Material Program Manager
Wayve · Japan ·
- Work mode
- Hybrid
- Employment
- Contract
- Category
- Project management
Materials Program Manager (Purchasing Manager) for Wayve's autonomous-vehicle hardware programs in Japan, owning end-to-end materials execution: procurement, CTB readiness with suppliers, receiving, secure storage, and outbound shipping. Works closely with Engineering, Operations, and global Supply Chain in a hybrid role based in Tokyo or Yokohama.
About us
Founded in 2017, Wayve is the leading developer of Embodied AI technology. Our advanced AI software and foundation models enable vehicles to perceive, understand, and navigate any complex environment, enhancing the usability and safety of automated driving systems.
Our vision is to create autonomy that propels the world forward. Our intelligent, mapless, and hardware-agnostic AI products are designed for automakers, accelerating the transition from assisted to automated driving.
In our fast-paced environment big problems ignite us—we embrace uncertainty, leaning into complex challenges to unlock groundbreaking solutions. We aim high and stay humble in our pursuit of excellence, constantly learning and evolving as we pave the way for a smarter, safer future.
At Wayve, your contributions matter. We value diversity, embrace new perspectives, and foster an inclusive work environment; we back each other to deliver impact.
Make Wayve the experience that defines your career!
The role
The Purchasing Manager (Japan) is responsible for end-to-end materials execution for Wayve’s autonomous vehicle and hardware programs in Japan. This includes materials procurement, supplier coordination, CTB readiness, material receiving, secure storage, and outbound shipping, in close partnership with Engineering, Operations, and the global Supply Chain team.
This role ensures that materials flow efficiently from suppliers through receipt, storage, and delivery to workshops or vehicle upfitting locations, while maintaining visibility, cost control, and compliance. The role operates in a fast-paced, Agile environment and plays a critical part in taking early-stage hardware development toward scalable execution.
Key Responsibilities
Materials Program Ownership & Execution
- Own and manage materials programs enabling Wayve’s autonomous vehicle and hardware development in Japan
- Drive execution across procurement, receiving, storage, and shipping to meet aggressive program milestones
- Identify and manage dependencies and blockers across multi-disciplinary teams to ensure smooth materials flow
Materials Procurement & CTB Readiness
- Own materials procurement activities in coordination with sourcing and purchasing teams
- Drive and manage the CTB (Clear to Build) process with suppliers, contract manufacturers, workshop teams, and internal stakeholders
- Ensure clear visibility into procurement strategy, material availability, lead times, and build readiness
- Support supplier negotiations on pricing, availability, and scale readiness
Supplier & Partner Management
- Work closely with Engineering to onboard, set up, and manage suppliers and partners within the Japanese market
- Own tracking of supplier progress, deliverables, and handoffs
- Build strong working relationships with suppliers across a broad range of industries
- Support escalation management and issue resolution, acting as the primary local point of contact
Materials Receiving, Storage & Shipping
- Coordinate and oversee material receiving in Japan, ensuring accuracy, traceability, and proper documentation
- Manage secure storage of high-value, long-lead-time materials, including inventory tracking and access controls
- Coordinate outbound shipping of materials to workshops, vehicle upfitting locations, or other Wayve sites
- Work with local Japanese logistics and customs requirements and internal teams to ensure compliant and timely shipments
Engineering Collaboration & Design Support
- Partner with Engineering, Operations, and Product teams to embed strong engineering and manufacturing practices
- Support design-for-manufacturing and design-for-scale decisions
- Help guide early-stage designs toward scalable, cost-effective production solutions
Cross-Functional Coordination & Communication
- Act as a central point of coordination across Engineering, Supply Chain, Operations, and external partners
- Drive alignment and decision-making across stakeholders with competing priorities
- Clearly communicate risks, tradeoffs, and decisions to both working-level teams and leadership
Success Metrics
- On-time materials procurement and readiness aligned to program milestones
- Clear CTB visibility with reduced last-minute procurement escalations
- Accurate material receiving, storage, and inventory tracking
- Reliable and compliant outbound shipping execution
- Improved cost visibility and supplier execution
Essential Qualifications
- 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
- 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
This is a full-time role based in our offices in either Tokyo or Yokohama. At Wayve we want the best of all worlds so we operate a hybrid working policy that combines time together in our offices and workshops to fuel innovation, culture, relationships and learning, and time spent working from home. We operate core working hours so you can determine the schedule that works best for you and your team.
Wayve is committed to creating an inclusive interview experience. If you require any accommodations or adjustments to participate fully in our interview process, please let us know.
We understand that everyone has a unique set of skills and experiences and that not everyone will meet all of the requirements listed above. If you’re passionate about self-driving cars and think you have what it takes to make a positive impact on the world, we encourage you to apply.
At Wayve we're committed to creating a diverse, fair and respectful culture that is inclusive of everyone based on their unique skills and perspectives, and regardless of sex, race, religion or belief, ethnic or national origin, disability, age, citizenship, marital, domestic or civil partnership status, sexual orientation, gender identity, veteran status, pregnancy or related condition (including breastfeeding) or any other basis as protected by applicable law.
For more information visit Careers at Wayve.
To learn more about what drives us, visit Values at Wayve
For US candidates only, please visit E-Verify Notice and Participation and Right to Work
DISCLAIMER: We will not ask about marriage or pregnancy, care responsibilities or disabilities in any of our job adverts or interviews. However, we do look to capture information about care responsibilities, and disabilities among other diversity information as part of an optional DEI Monitoring form to help us identify areas of improvement in our hiring process and ensure that the process is inclusive and non-discriminatory.