Engineering & Hardware Category Manager

Waymo's Procurement and Vendor Enablement Office (PVEO) is the strategic engine behind our rapid commercial scaling. We don't just buy services; we design the workforce architecture that powers the Waymo Driver. In this senior leadership role, you will lead the Enterprise Outsourcing & Services vertical.

You will partner with Executives across Engineering, Operations, and Corporate functions to define the "Future of Work" at Waymo-determining how we leverage the global external ecosystem to scale our Mapping, Labeling, Engineering, and Corporate capabilities.

- Develop and execute a comprehensive procurement strategy for Engineering Services and R&D Hardware, balancing cost optimization with speed-to-market for prototypes and technical development.

- Proactively manage a high-volume pipeline of outsourced engineering workforce contracts; lead negotiations for mission-critical engineering design firms to secure favorable long-term commercial and IP terms.

- Structure and negotiate complex Statements of Work (SOWs) and Non-Recurring Engineering (NRE) agreements for hardware development to ensure successful project delivery and ROI.

- Optimize Joint Design Manufacturing (JDM) and Original Design Manufacturing (ODM) relationships for R&D components, ensuring competitive pricing and seamless fulfillment logistics for hardware iterations.

- Act as the trusted advisor to Engineering and Hardware leadership; lead complex "make vs. buy" analyses and influence technical requirements to drive commercial value and mitigate supply chain risk.

- Partner with Legal (IP/Security) to ensure all engineering services and hardware agreements meet Waymo's rigorous intellectual property protection and cybersecurity standards.

- 7+ years of strategic procurement experience, with at least 4+ years dedicated to Engineering Services, R&D, or Hardware sourcing.

- Deep expertise in outsourced engineering models (managed services, staff augmentation, fixed-bid) and experience negotiating with Tier 1 engineering service providers.

- Proven ability to draft and negotiate complex commercial contracts, including MSAs, NREs, JDM/ODM agreements, and highly technical Professional Services SOWs.

- Experience managing R&D hardware lifecycles (EVT, DVT, PVT) and negotiating with custom component manufacturers and prototyping houses.

- Strong financial acumen with the ability to present TCO (Total Cost of Ownership) analysis to Finance and Hardware Engineering leadership.

- Ability to operate in a high-velocity environment, managing multiple concurrent high-priority sourcing events for unreleased technologies.

- Experience in a hyper-growth Tech, Autonomous Vehicle (AV), or automotive manufacturing environment.

- Engineering background or profound understanding of hardware development and systems engineering principles.

- Experience using Ariba P2P, e-sourcing, and Spend Analysis tools.

- Estimated 10-15% (Vendor QBRs, supplier audits, & HQ visits as needed).