Title:  Principal Supply Manager

QuantumScape is on a mission to transform energy storage with solid-state lithium-metal battery technology. The company’s next-generation batteries are designed to enable greater energy density, faster charging and enhanced safety to support the transition away from legacy energy sources toward a lower carbon future.

About the team: The Supply Chain team is responsible for owning key supplier relationships and working cross-functionally with internal customers to ensure supply to the operation meets QS needs in timeline, quality, quantity, and price, both now and in the future.

What you’ll do: To assure supply to QS operations, through creating, building, and fostering strong partnerships with external material suppliers and contract manufacturing partners.

The QS Supply Chain team accomplishes this through the two categories of responsibilities:

• Source & Develop: Find suppliers who are capable of producing the materials that meet our needs, and coordinate between QS internal technical teams and the supplier until the supplier is able to meet QS specifications 
  • Identify candidate suppliers & introduce them to technical teams
  • Identify, consolidate, and communicate requirements
  • Coordinate iteration and communication to align QS requirements with supplier capability
  • Drive spec definition and qualification plan and timeline
  • Contribute to or create schedules and Gantts

• Maintain: Ensure inventory of qualified supply to meet QS demand
  • Establish and execute inventory policy
  • Generate and communicate demand forecasts

In order to source, develop, and maintain supply, you will:

• Own and manage supplier relationships
  • Provide business context to technical updates
  • Provide forecasts for near-term orders and long-term scale-up planning
  • Host and coordinate onsite meetings
  • Advocate for QS’s interests – e.g. quality issues, changes in direction/priorities
  • Negotiate pricing and supply agreements
  • Set objectives and priorities with suppliers
  • Consolidate development and production demand plans
• Own supply strategy for your assigned categories or items
  • Own supplier selection and development
  • Determine partnership/engagement model
  • Understand the supply chain
  • Create and maintain cost models

In addition, you will:

• Act as the internal expert on supply for the materials you manage
• Navigate complex supplier relationships and effectively communicate supply strategy internally
• Look beyond your own discipline to define and resolve complex problems
• Influence without authority – drive consensus across teams to resolve supply challenges

Skills you’ll need:

• Bachelor’s and 9+ years’ experience or Master’s degree in a technical field and 8+ years’ experience, or relevant Ph.D. and 5+ years’ experience with exposure to manufacturing environments
• You have a solid track record for managing multiple, competing priorities, and working across cross-functional teams.
• You are organized and detail oriented
• You have high EQ and are both an outstanding communicator and listener, with a focus on the customer
• You have strong Excel skills
• You have strong intuition and problem-solving skills
• You are a self-starter and are willing to step outside of your comfort zone

Nice to have:

• Experience working with battery materials and knowledge of battery suppliers and market
• Experience acting as the interface between technical internal customers and external suppliers
• Experience understanding technical part drawings

ONSITE: This position is required to work onsite 5 days per week to meet the minimum essential duties and requirements of this position.  As an on-site R&D and manufacturing operations organization, in-person face to face interaction is essential to building authentic relationships, trust, teamwork, and collaboration. 

Compensation & Benefits: Expected salary range for this role is from $105,600 to $161,000 and a final salary will be determined by the candidate's experience, educational background and internal equity. QuantumScape also offers an annual bonus and a generous RSU/Equity package as part of its compensation plan. In addition, we do offer a tremendous benefits plan including employee paid health care, Employee Stock Purchase Plan (ESPP), and other benefits. 

We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status.

We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us to request an accommodation.