Director, Procurement / Supply Chain Management

Job Description

Who are we?

Sidewalk Labs is an urban innovation company that tackles cities' greatest challenges. We create products and solutions, invest in new companies, and help developers build more sustainable, innovative, and equitable places around the world. Our ambitious vision requires us to push ourselves beyond conventional thinking, and we work hard in pursuit of our mission. Our cross-disciplinary team consists of experts from real estate, urban planning, government, finance, technology, and engineering, among other backgrounds.

Our urban innovations include Delve (a generative design product that empowers real estate teams to design better, faster, with less risk), Mesa (an easy-install kit for commercial buildings that cuts energy costs, improves tenant comfort, and simplifies building operations), Pebble (a low-cost vehicle sensor to help manage parking and curb space), and Affordable Electrification (a new way to manage home energy use to meet a customer’s monthly budget). We're also developing an offsite construction company that can deliver high-quality mass timber buildings for more sustainable living and working.

With the potential to radically improve quality of life in cities for all, our work is both exciting and complex. We are working to achieve something unprecedented — help us build it!

To date, we've incubated and invested in multiple companies focused on solving urban problems.

We now seek to create an offsite construction company delivering high-quality mass timber buildings for more sustainable living and working. The company's end-to-end approach will combine craft design and advanced manufacturing to produce customizable buildings with speed and certainty. It will be based in the Pacific Northwest. We have a unique opportunity to transform the way our urban environment is built, and build a successful venture in doing so. This company’s efforts will include:

• Designing, building, and operating a world-class advanced manufacturing facility and supply chain to produce panelized mass timber building components (floor cassettes, structural members, facade panels, and walls).
• Working with developers and architects to create high performance, market ready buildings that are optimized for production in our factory.
• Using advanced model-based digital manufacturing techniques to simulate and validate the production system design and performance, enabling us to deliver greater and earlier certainty project delivery price and schedule for our customers.
• Shipping optimally flat-packed, ready-to-assemble building parts to a customer’s development site, once the site is prepared for vertical construction.
• Investing in and scaling multiple business lines beyond the first factory, including digital design products, new material technologies, and digital factory solutions.

What is the role?

The Director of Procurement / Supply Chain Management is a dynamic and exciting role that will be foundational to establishing and executing on our supply chain strategy. You will be developing and leveraging a network of strategic sources, a fully integrated procurement system, and streamlining business processes that will enable the Mass Timber Buildings Factory team to quickly and efficiently procure goods and services, all while maintaining compliance, with sustainability and diversity in mind.

Primary responsibilities include:

Strategic Development : Selecting and developing preferred suppliers through strategic sourcing and establishing relationships. Leading CapEx strategic sourcing. Ensuring coordination across the end-to-end supply chain process, communicating with management regularly regarding the efficient flow of goods and services affecting production.

Systems : Supporting the team in the creation of methods that leverage digital tools and technology to drive high performance throughout the supply chain. Partnering with the Digital organization to select, implement and operate ERP (enterprise resource planning) and MRP (material requirements planning) systems.

Process : Developing risk management procedures. Partnering with the Production and Product Design teams to define quality control measures, and implement quality control procedures with vendors.

Team : Building out and supervising a right-sized, responsive procurement and purchasing team.

Over the next year, we will go from production system concept to strategy to execution, and will start production on our first building projects. For this role, the milestones are as follows:

• After 3 months you will have: Worked closely with the Product Design, Production, and Delivery teams to map out our team’s long-term procurement strategy, identifying both short and long-term needs and goals. Developed preferred supplier lists and started establishing relationships with suppliers with whom to collaborate on small scale buildings. Drafted, negotiated, and assisted in the management of the execution of purchase orders for goods, materials, and equipment, and services in close coordination with the company legal department. Partnered with the Digital to understand and document requirements for ERP/MRP systems.
• After 6 months you will have: Partnered with the Digital organization to select, and implement an ERP/MRP system. Created a standard strategic sourcing program. Conducted cost analyses and set benchmarks for improvement. Incorporated EPD (environmental product declaration) and timber procurement policies into the selection of suppliers, including tracking and auditing compliance with sustainable procurement policies. Developed a plan for a supplier diversity program.
• After 12 months you will have: Worked with the design and technical teams to deliver product per design specification, according to a project portfolio production schedule. Built out and supervised a responsive procurement and purchasing team that is aligned with our team’s long-term goals. Created an efficient logistics system, including maintaining the execution and structures around logistics (transportation, shipping, receiving). Collaborated with production on the creation and execution of inventory management strategy. Partnered with the Production and Product Design teams to define quality control measures, and implement quality control procedures with vendors, including checkpoints throughout the manufacturing and delivery process. Supported the development of product master data including the Bill of Materials, Kit of Parts definition, and sustainability data for products. Led the development of digital formatting requirements supporting Digital Director and Fabrication processes. Managed new sourcing requirements by the Design team and worked closely with the Construction team to ensure there is tight coordination across the end-to-end supply chain process.

What We Expect

• You preferably have procurement experience in manufacturing for construction
• You have a bachelor’s degree in business administration or supply chain management, APIC certification is a plus
• You have a solid understanding of building materials in the construction industry, ideally in mass timber, windows, doors, raw materials associated with facades, MEP components
• You have experience with developing a supplier diversity and sustainability program
• You want to be a part of a dynamic team that is fast-paced, where you embrace ambiguity and collaborate across teams to develop procurement strategies, systems, and processes
• You are detail-oriented and maintain a culture of continuous improvement and operational excellence, including operating in compliance with policies and procedures
• You are familiar with critical legal terms and conditions affecting procurement and have the ability to assist in the mitigation of risks for the company with respect to procurement.
• You have proficiency in MRP/ERP systems and software

We are very excited to hear from you.

Sidewalk Labs is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We actively seek applicants from underrepresented communities. Even if you are not 100% sure you are right for the role, please apply and we will be happy to consider your application. All employment is based on merit and business need, and we respond to each application we receive.