Strategic Sourcing Manager - Contract Manufacturing & Compute

About Waymo

Waymo is a pioneering company in autonomous driving technology with the goal of becoming the world's most trusted driver. Originating in 2009 as the Google Self-Driving Car Project, Waymo has developed the Waymo Driver—The World's Most Experienced Driver™—to enhance mobility access and prevent fatalities caused by traffic accidents. The Waymo Driver powers a fully autonomous ride-hailing service and supports various vehicle platforms and applications. The technology has completed over ten million rider-only trips after autonomously covering 100 million miles on public roads and running extensive simulations across more than 15 U.S. states.

Role Overview

The Supply Chain and Manufacturing divisions at Waymo are responsible for making advanced technology tangible through production processes and supplier management strategies. These teams handle everything from contracts and purchasing to design improvements, quality control, and timely delivery while collaborating with engineering and external suppliers to meet business demands.

Responsibilities

• Develop multi-year sourcing strategies targeting Tier 1 Contract Manufacturers (including JDM, Hybrid, ODM) specializing in complex compute hardware, custom server platforms, high-speed interconnects/connectors, and select off-the-shelf silicon components in mixed signal and analog domains.
• Lead commercial negotiations encompassing manufacturing variable allowances, SMT/FATP line rates, labor expense, production cycle and lead times, testing and assembly costs, tooling and test capital amortization, plus yield and scrap sharing arrangements.
• Collaborate closely with Legal teams to draft, negotiate, and finalize essential manufacturing and supply contracts such as MSAs, MPAs, HSAs, SOWs, SLAs, and LTAs, ensuring favorable commercial and operational terms.
• Manage integrated sub-tier commodity supplier relationships, focusing on pricing mastery and supply reliability for compute components including connectors and off-the-shelf active silicon, minimizing margin stacking within the Tier 1 supply chain.
• Construct detailed cost models and total cost of ownership (TCO) analyses for PCBA and box-build assemblies; drive ongoing cost reduction initiatives and annual productivity enhancement processes.
• Serve as the primary commercial liaison among Compute Hardware Engineering, Advanced Manufacturing Engineering, Quality/SDE, and Material Planning teams for strategic direction, design for manufacturability/testing decisions, plant footprint selection, and new product introduction execution.

Candidate Qualifications

• More than 10 years of experience in strategic sourcing, global supply management, or commodity management with Tier 1 Contract Manufacturers focused on complex compute or electronic systems.
• In-depth knowledge of manufacturing cost breakdowns including SMT/FATP line costs, cost across placements, assembly cycle times, testing overhead, tooling amortization, and yield curve analysis.
• Proven experience in negotiating and managing Master Manufacturing Agreements, Statements of Work, and complex warranty/liability terms.
• Practical sourcing expertise with electronic sub-tier commodities such as connectors, cabling, passive components, or off-the-shelf silicon.
• A bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Supply Chain, Operations, or comparable equivalent experience.
• Strong skills in commercial negotiations, executive-level presentations, and detailed spreadsheet financial modeling.

Preferred Experience

• Previous roles as a contract manufacturing or compute commodity manager at top-tier hardware/OEM companies like Apple, Google, Meta, Tesla, Amazon/Zoox, NVIDIA, or Cisco, or senior commercial positions at Tier 1 EMS/ODM providers including Foxconn, Quanta, Flex, Jabil, or Celestica.
• Comprehensive technical understanding of high-speed digital compute architectures, server PCBA manufacturing methods, and automotive quality standards such as IATF 16949 and AEC-Q100.
• Advanced degrees such as a Master of Electrical Engineering or MBA.
• Direct experience overseeing manufacturing sites and managing executive-level supplier relations across North America, Taiwan, and Southeast Asia.

Additional Details

Travel requirements for this role include approximately 20% domestic and international trips.

The estimated salary range for this position is between 4,600,000 and 5,300,000 Taiwanese Dollars (TWD), with exact pay contingent on location, experience, education, and skill level. Employees may also qualify for bonus programs, equity incentives, and comprehensive benefits based on eligibility.