Strategic Sourcing Manager, Core Technologies – Humanoid Robotics

Meta•Redmond, WA

11d•$168,000 - $234,000

About The Position

The Strategic Sourcing & Supplier Development Engineering Group at Meta Reality Labs is seeking a Strategic Sourcing Manager to lead one of our most strategic technology categories: Core Technologies in humanoid robotics that spans broad categories of technologies. This role focuses on identifying, selecting, and developing long-term partnerships for new and sophisticated technologies through early cross-functional engagement with Industrial Design, Hardware Engineering, and Product Management. You will align external partner strategy to internal product roadmap needs, delivering high-quality components and modules at the right time, speed, and cost. The ideal candidate will have high ambition to impact both business and technical challenges, excelling not only in NPI/MP but also in NTIs and concept explorations. Success requires demonstrated ability to navigate ambiguity through data-driven analysis, evaluation of alternatives, open-mindedness, strategic thinking, and experience communicating technical and strategic decisions in writing and verbally to cross-functional and executive stakeholders.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in engineering or extensive experience in related field
10+ years of experience in consumer electronics or technology industry, with experience scaling technologies from concept stage through mass production
Experience articulating points of view to executive management while executing on plans when directed
Experience working embedded with Hardware and Systems Engineering throughout the product development process
Experience building relationships with Engineering, Product Management, and other cross-functional partners; ability to drive discussions on technical specification optimization and feature vs. value trade-offs
Experience building and influencing relationships at suppliers' executive level with a holistic view of supplier core capabilities, enabling future collaboration in new and uncharted technology domains
Data-driven problem-solving skills to address multi-dimensional problems with high uncertainty across multiple functional teams
Experience in supplier evaluation/selection, should-cost modeling, contract negotiation, and supply base management
Ability to travel domestically and internationally up to 25%
Factory management and operations experience

Nice To Haves

Experience adhering to and implementing responsible, ethical AI practices (e.g., risk assessment, bias mitigation, quality and accuracy reviews)
Experience working on New Technology Introduction (NTI)
Demonstrated ongoing AI skill development (e.g., prompt/context engineering, agent orchestration) and staying current with emerging AI technologies
Experience and knowledge in custom mechanicals, display, cameras, and sensing technologies
Demonstrated ability to integrate AI tools to optimize/redesign workflows and drive measurable impact (e.g., efficiency gains, quality improvements)
Experience in financial statement analysis to derive should-cost models and assess supplier cost competitiveness and financial strength, as well as gathering market intelligence
Master's degree or PhD in a technical discipline, and/or MBA

Responsibilities

Conduct global market landscape analyses for new technologies, modules, and use-cases; partner with PMs, engineering leads, and other cross-functional stakeholders to recommend the right partner decision matrix serving Reality Labs' long-term technology needs
Actively engage in and influence new technology exploration; collaborate with cross-functional partners to create a long-term Technology Roadmap aligned with Product Roadmaps, and advise executive leadership on partner/supplier strategy
Own technology transfer into suppliers and elevate suppliers' technology capabilities
Work with Hardware Engineering and Tech Ops teams to enable the right development frameworks at select partners, kick-starting manufacturing and process technology solutions aligned with long-term needs
Develop and drive technology partner engagement strategy ensuring suppliers can meet Meta's current and future technical and business requirements
Drive strategic supply chain direction and innovation via the Value Innovation Forum with product design and technology operations
Utilize expertise in component manufacturing processes to assess supplier capabilities, resolve capacity constraints, and validate cost dependencies
Support and influence Industrial Design and Hardware Engineering teams in new technology scoping efforts with potential materials, process, and equipment partners
Partner with cross-functional teams to drive the supplier selection process (own RFx) and component qualification under strict engineering and commercial best practices
Actively participate in solving technical and operational challenges alongside cross-functional partners to keep product launch schedules on track
Perform Value Engineering: alternate source qualification, alternate materials/process evaluation, quality assessment, and cost reduction initiatives at the material and manufacturing level
Serve as an expert in commodity technology, cost, and supply with strong command of value engineering and technical cost reduction concepts at both product and category levels
Drive Early Supplier Involvement initiatives to ensure suppliers proactively contribute to new product designs and future product roadmaps
Drive product cost optimization and negotiate competitive pricing while considering total cost of ownership, including product cost, CapEx, logistics, inventory, and cost of quality
Apply cost engineering principles to deliver detailed and competitive should-cost and budget (OpEx/CapEx) projections that can withstand rigorous scrutiny and challenge
Formulate contingency plans to de-risk technical challenges, long lead times, single-source dependencies, and supply risks
Drive supplier and site readiness activities for NTI and NPI programs leading to successful product launches at required volumes, spanning operational, commercial, and legal domains
Maintain accountability for securing components and/or services that provide competitive advantage in both technology and cost for Meta