Senior Category Manager, IT Software & Hardware

Waymo’’s Procurement and Vendor Enablement Office (PVEO) is the engine behind our rapid scaling. We are a diverse, collaborative group with a mission to efficiently procure the critical infrastructure and technology required to scale the Waymo Driver. In this role, the IT Category Manager supports the business by leading strategic sourcing and category management for our Software (SaaS/On-Prem), End-User Hardware, and IT Professional Services. You will partner deeply with Waymo’s IT, Security, and Engineering teams to manage complex renewals, drive cost efficiency, and ensure our technology stack scales with our growth., * Category Strategy: Develop and execute a comprehensive procurement strategy for Corporate IT, including SaaS, Hardware, and Telecom, balancing cost optimization with speed-to-market.

• Strategic Renewals: Proactively manage a high-volume pipeline of software renewals; lead negotiations for mission-critical SaaS platforms to secure favorable long-term commercial and legal terms.
• Implementation Services: Structure and negotiate complex Statements of Work (SOWs) for IT Professional Services and Systems Integrators to ensure successful software implementation and ROI.
• Hardware & VAR Management: Optimization of Value-Added Reseller (VAR) relationships for end-user compute and peripherals, ensuring competitive pricing and seamless fulfillment logistics for a growing workforce.
• Stakeholder Partnership: Act as the trusted advisor to the CIO, IT Ops, and Security leadership; lead “make vs. buy” analyses and influence technical requirements to drive commercial value.
• Risk & Compliance: Partner with Legal (Privacy/Security) to ensure all software and hardware agreements meet Waymo’s rigorous data protection and cybersecurity standards.

Category Management, Information Technology Software, Management of Information Systems/Technology (MIS), Business Solutions, Financial Systems, Autonomous Driving Systems, Use Cases, Process Improvement, Software as a Service (SaaS), Information Technology & Information Systems, * 7+ years of strategic procurement experience, with at least 4+ years dedicated to IT, Software, or Technology sourcing.

• Deep expertise in SaaS licensing models (consumption-based, per-seat, enterprise agreements) and experience negotiating with Tier 1 software publishers.
• Proven ability to draft and negotiate complex commercial contracts, including MSAs, EULAs, DPAs, and Professional Services SOWs.
• Experience managing Hardware lifecycles and negotiating with large VARs (e.g., CDW, Insight, Presidio) or OEMs (Lenovo, Apple, Dell).
• Strong financial acumen with the ability to present TCO (Total Cost of Ownership) analysis to Finance and Engineering leadership.
• Ability to operate in a high-velocity environment, managing multiple concurrent high-priority renewals and sourcing events.

We prefer:

• Experience in a hyper-growth Tech or Pre-IPO environment.
• Familiarity with Cloud Infrastructure spend (AWS, GCP) and FinOps principles.
• Experience using Ariba P2P, e-sourcing and spend Analysis tools

Travel Requirement:

• Up to 10%

The expected base salary range for this full-time position across US locations is listed below. Actual starting pay will be based on job-related factors, including exact work location, experience, relevant training and education, and skill level. Your recruiter can share more about the specific salary range for the role location or, if the role can be performed remote, the specific salary range for your preferred location, during the hiring process.

Waymo employees are also eligible to participate in Waymo’s discretionary annual bonus program, equity incentive plan, and generous Company benefits program, subject to eligibility requirements.

Salary Range

$190,000-$234,000 USD

Waymo is an autonomous driving technology company with the mission to be the world’’s most trusted driver. Since its start as the Google Self-Driving Car Project in 2009, Waymo has focused on building the Waymo Driver-The World’’s Most Experienced Driver-to improve access to mobility while saving thousands of lives now lost to traffic crashes. The Waymo Driver powers Waymo’s fully autonomous ride-hail service and can also be applied to a range of vehicle platforms and product use cases. The Waymo Driver has provided over ten million rider-only trips, enabled by its experience autonomously driving over 100 million miles on public roads and tens of billions in simulation across 15+ U.S. states.