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Zoox is an autonomous mobility company that’s created a purpose-built robotaxi to give the world a better way to ride.
The Role
The Strategic Sourcing Manager is responsible for direct procurement and partnerships, leading cost reduction efforts, supplier evaluations, negotiating contracts, and managing third-party relationships.
Summary Generated by Built In
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 electronics, powertrain, chassis, body, safety systems, EV charging, fleet maintenance or capital equipment.
In this role, you will:
- Lead procurement and partnership initiatives for vehicle direct materials (interiors, structural components, advanced hardware) and/or operations infrastructure (EV charging, vehicle maintenance, capital equipment)
- 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/service in 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, and changing requirements
Qualifications
- 6+ years of experience in partnership development and/or purchasing in a hardware product environment
- 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
- Ability to analyze and interpret market trends relevant to pricing.
- Proven ability to cultivate and maintain strong relationships with key suppliers.
- Strong focus on cost management and optimization.
- Experience in evaluating and optimizing Bill of Materials (BOM) costs in collaboration with suppliers.
- Ability to work collaboratively with engineering teams on cost optimization projects, including sourcing low-cost electrical alternatives.
- Strategic mindset for negotiating costs with key component suppliers.
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 [email protected] 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.
Skills Required
- 6+ years of experience in partnership development and/or purchasing in a hardware product environment
- Bachelor's degree
- Expertise in cost modeling for semiconductor chips.
- In-depth knowledge of the foundry industry, including key cost drivers.
- Strong understanding of chip manufacturing processes and their impact on yield.
Zoox Compensation & Benefits Highlights
The following summarizes recurring compensation and benefits themes identified from responses generated by popular LLMs to common candidate questions about Zoox and has not been reviewed or approved by Zoox.
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Healthcare Strength — Healthcare is extensive, with broad medical and vision options, company‑paid disability coverage, and multiple mental‑health resources. Feedback suggests coverage breadth and auxiliary programs support a wide range of needs.
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Parental & Family Support — Family supports include paid parental leave, additional pregnancy disability time, fertility coverage, and adoption/surrogacy assistance. Backup care and family‑oriented programs further reinforce support across life stages.
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Wellbeing & Lifestyle Benefits — Day‑to‑day perks are robust, including free daily meals, fitness subsidies, commuter support, and on‑site amenities. Feedback suggests these lifestyle benefits enhance convenience and workplace experience, especially for office‑based roles.
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The Company
What We Do
Zoox is an autonomous mobility company that was founded to provide a safer, cleaner, and more enjoyable future on the road. To achieve that goal, the company has spent the past 10 years creating a purpose-built robotaxi that gives the world a better way to ride.
Why Work With Us
At Zoox, we are working to solve one of the greatest technological challenges of our generation. From the beginning, we have been focused on our goal of reimagining transportation from the ground up. We are a mission-driven community of innovators working together to create a safer, cleaner, and more enjoyable future on the road.
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