Technical Commodity Manager - Robotics
Leads strategic sourcing and supplier development for robotics hardware from R&D through NPI and high-volume manufacturing. The role requires strong supply chain fundamentals, hardware manufacturing exposure, analytical judgment, and the ability to build processes in an ambiguous environment.
About the job
Responsibilities
- Partner with engineering during R&D to source components, qualify vendors, and obtain quotes and samples quickly.
- Build supplier relationships across evolving hardware categories.
- Evaluate quotes, lead times, and vendor capabilities to make sound sourcing decisions with incomplete data.
- Collaborate with legal, finance, and leadership to secure approvals and remove roadblocks.
- Establish supply chain processes, tools, and vendor scorecards.
- Support NPI by working with engineering and quality on design-for-manufacturing feedback, first-article inspection, and pilot builds.
- Transition sourcing relationships and processes from prototype vendors to production-grade suppliers and contract manufacturers as volume increases.
- Identify and mitigate single-source dependencies, long-lead components, supplier financial risks, quality issues, and capacity constraints.
- Develop commodity, supplier, cost-driver, lead-time, and manufacturing-constraint knowledge.
- Build sourcing and purchasing workflows and tracking for cost, delivery, quality, and risk.
Requirements
- Strong reasoning ability, intellectual curiosity, and comfort rapidly learning unfamiliar commodities or technologies.
- Solid foundation in purchasing, negotiation, supplier management, and basic manufacturing processes.
- Experience with or exposure to the hardware supply chain.
- Comfort working with ambiguity, incomplete data, and shifting priorities.
- Clear, direct communication with engineers, suppliers, and leadership.
- Bachelor's degree in engineering or a related technical field, or equivalent hands-on experience with technical hardware, components, manufacturing processes, and supplier decisions.
- This is not an entry-level role; candidates should have a solid foundation in strategic sourcing, supplier management, and hardware manufacturing.
Nice-to-haves
- Experience with precision machining.
- Experience with gears and mechanical components.
- Experience with electronics manufacturing services (EMS) or PCBA.
- Experience with electrical or electronic components.
- Experience with contract manufacturing or JDM relationships.
Compensation and Work Arrangement
- Annual salary: $157,000–$196,000.
- Based in San Francisco, CA, with in-person presence required four days per week.
- Up to 30% travel to vendor sites.
Skills
Strategic Sourcing, Supplier Management, Purchasing, Negotiation, Hardware Manufacturing, New Product Introduction, Design For Manufacturability, First-Article Inspection, Contract Manufacturing, Precision Machining, Pcba, Vendor Scorecards, Supply Chain Risk Management, Electronics Manufacturing Services, Jdm
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