Global Vendor Operations Manager

Waymo is an autonomous driving technology company with the mission to be the world's most trusted driver. Since its start as the Google Self-Driving Car Project in 2009, Waymo has focused on building the Waymo Driver—The World's Most Experienced Driver™—to improve access to mobility while saving thousands of lives now lost to traffic crashes. The Waymo Driver powers Waymo’s fully autonomous ride-hail service and can also be applied to a range of vehicle platforms and product use cases. The Waymo Driver has provided over ten million rider-only trips, enabled by its experience autonomously driving over 100 million miles on public roads and tens of billions in simulation across 15+ U.S. states.

You will join the Vendor Management team within the Global Places and Services (GPS) organization. We own the end-to-end lifecycle for vendor transaction sourcing and contracting below designated financial thresholds, while partnering closely with Procurement to facilitate larger, high-value vendor transactions. Our team leads the charge on comprehensive vendor performance and relationship management, ensuring our third-party partners remain strictly accountable to their committed service levels. We also manage the critical operational mechanics behind each vendor engagement, including purchase order creation and invoice processing. 

This role follows a hybrid work schedule and reports to the GPS Enablement Lead.

You will:

• Define & Own the Vendor Framework: Define, establish, and own the framework, performance standards, and contracting guidelines that govern how GPS manages third-party vendors globally.
• Oversee Vendor Sourcing & Contracting: Oversee the end-to-end sourcing, bidding, and contract negotiation processes for all vendor transactions falling under a designated financial threshold.
• Manage Performance & Business Reviews: Oversee the ongoing performance of our vendor ecosystem to guarantee maximum service quality and commercial value, establishing structured scorecards and overseeing the strategic Business Review (QBR) cadence with vendors.
• Partner with Enterprise Procurement: Partner closely with Waymo's Procurement organization for large-scale enterprise contracts exceeding our designated thresholds.
• Oversee Vendor Administration & Invoicing: Oversee the end-to-end administrative workflows for the vendor portfolio, ensuring seamless transactional operations.
• Build & Lead a High-Performing Team: Build, mentor, and lead a dedicated team of vendor managers and specialists, fostering a culture of operational excellence, process rigor, and continuous professional development.

You have:

• BA/BS Degree: BA/BS degree in Supply Chain Management, Business Administration, Finance, or a related field (or equivalent practical experience).
• Enterprise Vendor Management Experience: 7-10 years of experience leading vendor management, operational procurement, or supplier relations.
• Vendor Performance & Compliance Expertise: Strong experience establishing supplier scorecard frameworks, holding vendors accountable to service deliverables (SLAs and KPIs), and designing corrective action plans to resolve persistent performance failures.
• Leadership & Resource Orchestration: Experience in a formal management or team leadership capacity, with a demonstrated ability to mentor team members, strategically allocate resources, and drive alignment.

We prefer:

• Diverse Vendor Category Management: Experience managing and negotiating across a highly diverse portfolio of operational vendors, including construction contractors, facilities maintenance teams, physical security and guarding services, etc.
• New Market Expansion Scaling: Proven experience establishing third-party vendor networks, service coverage, and local supplier agreements from scratch during new market entries or geographic expansions.
• Procurement System Familiarity: Deep familiarity with modern enterprise procurement and spend-management systems.
• Professional Procurement & Sourcing Credentials: Active professional certification in purchasing, procurement, or supply chain management (e.g., CPSM, CSCP, etc.).