Commodity Manager(Electronics)

Key Responsibilities

• Strategic Commodity Management: Formulate and execute comprehensive multi-year sourcing strategies for critical electronic commodities, including PCBAs, vision and depth sensors, custom wire harnesses, specialized connectors, and active/passive components.
• Supplier Evaluation & Sourcing: Identify, audit, and onboard tier-1 component manufacturers, specialized electronic sub-tier suppliers, and global EMS (Electronic Manufacturing Services) partners tailored for high-reliability robotics applications.
• Early Engineering & NPI Integration: Collaborate closely with Hardware R&D and NPI (New Product Introduction) engineering teams during early design phases (DFM/DFS) to drive standard component selection, eliminate single-source bottlenecks, and accelerate prototype-to-volume manufacturing.
• Commercial Negotiations & Contracts: Lead end-to-end commercial negotiations for Master Service Agreements (MSAs), pricing, lead times, payment terms, capacity reservation, and inventory management models (VMI, consignment, buffer stock).
• Cost Optimization & Value Engineering: Drive aggressive total cost of ownership (TCO) reduction programs, cost modeling, shoulder-cost analysis, and design-for-cost (DFC) initiatives across all high-complexity electronics.
• Supply Chain Resiliency & Risk Management: Proactively monitor global component market dynamics, lead time shifts, silicon availability, and component end-of-life (EOL). Formulate multi-sourcing and continuous mitigation plans.
• Supplier Quality & Performance: Partner with Supplier Quality Engineering (SQE) to establish rigorous key performance indicators (KPIs), conduct regular Quarterly Business Reviews (QBRs), and drive continuous supplier improvement.

Qualifications & Requirements

• Educational Background: Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering (BSEE), Electronics Engineering, Supply Chain Management, or a related technical discipline (Electrical/Electronics degree strongly preferred).
• Industry Experience: 5+ years of direct strategic sourcing, procurement, or commodity management experience with electronic components within the robotics, automation, autonomous mechatronics, or high-tech equipment industries.
• Domain Expertise: Deep technical and market understanding of key electronic commodities: printed circuit board assemblies (PCBA), custom cable harnesses, high-speed/rugged connectors, and advanced visionary/perception sensors (LiDAR, optical vision systems, time-of-flight, IMUs).
• EMS & Manufacturing Management: Proven track record of managing global electronic component manufacturers, franchised distributors, and EMS partners.
• Commercial Mastery: Demonstrated expertise in contract negotiation (MSAs, SOWs, VPAs), cost structure analysis, and implementing global supply chain agreements.
• Location & Availability: Must be based in (or willing to relocate to) San Jose, CA or Austin, TX, with flexibility for periodic domestic and international supplier travel.
• Systems & Tools: Proficiency with modern ERP/MRP platforms (e.g., SAP, NetSuite, Oracle) and PLM software (e.g., Agile, Arena).