Team Lead, Global Enterprise Outsourcing Services 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.

You will:

• Strategic Leadership: Lead and scale a high-performing team of  Category Managers. You will act as a "Manager of Leaders," setting the long-term vision for Waymo’s external workforce and services ecosystem across Engineering, Ops, and Corporate functions.
• Enterprise Workforce Architecture & Business Partnership: Partner with the Vendor Enablement Office and executive stakeholders (Engineering, Marketing, Safety, Ops) to design global outsourcing footprints for critical functions like Mapping, Labeling, and Hardware. You will drive alignment on the $100M+ portfolio, shifting from transactional vendor usage to strategic capability building.
• Strategic Supplier Alliances: Cultivate high-level relationships with key market leaders in the BPO and Engineering Services landscape. You will bridge the gap between Waymo’s internal needs and external market capabilities, establishing deep partnerships that unlock innovation and preferential access to talent.
• Enterprise Operations Category Strategy: Lead the category strategy and transformation roadmap for Waymo’s critical operations, ensuring resilience, scalability, and cost-optimization to support rapid market expansion.
• Commercial Innovation: Architect complex, bespoke commercial agreements for Hardware Engineering Services and technical outsourcing, introducing outcome-based models that share risk and reward with strategic partners.
• Risk & Governance: Own the governance framework for Third-Party Risk in the services sector, ensuring IP protection and data security compliance across a global supplier base.

You have:

• 12+ years of strategic procurement or supply chain experience, with at least 5 years leading high-performance teams in a complex, fast-paced environment.
• Executive Presence: Proven track record of influencing Director + level stakeholders, with the ability to challenge the status quo and drive organizational change at the highest levels.
• Complex Outsourcing Expertise: Deep experience architecting global BPO/Engineering Services deals, including "Lift and Shift" transitions, captive center setups, or large-scale managed service implementations.
• Holistic Category Leadership: Experience managing a diverse portfolio that spans both highly technical (Engineering/Hardware) and highly subjective (Marketing/Consulting) categories.
• Contracting Mastery: Expert-level knowledge of complex Master Services Agreements (MSAs), including IP ownership, liability caps, and global labor compliance.
• Strategic Vision: Ability to look 3-5 years out and design a supply base that can support exponential business growth, rather than just solving for today's needs.

We prefer:

• MBA or Advanced Degree in Procurement/Supply Chain/Business.
• Experience in the Autonomous Vehicle, Automotive, or Big Tech sectors partnering with suppliers to deliver on complex workflows and "Human-in-the-Loop" AI operations.
• Experience managing "Category Managers" or leading a global team across multiple time zones.

In accordance with Washington state law, we are highlighting our comprehensive benefits package, which is available to all eligible US based employees. Benefits for this role include:

• Health, dental, vision, life, disability insurance
• Retirement Benefits: 401(k) with company match
• Paid Time Off: 20 days of vacation per year, accruing at a rate of 6.15 hours per pay period for the first five years of employment
• Sick Time: 40 hours/year (statutory, where applicable); 5 days/event (discretionary)
• Maternity Leave (Short-Term Disability + Baby Bonding): 28-30 weeks
• Baby Bonding Leave: 18 weeks
• Holidays: 13 paid days per year

Please note that Waymo may not be able to employ remotely in all locations. Please speak with your recruiter about your preferred location for remote work when you begin the interview process.