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.