Category Manager - Construction, CAPEX & Tooling at Zipline · South…

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 Zipline

Do you want to change the world? Zipline is on a mission to transform the way goods move. Our aim is to solve the world’s most urgent and complex access challenges by building, manufacturing and operating the first instant delivery and logistics system that serves all humans equally, wherever they are. From powering Rwanda’s national blood delivery network and Ghana’s COVID-19 vaccine distribution, to providing on-demand home delivery for Walmart, to enabling healthcare providers to bring care directly to U.S. homes, we are transforming the way things move for businesses, governments and consumers. The technology is complex but the idea is simple: a teleportation service that delivers what you need, when you need it. Through our technology that includes robotics and autonomy, we are decarbonizing delivery, decreasing road congestion, and reducing fossil fuel consumption and air pollution, while providing equitable access to billions of people and building a more resilient global supply chain.

About you and the role

Does the prospect of a society-altering challenge—building and owning the end-to-end category strategy for construction, capital equipment, and production tooling to enable Zipline’s rapid global manufacturing expansion—sound like the type of work that gets you out of bed in the morning? Can you create sourcing strategies and supplier relationships from the ground up while driving aggressive negotiations, contract performance, and measurable outcomes in a fast-moving, high-stakes environment? Are you energized by the authority and responsibility of shaping an entirely new indirect procurement category in a mission-critical leadership role? 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 30-50% travel to manage suppliers, construction partners, equipment vendors, and key stakeholders across North America, Asia, and other regions.

What you’ll do

In this highly visible leadership role, you will own the full category strategy, sourcing, negotiation, and supplier performance for Construction, CAPEX, and Tooling across Zipline. You will build the category from the ground up, establish best practices, define KPIs, and serve as the primary strategic partner to manufacturing, facilities, engineering, and finance teams to ensure world-class supply outcomes that support Zipline’s aggressive scaling and operational excellence.

• Develop and execute comprehensive category strategies for construction projects, capital equipment (CAPEX), and production/maintenance tooling, including market analysis, supplier segmentation, sourcing roadmaps, and risk mitigation plans.
• Lead end-to-end sourcing processes: supplier investigation, RFx development and execution, due diligence, selection, and competitive bidding to secure optimal value, quality, lead times, and innovation.
• Negotiate and manage complex commercial contracts, pricing agreements, service levels, and long-term partnerships with contractors, equipment manufacturers, and tooling suppliers.
• Own supplier relationship management, performance monitoring, quarterly business reviews, scorecards, and continuous improvement programs to drive excellence in cost, quality, delivery, safety, and responsiveness.
• Build and establish category KPIs, governance processes, and best-in-class procurement practices in close collaboration with internal stakeholders and suppliers.
• Partner closely with Engineering, Manufacturing, Facilities, and Finance to align sourcing strategies with project requirements, CAPEX budgets, tooling needs, and long-term manufacturing footprint expansion.
• Manage supplier claims, disputes, and performance issues while protecting Zipline’s interests and ensuring contractual compliance.
• Identify opportunities for cost savings, process improvements, standardization, and supply chain resilience across the category.
• Provide strategic insights and recommendations to leadership on market trends, sourcing decisions, budgeting, and category performance.

What you’ll bring

• You have 5-12+ years of experience in a fast-paced, high-growth environment in roles such as Category Manager, Strategic Sourcing Manager, Procurement Manager, or Capital Equipment/Construction Buyer, ideally within manufacturing, technology, aerospace, automotive, or industrial sectors.
• You have a proven track record of building category strategies from the ground up, leading complex sourcing initiatives, and delivering strong results in construction, CAPEX, or tooling procurement.
• You excel at high-stakes commercial negotiations, contract development, and managing supplier performance for high-value, technical, or project-based purchases.
• You have successfully established KPIs, governance frameworks, and best practices for indirect procurement categories.
• You are skilled at building strong cross-functional relationships and influencing stakeholders across engineering, operations, facilities, and finance.
• You thrive in ambiguous environments and are comfortable making tough decisions on priorities, trade-offs, and supplier strategies with limited existing processes or data.
• You bring strong analytical and project management skills with the ability to drive measurable cost savings, risk reduction, and operational improvements.

Major Bonuses

• Advanced degree in Supply Chain, Business, Engineering, or related field.
• Experience in high-growth manufacturing or technology companies scaling production facilities and infrastructure.
• Deep knowledge of construction project sourcing, capital equipment procurement, or precision tooling categories.
• Familiarity with regulated or high-reliability environments and global supplier networks.
• Demonstrated ability to build and develop high-performing procurement processes and supplier relationships from scratch.

What Else You Need to Know

This role will require travel 30-50% of the time to suppliers, construction sites, equipment vendors, and key partner locations.

The starting cash range for this role is $135,000 - $265,000. Please note that this is a target, starting cash range for a candidate who meets the minimum qualifications for this role. The final cash pay for this role will depend on a variety of factors, including a specific candidate's experience, qualifications, skills, working location, and projected impact. The total compensation package for this role may also include: equity compensation; discretionary annual or performance bonuses; sales incentives; benefits such as medical, dental and vision insurance; paid time off; and more.

Zipline is an equal opportunity employer and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws or our own sensibilities.