Technical Program Manager Lead, Supply Partner Management, XR Hardware

Socket.dev; San Jose (CA); On-site; USD 192,000 - 278,000; Full time

Job summary

Google is seeking a Technical Program Manager for its XR Hardware Engineering team to lead supply chain and procurement across custom modules and contract manufacturers.

You will build end-to-end supplier strategies, AVAP frameworks, and scalable buy-sell programs while coordinating with hardware engineering, global operations, and external partners. Excellent negotiation and cross-functional leadership are required.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in a relevant field or equivalent practical experience.
• 8+ years in hardware supply chain management or related fields in consumer electronics.
• Experience managing Asian ODMs, Tier-1 vendors, and CMs across NPI to mass production.
• Experience managing component categories (Displays/Optics, Cameras, SoC/Silicon, Memory/Storage, Batteries, Acoustics, or modules).

Responsibilities

• Implement communications standards across programs including executive and key partner communications.
• Establish cadence for program reviews, decision-making, prioritization, and resource stewardship (effective deployment of machine and people resources) whereby improvements such as efficiency and utilization gains are measurable and the impact can be felt organization wide.
• Lead a governance structure that drives effective executive decision-making. Ensure governance structure effectively exposes and mitigates dependencies.
• Seek out and identify change management opportunities that increase program velocity and which affect multiple teams.

Skills

Hardware supply chain

Global supply management

Technical program management

Vendor/ODM management

Education

Bachelor's degree or equivalent

Master's degree (preferred)

Job description

Minimum qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain Management, Operations, Electrical/Mechanical/Industrial Engineering, Business Administration, or equivalent practical experience.
• 8 years of experience in hardware supply chain management, global supply management (GSM), technical program management, partner management, or procurement within consumer electronics, mobile, wearable, or semiconductor industries.
• Experience managing Asian ODMs, Tier-1 component vendors, and Contract Manufacturers (CMs) across New Product Introduction (NPI) through mass production.
• Experience managing component categories (e.g., Displays/Optics, Cameras, SoC/Silicon, Memory/Storage, Batteries, Acoustics, or modules).

Preferred qualifications:

• Master's degree in Engineering, Program Management, Operations Research, or MBA.
• Experience structuring buy-sell transactions, distributor consignment/service buffer contracts, and managing international trade/customs logistics.
• Proven track record in AR/Virtual Reality (VR)/XR hardware, smart glasses, wearables, or consumer electronics.
• Ability to communicate in English and Mandarin fluently(written and spoken) to effectively manage suppliers and ODM ecosystems.
• Demonstrated ability to navigate tight market conditions (e.g., memory/storage price volatility, wafer fab capacity allocations).
• Exceptional problem-solving, negotiation, and cross-functional leadership skills with the ability to influence executive engineering leaders and external C-suite vendor executives.

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 Technical Program Manager at Google, you'll use your technical expertise to lead complex, multi-disciplinary projects from start to finish. You'll work with stakeholders to plan requirements, identify risks, manage project schedules, and communicate clearly with cross-functional partners across the company. You're equally comfortable explaining your team's analyses and recommendations to executives as you are discussing the technical tradeoffs in product development with engineers.

Google's XR Hardware Engineering team is creating next-generation spatial computing, Augmented Reality (AR), and smart eyewear platforms that blend digital information seamlessly with the physical world. As we build hardware architectures and partner with Original Device Manufacturing (ODMs) and global OEMs consumer brands, we are pioneering novel supply chain, procurement, and supplier management operating models.

In this role, you will serve as the strategic supply chain and procurement anchor for our XR hardware ecosystem. You will define and execute the end-to-end supplier management strategy across custom Google-developed modules and critical contract manufacturing partners.

You will bridge technical hardware engineering, global operations, and external commercial brand partnerships establishing robust AVAP (Approved Vendor/Approved Part) frameworks, negotiating high-impact supplier agreements, structuring scalable buy-sell and distributor safety-stock programs, and driving rolling demand forecasts in dynamic, seasonal market environments.

For decades, the computing revolution has reshaped our world driven by
breakthroughs in compute, connectivity, mobile, and now, AI. Google's XR team is at the forefront of the next major leap - the convergence of AI and XR. This is more than just new devices - it's about reimagining how we interact with the world around us. We're building a future where
lightweight XR devices like smart glasses and headsets pair with helpful AI to augment human intelligence, offering personalized, conversational, and contextually aware experiences.Individual pay is determined by factors including job-related skills, experience, and relevant education or training.
US: $192000 - $278000 (USD) + 20% bonus target + equity + benefits
Learn more about benefits at Google.

Responsibilities:

• Implement communications standards across a portfolio of programs including executive and key partner communications.
• Establish a reliable and visible cadence for program reviews, decision-making, prioritization, and resource stewardship (effective deployment of machine and people resources) whereby improvements such as efficiency and utilization gains are measurable and the impact can be felt organization wide.
• Lead a governance structure that drives effective executive decision-making. Ensure governance structure effectively exposes and mitigates dependencies.
• Seek out and identify change management opportunities that increase program velocity and which affect multiple teams.