategic lens.
• Manage day-to-day partner performance, change orders, quality, and cost controls.
• Conduct supplier and market research; build total cost of ownership models for informed sourcing decisions.
• Negotiate favorable terms and ensure robust contract coverage with engineering and legal support.

Skills

Partnership development

Purchasing

Contract negotiation

Cross-functional collaboration

Advanced Excel

Financial analysis

Communication

Education

Bachelor's degree

Tools

Excel

Job description

As Strategic Sourcing Manager of Direct Procurement, you will be responsible for Zoox’s strategic sourcing and industry partnerships, which includes working cross-functionally to understand needs for third-party engagement across the business, finding and evaluating potential partners and suppliers, drafting and issuing RFQs, leading the negotiation of all key terms and conditions as well as pricing, managing commercial and supply chain issues, identifying and executing on cost reduction opportunities, and overall management of third party relationships. You can operate independently and possess expertise in drive modules, powertrain, chassis, or body components.

In this role, you will:

• Lead procurement and partnership initiatives for vehicle direct materials (interiors, structural components, advanced hardware)
• Proactively engage with Zoox stakeholders (incl. engineering, operations, manufacturing, strategy, finance, and design) to derive and execute the medium-term (3-5 years) business and technology roadmap to support Zoox’s vehicle development program and autonomous ride-hailing service
• Develop the supply chain and partnership footprint with a long-term, strategic view
• Lead the day-to-day process of ensuring successful partnerships (milestone adherence, change order management, quality assurance, cost control, etc.) and build supplier performance assessments to support future sourcing decisions
• Design, conduct, and synthesize supplier, industry, and market research
• Drive cost transparency and build total cost of ownership models to support sourcing decisions
• Ensure optimal contract coverage for the commodity/servicein partnership with engineering and legal support
• Build and maintain strategic relationships with key suppliers as the lead point of contact for all commercial issues
• Review, analyze, and finalize quote packages from suppliers
• Support and inform internal stakeholders with respect to supplier selection and management
• Identify sourcing alternatives to drive efficiencies via benchmarking, competitive quotes, andchanging requirements

Qualifications

• 4+ years of experience inpartnership development and/orpurchasing in a hardware productenvironment
• Bachelor’s degree
• Strategic sourcing, financial and business opportunity analysis, comfort with legal frameworks, and contract negotiation skills (development, supply, licensing, and service agreements)
• Excellent communication skills with the ability to influence cross-functional stakeholders, including C-level, engineering, legal, finance, manufacturing, and logistics
• Excellent analytical skills
• Advanced Microsoft Excel skills

Bonus Qualifications

• Demonstrated ability to work in a team environment to achieve business objectives
• Demonstrated ability to identify business process issues and drive process improvement
• Open-minded self-starter with the ability to adapt, improvise, and problem-solve
• Ability to work independently on multiple tasks and projects with various stakeholders
• Organizational skills to manage and track transactional details

$129,000 - $171,000 a year

Base Salary Range

There are three major components to compensation for this position: salary, Amazon Restricted Stock Units (RSUs), and Zoox Stock Appreciation Rights. A sign-on bonus may be offered as part of the compensation package. The listed range applies only to the base salary. Compensation will vary based on geographic location and level. Leveling, as well as positioning within a level, is determined by a range of factors, including, but not limited to, a candidate's relevant years of experience, domain knowledge, and interview performance. The salary range listed in this posting is representative of the range of levels Zoox is considering for this position.

Zoox also offers a comprehensive package of benefits, including paid time off (e.g. sick leave, vacation, bereavement), unpaid time off, Zoox Stock Appreciation Rights, Amazon RSUs, health insurance, long-term care insurance, long-term and short-term disability insurance, and life insurance.

About Zoox

Zoox is developing the first ground-up, fully autonomous vehicle fleet and the supporting ecosystem required to bring this technology to market. Sitting at the intersection of robotics, machine learning, and design, Zoox aims to provide the next generation of mobility-as-a-service in urban environments. We’re looking for top talent that shares our passion and wants to be part of a fast-moving and highly execution-oriented team.

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Accommodations

If you need an accommodation to participate in the application or interview process please reach out to [e-mail] or your assigned recruiter.

A Final Note:

You do not need to match every listed expectation to apply for this position. Here at Zoox, we know that diverse perspectives foster the innovation we need to be successful, and we are committed to building a team that encompasses a variety of backgrounds, experiences, and skills.