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Salary: USD 150,000 - 180,000 / annual
Ayar Labs is pioneering co-packaged optics (CPO) technology to move data at the speed of light, enabling next-generation AI infrastructure. Backed by NVIDIA, AMD, and Intel, the company manufactures optical interconnect solutions (TeraPHY and SuperNova products) that replace electrical connections with photonic ones, dramatically improving data throughput and energy efficiency for AI systems.
As Senior Manager of Procurement, you will own end-to-end sourcing and supplier management for all components and materials in Ayar Labs' optical products. This includes silicon photonic wafers and ICs, laser sources (DFB/EML arrays), optical and mechanical subassemblies, specialty substrates, fiber connectors, and test hardware. You will identify and qualify suppliers of photonic components and specialty semiconductors, establish multi-source strategies to mitigate supply risk on critical items like laser sources, and negotiate pricing and long-term supply agreements.
Key responsibilities include: driving total-cost-of-ownership reductions through should-cost modeling and value engineering; partnering with Engineering, NPI, Quality, and Operations teams to support new product introduction and the transition from prototype to volume production; monitoring and mitigating supply chain risk across the optical components ecosystem, including lead times, allocation, and export-control exposure; managing supplier performance through scorecards and business reviews; supporting demand planning and inventory strategy; tracking technology and supplier trends in the optical transceiver and pluggable module markets (400G/800G/1.6T standards); sourcing prototype materials and lab consumables for R&D; and procuring optical and electrical test equipment for engineering labs and production test lines.
This role requires hands-on experience procuring optical transceivers, pluggable modules, or silicon photonics products, with the ability to translate industry knowledge into supplier strategy for Ayar Labs' unique chiplet and light-source architecture. Some travel is required. The position is based at Ayar Labs' headquarters in San Jose, CA.
REQUIREMENTS:
- Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain Management, Business, or related field
- 8+ years of procurement or strategic sourcing experience, including 3+ years focused on optical, photonic, or semiconductor components
- Direct experience sourcing components for optical transceivers, pluggable modules, or silicon photonics products (lasers, photonic ICs, TOSA/ROSA, optical connectors, DSPs) with working knowledge of MSA/industry standards (QSFP-DD, OSFP, CMIS)
- Demonstrated success negotiating supply agreements and driving cost reduction with semiconductor, laser, or optical component suppliers
- Experience supporting NPI and scaling supply chains from prototype through volume production, ideally in a hardware startup or fabless semiconductor environment
- Working knowledge of semiconductor/photonics manufacturing, packaging, and test flows
- Proficiency with ERP/procurement systems (NetSuite, SAP, Oracle) and cost-modeling tools
- Excellent negotiation, analytical, and cross-functional communication skills
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:
- Prior experience at, or sourcing from, companies producing optical transceivers, pluggables, or optical engines
- Knowledge of co-packaged optics (CPO), UCIe, and advanced chiplet packaging
- Fluent in Mandarin
- CPSM, CPIM, or CIPS certification
- Direct sourcing experience with laser diodes (DFB/EML/VCSEL), WDM components, or fiber optic assemblies
