Commodity Business Manager at Halo Industries, Inc. in Santa Clara, CA

The Company

Halo Industries has developed breakthrough technology to revolutionize a decades-old semiconductor material slicing process. Our laser-based solution minimizes waste, enhances material cost efficiency, and drives innovations across high-growth markets, including automotive, telecommunications, and power electronics. Founded in 2014 at Stanford University, Halo received significant funding in 2024, paving the way for rapid expansion, strategic customer engagement, and the launch of volume manufacturing.

The Opportunity

We are seeking a highly strategic and technical Commodity Business Manager to join our supply chain team. In this role, you will be responsible for sourcing and managing both the highly specialized raw materials required for our wafers and the critical electromechanical components needed to build our proprietary manufacturing equipment.

You will also develop comprehensive sourcing strategies, manage robust supplier relationships, drive cost and quality improvements, and lead complex procurement processes.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Sourcing & Category Management

• Develop and Execute Commodity Strategies: Create comprehensive, multi-year sourcing strategies for raw materials and capital equipment sub-components.
• Market Intelligence: Continuously monitor global market conditions, raw material indices, and geopolitical factors impacting the semiconductor and supply chains. Conduct deep market research and analysis to identify technological trends, evaluate supplier capabilities, and proactively identify potential global risks within assigned commodity categories
• Dual-Sourcing Initiatives: Identify, qualify, and onboard primary and secondary suppliers to mitigate risk and eliminate single points of failure in the supply chain.

Supplier Relationship Management

• Contract Negotiation: Lead complex negotiations for Master Supply Agreements, Statements of Work, and pricing contracts.
• Performance Monitoring: Conduct regular Quarterly Business Reviews with key suppliers to evaluate performance against rigorous Quality, Cost, Delivery, and Innovation metrics.
• Capacity Planning: Work closely with suppliers to ensure their manufacturing capacity aligns with our long-term production forecasts and equipment build schedules.
• Supplier Relations: Research, select, and manage strategic suppliers; conduct performance reviews, monitor KPIs (quality, delivery), and negotiate contracts.

Cross-Functional Leadership

• New Product Introduction: Partner with R&D and the NPI Team during the design phase of new tools to ensure Design for Manufacturability and supply chain viability.
• Cost Reduction: Collaborate with engineering and manufacturing to identify Value Analysis/Value Engineering opportunities, thereby driving down the Bill of Materials cost
• Escalation Management: Serve as the primary point of contact for critical supply shortages, leading cross-functional task forces to resolve bottlenecks and prevent production downtime.
• Program Management: Collaborate daily with Supply Chain, Engineering, Manufacturing, Quality, NPI, and Finance teams to align commodity strategies with overall business objectives, production schedules, and product design phases. Participate in corporate continuous improvement initiatives to enhance end-to-end supply chain processes, reduce lifecycle costs, and mitigate risks.

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree in Supply Chain Management, Engineering (Mechanical, Materials Science, or Electrical), Business, or a related field.
• 5+ years of experience in strategic sourcing, commodity management, or supply chain within the semiconductor, capital equipment, or advanced materials industries.
• Proficiency reading engineering drawings and understand complex technical specifications related to both raw materials (purity levels, material properties) and equipment components (tolerances, vacuum standards).
• Experience performing complex cost modeling, Should-Cost analysis, and Total Cost of Ownership evaluations.
• Experience utilizing ERP systems (e.g., NetSuite) and PLM software (e.g., Arena).
• Direct experience in the semiconductor or related high-tech industries.
• Direct experience supporting New Product Introductions (NPI), including supplier selection and qualification for engineering prototypes.

Preferred Qualifications

• Advanced negotiation skills with a history of executing favorable long-term contracts in volatile markets.

• Experience developing and executing successful, long-term global commodity sourcing strategies for specialized materials or capital equipment components.

• Familiarity with global supply chain management complexity, geopolitical factors, and risk mitigation planning.

• Excellent communication, presentation, and negotiation skills.

Other Requirements

• This is a full-time role primarily based onsite at our Santa Clara, CA office.

• Some domestic and international travel may be required (up to 10%).

• Health Care Plan (Medical, Dental & Vision)

• Retirement Plan (401k, IRA)

• Paid Time Off (Vacation, Sick & Public Holidays)

• Life Insurance (Basic, Voluntary & AD&D)

• Family Leave (Maternity, Paternity)

• Free Food & Snacks

• Stock Option Plan

• Annual Bonus Plan eligible

• Short Term & Long Term Disability

• Base Salary: $110,000 - $120,000

Additional Information

We are committed to creating an inclusive workplace where all team members feel valued and supported. We welcome applicants from diverse backgrounds, including those from underrepresented communities in STEM. If you meet most of the qualifications and are excited about this opportunity, we encourage you to apply.