Strategic Sourcing Manager – Indirect Materials (Engineering)

Job Description

The Strategic Sourcing Manager – Indirect Materials (Engineering) will lead category strategy and execution for high-impact engineering-related spend, including engineering lab equipment, Engineering PCBA builds and prototypes, engineering services, software licensing, intellectual property (IP), EDA tools, and capital equipment. This role owns end-to-end sourcing, supplier relationship management, commercial negotiations, and contracting to deliver measurable outcomes in cost, quality, delivery, risk, and innovation. The ideal candidate thrives in a fast-paced engineering environment and partners effectively across engineering, finance, legal, quality, and operations to enable product development and business growth.

You’ll join a global Engineering Sourcing organization supporting advanced product development and engineering operations. The team partners closely with R&D and engineering functions to enable innovation while delivering best-in-class commercial outcomes and supplier ecosystems.

Key Responsibilities

Category Strategy & Sourcing Leadership

• Develop and execute multi-year category strategies aligned to engineering roadmaps, product development milestones, and budget targets.
• Lead end-to-end sourcing activities across:
  • Engineering lab equipment (test/measurement, validation, lab infrastructure)
  • Engineering PCBA builds (prototype, NPI, quick-turn builds, debug re-spins)
  • Engineering services (ASIC/FPGA design, validation, firmware/software, system design)
  • Software licensing / EDA (tools, platforms, compute, and license models)
  • Intellectual property (controller/PHY/NPU/SerDes IP, verification IP, licensing)
  • Capital equipment (engineering/test capex and lab expansion requirements)
• Drive disciplined RFx (RFI/RFQ/RFP) execution, competitive bidding, supplier selection, and award recommendations.

Supplier Relationship Management & Performance

• Identify, qualify, and develop suppliers to meet business needs for cost, quality, delivery, and technology capability.
• Establish governance cadence and accountability through SPR/QBR/HBR, including performance scorecards and corrective actions.
• Lead supplier development initiatives to improve:
  • Lead time and delivery reliability
  • Quality and yield/defect reduction (as applicable to builds/services)
  • Responsiveness and engineering change agility

Commercial Negotiation & Contracting Management

• Lead commercial negotiations for complex engineering categories, including:
  • Pricing models, volume breaks, and rate cards
  • NRE structures (milestone-based payments, acceptance criteria)
  • Software/EDA licensing constructs (subscription, term, tokens, usage-based, enterprise)
  • IP licensing structures (upfront, milestone, royalty, maintenance/support)
• Partner with Legal to draft/review and close contracts, including:
  • NDAs, MSAs, SOWs, Statements of Work, change orders
  • License agreements, support agreements, SLAs
• Ensure contracts include appropriate deliverables, acceptance criteria, audit/usage rights (as applicable), confidentiality, IP ownership, indemnity, and termination protections.
• Partner with legal to ensure IP protection and compliance

Cost Optimization & Financial Analysis

• Deliver annual cost reduction and cost avoidance targets
• Conduct:
  • Cost modeling and benchmarking
  • Market and supplier analysis
  • Business case development for sourcing decisions
• Track and report savings, spending, and budget adherence

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Partner closely with:
  • Engineering (design, validation, architecture)
  • Legal (contracts, IP, compliance)
  • Finance (budgeting, ROI analysis)
  • Quality & operations teams
• Align sourcing decisions with program timelines and technical requirements

Risk Management, Compliance & Supply Continuity

• Identify and mitigate supplier and category risks, including:
  • Single-source dependencies and technology lock-in
  • Capacity constraints and long lead-time equipment
  • Contract compliance, license compliance, and entitlement usage
• Support compliance with internal policies and external requirements (as relevant), such as:
  • Supplier onboarding, security, and confidentiality controls
  • Regulatory / trade considerations for cross-border procurement (when applicable)

Reporting, Analytics & Executive Communication

• Maintain and communicate key performance indicators:
  • Spend, savings, supplier performance, contract coverage, cycle times, open POs
• Prepare executive-ready materials summarizing:
  • Opportunities, decisions, risks, negotiation status, and recommended actions

Core Competencies

• Strategic thinking + execution rigor (category strategy to measurable outcomes)
• Commercial excellence (negotiation, contracting, risk/terms management)
• Stakeholder influence (engineering partnership, executive communication)
• Supplier management (governance, performance improvement, escalation)
• Data-driven decision-making (analytics, TCO, benchmarking)
• Adaptability in fast-moving engineering priorities and ambiguous environments

Key Deliverables / Success Metrics

• Achieve annual savings and cost avoidance targets with auditable tracking.
• Improve supplier performance: OTD, quality, responsiveness, innovation contributions.
• Increase contract coverage and compliance for engineering categories.
• Reduce sourcing cycle times while improving stakeholder satisfaction.
• Strengthen supply continuity and reduce category risk exposure.

Qualifications

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain, Engineering, Business, or related field (Master’s preferred).
• 5+ years of experience in strategic sourcing, category management, or procurement, with demonstrated ownership of complex indirect categories.
• Proven experience sourcing one or more of the following:
  • Engineering services / design services
  • Software licensing and/or EDA tools
  • IP licensing and/or NRE-driven engineering deliverables
  • Lab equipment, prototypes, and/or capex procurement
• Strong negotiation track record with measurable commercial outcomes.
• Strong analytical skills with ability to build business cases and communicate trade-offs clearly.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in semiconductor, electronics, systems engineering, or high-tech product development environments.
• Familiarity with:
  • Engineering prototype build flows (PCBA NPI, quick-turn, debug cycles)
  • EDA licensing frameworks and entitlement management
  • IP licensing constructs (upfront/milestone/royalty)
• Experience working with global stakeholders and suppliers across time zones.
• Proficiency in sourcing tools/ERP and analytics platforms (e.g., SAP/Oracle/Ariba/Coupa; Power BI/Tableau).

Additional Information

Sandisk thrives on the power and potential of diversity. As a global company, we believe the most effective way to embrace the diversity of our customers and communities is to mirror it from within. We believe the fusion of various perspectives results in the best outcomes for our employees, our company, our customers, and the world around us. We are committed to an inclusive environment where every individual can thrive through a sense of belonging, respect and contribution.

Sandisk is committed to offering opportunities to applicants with disabilities and ensuring all candidates can successfully navigate our careers website and our hiring process. Please contact us at jobs.accommodations@sandisk.com to advise us of your accommodation request. In your email, please include a description of the specific accommodation you are requesting as well as the job title and requisition number of the position for which you are applying.