About this opportunity
Stealth Startup lists this Head of Procurement & Strategic Sourcing opportunity in palo alto, California. Review the employer’s description below for duties, qualifications and application requirements.
Job description
We're a fast-growing hardware startup in Palo Alto building physical systems that have to actually work which means the parts have to show up, on spec and on schedule. We're hiring our next strategic sourcing team member to own that.
This is a build role. You'll own the supply base and the spend, and you'll also own the shape of the team: who we hire, how we're structured, what "good" looks like, and which processes and systems we put in place before scale makes them mandatory. You'll be senior enough to set strategy and hands‑on enough to run the negotiation yourself when it matters.
You'll report directly to the CEO and partner closely with engineering, operations, and finance — in person, in Palo Alto. Hardware problems get solved faster when everyone is in the same room, and that's how we work.
Build the team
Hire, onboard, and develop a procurement and sourcing team from a small base. You'll help define the roles before you fill them.
Set clear ownership across categories, and coach the team on negotiation, supplier management, and technical fluency.
Establish the operating rhythm: supplier reviews, spend reporting, escalation paths, and the metrics leadership sees.
Own the supply base
Set sourcing strategy across compute, networking, electrical, and mechanical categories including make vs. buy, single vs. dual source, onshore vs. offshore.
Lead high‑value negotiations personally: pricing, lead times, payment terms, capacity commitments, and long‑term supply agreements.
Build strategic relationships with key suppliers, contract manufacturers, and ODMs, and hold them accountable through scorecards and QBRs.
Own supply risk end to end including allocation, long‑lead components, geopolitical and tariff exposure, single points of failure.
About the role
We're a fast-growing hardware startup in Palo Alto building physical systems that have to actually work which means the parts have to show up, on spec and on schedule. We're hiring our next strategic sourcing team member to own that.
This is a build role. You'll own the supply base and the spend, and you'll also own the shape of the team: who we hire, how we're structured, what "good" looks like, and which processes and systems we put in place before scale makes them mandatory. You'll be senior enough to set strategy and hands‑on enough to run the negotiation yourself when it matters.
You'll report directly to the CEO and partner closely with engineering, operations, and finance — in person, in Palo Alto. Hardware problems get solved faster when everyone is in the same room, and that's how we work.
Build the team
Hire, onboard, and develop a procurement and sourcing team from a small base. You'll help define the roles before you fill them.
Set clear ownership across categories, and coach the team on negotiation, supplier management, and technical fluency.
Establish the operating rhythm: supplier reviews, spend reporting, escalation paths, and the metrics leadership sees.
Own the supply base
Set sourcing strategy across compute, networking, electrical, and mechanical categories including make vs. buy, single vs. dual source, onshore vs. offshore.
Lead high‑value negotiations personally: pricing, lead times, payment terms, capacity commitments, and long‑term supply agreements.
Build strategic relationships with key suppliers, contract manufacturers, and ODMs, and hold them accountable through scorecards and QBRs.
Own supply risk end to end including allocation, long‑lead components, geopolitical and tariff exposure, single points of failure.
What we're looking for
5+ years in procurement, strategic sourcing, purchasing, or supply chain, with meaningful time in hardware or complex sourcing.
2+ years leading people — you've hired, managed, and developed a team, ideally one you built rather than inherited.
A track record of owning significant spend and closing negotiations you can point to: the terms you won, the cost you took out, the supply you secured.
Comfort reading BOMs, specs, drawings, and datasheets well enough to push back on an engineer and be right.
Experience standing up or materially improving procurement process and systems (NetSuite, SAP, Oracle, Odoo, or similar), not just operating inside someone else's.
The judgment to know when to build process and when to just get the part, startups need both.
Willing and able to work onsite in Palo Alto, five days a week.
Nice to have (but we're flexible)
We care more about how you think, negotiate, and build teams than about your exact background. That said, we'd be especially glad to talk with you if you've led sourcing in one of these areas:
Compute — servers, GPUs, accelerators, storage, or datacenter hardware
Networking — switches, optics/transceivers, cabling, or network infrastructure
Electrical — power distribution, PCBs and PCBAs, connectors, cables and harnesses, passives, or electronic components
Mechanical — machined parts, sheet metal, castings, injection‑molded parts, fasteners, or contract manufacturing
Also useful: scaling procurement through a period of rapid growth, managing allocation‑constrained or long‑lead supply, international and cross‑border supplier management, or building a procurement function from scratch at an early‑stage company.
Compensation and benefits
Base salary range of $175,000 – $250,000 , plus significant equity. Where an offer lands in that range depends on experience, leadership scope, depth in relevant categories, and interview performance.
We also offer:
Employer funded medical, dental, and vision coverage
Flexible PTO
Daily meals and a fully stocked office
We're an equal opportunity employer. We consider all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, veteran status, or any other protected characteristic. We also consider qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records consistent with applicable law.
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Worksite address
palo alto, CA, 94306, US
Who can apply
Review the original listing for work authorization, qualifications and employer requirements.