Strategic Sourcing Manager, Core Technologies – Humanoid Robotics

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.

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

Qualifications
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 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