Lead Global Supply Manager - Drive Unit

The Rivian Supply Chain team is looking for highly motivated and strategic purchasing leaders to bring Rivian’s engineered products to life. As a Lead Global Supply Manager, you are an advanced individual contributor and subject matter expert responsible for the strategic sourcing, supplier selection, and multi-generational lifecycle management for our vehicle programs, including R1, R2, R3, and Electric Delivery Vehicles.

In this role, you lead the commercial relationship for our most complex domains, partnering closely with cross-functional leadership to architect the future of our innovative technical requirements. You act autonomously to manage several large projects with significant spend, navigating changing economic and political landscapes to prevent production risks. You are responsible for ensuring Rivian meets aggressive cost targets and timelines while solving systemic challenges that affect long-term project health. We are looking for an expert thinker who is passionate about optimizing the sourcing process and driving organizational stability through advanced negotiation and risk prevention.

This position is based onsite in Irvine, California and reports to the Senior Manager of Global Supply Management.

Sourcing: Concurrently lead several large projects with medium-high vehicle spend for drive unit. Drive the competitive bid process with little to no leadership direction and lead Director-level communications and reviews.

Systems & Process: Act as an expert user of supply chain systems to support business needs. Lead the onboarding and training of new team members to procurement systems.

Technical Understanding: Apply significant experience managing drive unit commodity to drive a strategy that supports the next vehicle program. Identify risks proactively to maintain a neutral position for the organization.

Negotiations: Negotiate most commercial terms with very limited legal involvement. Actively apply creative thinking in negotiations by utilizing non-monetary tradeoffs to achieve Rivian targets.

Supplier Management: Maintain strong relationships at the supplier Senior Management level. Drive accountability and resolve conflicts with minimal escalation while maintaining a robust understanding of sub-suppliers through raw materials.

Stakeholder Management: Leverage industry knowledge to build strong internal and external relationships. Proactively communicate valuable information to stakeholders to mitigate risk and enable timely decision-making.

Project Management & Risk Mitigation: Lead large-scale projects with autonomy. Proactively identify and mitigate risks through detailed risk mapping and see resolutions through to completion.

Education and Experience: Bachelor’s degree in Business, Supply Chain, or Engineering and a minimum of 6 years of relevant experience.

Domain Expertise: Significant experience managing end-to-end procurement lifecycles; proven ability to drive commodity strategies for next-gen platforms.

Technical Skills: Expert user of SAP and analytical tools; ability to identify should-cost opportunities prior to engaging cost estimation groups.

Communication: Exceptional interpersonal skills; ability to facilitate productive conversations and gain buy-in with a clear vision.

Execution: Proven ability to resolve complex problems involving multiple variables and stakeholders; implements comprehensive risk mitigation.

* Operational Style: Acts instinctively to manage and prioritize complex workloads with little manager input; serves as a cross-functional advisor.