Job Description
About Zipline Zipline is the world’s largest and most experienced drone delivery service. We are on a mission to serve all humans equally by ensuring access to food, medicine and essential goods anytime, anywhere. We design, build, and operate the world’s largest autonomous logistics system, delivering critical supplies quickly and reliably. Today, Zipline operates on four continents, makes a delivery somewhere in the world every 30 seconds, and has completed millions of deliveries to date, including blood, vaccines, medical supplies, food, and retail products. Our customers include the world’s largest and most prominent healthcare systems, governments, retailers, restaurants and global businesses who rely on us to save lives, reduce emissions, increase economic opportunity, and provide delivery from point A to point B as fast as possible. The drone is only 15% of what we’ve built to enable seamless, reliable, global operations. Our system strengthens supply chains, reduces congestion, and gives people time back. With more than 140 million commercial autonomous miles safely flown, Zipline is redefining access to healthcare, consumer products, and food across the globe. We operate at a global scale and are looking for practical problem solvers who thrive on real-world challenges and rapid growth. Our team is motivated by building systems that have a direct, meaningful impact on people’s lives and by scaling the future of logistics. We are seeking people who sculpt from first principles, enjoy facing adversity, and can do the impossible at record breaking speeds. About You And The Role Does the prospect of a society-altering challenge—owning global commodity strategy and driving end-to-end supply chain outcomes for a first-of-its-kind autonomous robotic aircraft system—sound like the type of work that gets you out of bed in the morning? Can you cut through complexity, competing priorities, and high-stakes negotiations to deliver breakthrough sourcing results that balance cost, quality, risk, and scalability? Are you undeterred by the authority and responsibility that comes with leading strategic supplier relationships and commodity leadership in a mission-critical, high-visibility position? If this excites you, you’re who we’re looking for! This is an in-person role based out of our HQ in South San Francisco requiring 20-30% travel to manage critical global suppliers and partners in North America, Asia, Europe, and other key regions. What You’ll Do In this highly visible strategic role, you will own global commodity strategy and end-to-end supplier management for one or more critical commodities or categories, ensuring Zipline secures the right sources, contracts, performance, and innovations to support aggressive manufacturing ramps and long-term scalability. You will serve as the primary strategic interface with suppliers and collaborate closely with Engineering, Supplier Industrialization, Material Planning, Manufacturing Operations, Strategic Sourcing leadership, and executive teams to shape Zipline’s supply base for reliability, competitiveness, and resilience. Develop and execute comprehensive global commodity strategies, including market analysis, source investigation, supplier selection, risk assessment, and long-term sourcing roadmaps aligned with Zipline’s technology roadmap and production goals. Lead source selection processes, issue and evaluate RFQs/RFPs, conduct thorough supplier due diligence, and drive competitive bidding to achieve optimal total cost, quality, capacity, and innovation outcomes. Negotiate and manage high-value, complex contracts, commercial terms, pricing agreements, volume commitments, and service level agreements with global suppliers. Own ongoing supplier relationship management, performance monitoring, quarterly business reviews (QBRs), scorecards, and continuous improvement initiatives to drive measurable gains in cost, quality, delivery, and flexibility. Lead sourcing councils, executive supplier engagements, and cross-functional teams to align on commodity priorities, resolve escalations, and mitigate supply risks (e.g., geopolitical, capacity, obsolescence). Manage supplier claims, disputes, and recovery processes; ensure contractual compliance and protect Zipline’s interests in high-stakes scenarios. Collaborate with Engineering and Supplier Industrialization to incorporate design requirements, qualification milestones, and technology transitions into sourcing strategies. Drive strategic initiatives such as dual-sourcing, localization, vertical integration evaluations, and supply chain resilience programs to support Zipline’s global expansion and risk profile. Monitor global market trends, commodity pricing dynamics, and supplier landscapes; provide forward-looking insights an