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Wayve is building AI-powered autonomous driving technology. As Material Program Manager in Japan, you will own end-to-end materials execution for Wayve's autonomous vehicle and hardware programs, operating at the intersection of hardware development, engineering, and operations.
Your responsibilities include:
- Owning and managing materials programs that enable autonomous vehicle and hardware development in Japan, driving execution across procurement, receiving, storage, and shipping to meet aggressive program milestones.
- Identifying and managing dependencies and blockers across multi-disciplinary teams to keep materials flowing smoothly.
- Owning materials procurement in coordination with sourcing and purchasing teams, and supporting supplier negotiations on pricing, availability, and scale readiness.
- Driving the CTB (Clear to Build) process with suppliers, contract manufacturers, workshop teams, and internal stakeholders, with clear visibility of material availability, lead times, and build readiness.
- Working with Engineering to onboard, set up, and manage suppliers and partners in the Japanese market, acting as the primary relationship owner for local vehicle outfitters.
- Coordinating material receiving, secure storage of high-value, long-lead-time materials, and inventory tracking with accuracy, traceability, and proper documentation.
- Coordinating outbound shipping to workshops, vehicle outfitter facilities, and other Wayve sites in line with Japanese logistics and customs requirements.
- Partnering with Engineering, Operations, and Product to support design-for-manufacturing and design-for-scale decisions.
- Acting as the central point of coordination across Engineering, Supply Chain, Operations, and external partners, communicating risks, trade-offs, and decisions clearly to teams and leadership.
You will work in a lean, hands-on, highly cross-functional global team in a fast-paced environment. The role combines warehouse-level material flow management with commercial relationship ownership for local suppliers and vehicle outfitters.
Requirements:
- Experience bringing newly developed products to scale through supplier and partner relationships.
- Strong project or program management experience with the ability to influence across teams.
- Experience coordinating materials procurement, receiving, storage, and shipping.
- Full Professional proficiency in English and Japanese (written and verbal).
- Knowledge of Japanese logistics, import/export regulations, and local business etiquette.
- Ability to perform cost analysis and support negotiations.
- Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills.
- Comfortable working in an Agile environment with aggressive timelines.
