About the role

Aplyr's Quick Take

This role is about managing the sourcing and supply chain for manufacturing partners in the autonomous vehicle sector. You'll be negotiating contracts, planning production schedules, and collaborating with engineering teams to ensure timely delivery of components. It's primarily an individual contributor role focused on strategic sourcing and risk management.

Good fit

Ideal candidates have 7+ years in supply chain or mechanical engineering, with a strong background in various manufacturing processes. A collaborative working style and experience in negotiating with suppliers will help you thrive here.

Worth noting

The role involves working across diverse manufacturing processes, which may appeal to those looking for variety. However, the job's specifics on day-to-day tasks are somewhat vague, which could be a concern for some applicants.

Waymo is an autonomous driving technology company with the mission to be the world's most trusted driver. Since its start as the Google Self-Driving Car Project in 2009, Waymo has focused on building the Waymo Driver—The World's Most Experienced Driver™—to improve access to mobility while saving thousands of lives now lost to traffic crashes. The Waymo Driver powers Waymo’s fully autonomous ride-hail service and can also be applied to a range of vehicle platforms and product use cases. The Waymo Driver has provided over ten million rider-only trips, enabled by its experience autonomously driving over 100 million miles on public roads and tens of billions in simulation across 15+ U.S. states.

Waymo's Supply Chain and Manufacturing teams are making the technology of the future a reality. We handle all production processes and supplier development strategies: from contracts and purchasing, to designs for improved manufacturing, through quality control and delivery. We collaborate actively with Waymo engineering teams as well as external suppliers and partners to make sure everything is built to spec and delivered on time to meet the rising demands of our business.

You will:

Develop and lead the overall Sourcing Strategy for your area of ownership, including: Identify, develop, negotiate and manage existing and further development of manufacturing partners, both for short term prototyping and long term serial production.
Work across a variety of industries including (but not limited to) injection molding, CNC machining, die casting, sheet metal, optics, paints/finishing, and sub-assemblies.
Schedule, capacity and supply planning to meet development and production demands.
Evaluate technical and business risks using data based analysis and develop sound risk mitigation alternatives.
Perform cost modeling, negotiation, and execution of part and sub-assembly cost strategy.
Collaborate closely with Engineering, Material Planners, Supply Chain manufacturing and quality, and Industrial Design teams.

You have:

7+ years of experience in a supply chain, mechanical engineering, or similar role.
A BS in Mechanical Engineering, or a similar discipline. MS or MBA are a plus.
Experience with multiple commodity types and manufacturing processes such as plastic injection molding for cosmetic and structural applications, die casting, metal stamping and forming, CNC machining, weldments, assemblies, wire harnesses, and cleaning systems and components.
Comprehensive knowledge of low and high volume manufacturing processes for mechanical components.
Ability to travel domestically and internationally 30% of the time.

We prefer:

Automotive experience including exterior plastics, wiring harnesses, structures, or cleaning systems.
Hands on experience with mechanical design work or manufacturing of parts in your area of expertise.
Experience having taken products through a manufacturing life cycle and delivered finished designs in volume production.
Clear communication skills, along with excellent presentation and problem solving experience.
Experience and ability to change between detailed and high level strategy thinking.

Travel requirements:

Yes, estimate 30%.
Travel includes domestic and international locations such as Taiwan, Thailand, China, Vietnam.

Skills & Tags

go rust ai data product design

Aplyr's read

Waymo is a leader in autonomous vehicle technology, attracting talent passionate about transforming transportation with innovative self-driving solutions.
Synthesized from recent postings & public sources

What's promising

•Waymo benefits from Alphabet's resources, providing robust support for research and development.
•The company is pioneering in autonomous vehicle technology, setting industry standards.
•Waymo's diverse hiring across roles indicates a comprehensive approach to scaling operations.

What to watch

•Regulatory hurdles could delay widespread adoption of self-driving technology.
•High competition in the autonomous vehicle market may impact Waymo's market share.
•Operational challenges in scaling ride-hailing services could affect growth.

Why Waymo

•Waymo's extensive real-world testing gives it a competitive edge in data-driven development.
•The company's collaboration with Alphabet enhances its technological capabilities.
•Waymo's focus on safety and reliability differentiates it in the autonomous vehicle sector.

Aplyr’s read is generated by AI from public sources. Was it useful?

About Waymo

Waymo

waymo.com

View company

Waymo is a self-driving technology company that aims to make it safe and easy for people and things to get where they’re going. As a subsidiary of Alphabet Inc., Waymo is at the forefront of autonomous vehicle technology, significantly impacting the future of transportation.