Buyer II - Quantum Hardware, Procurement, Amazon Center for Quantum Computing

Amazon's Center for Quantum Computing (CQC) in Pasadena, CA, is looking to hire a Buyer II with experience in fast paced research and development procurement who will aid in bringing cloud quantum computing services to its worldwide customer base. This role requires an individual who can independently manage procurement workflows, design long-term solutions with limited guidance, and communicate effectively with multiple stakeholders including internal teams such as Finance, Global Trade Compliance, and Legal.

On this team you will wear many hats, work smart, and iterate quickly. We"re looking for someone who can use their knowledge and skills to decide which actions to take to meet goals, even when the problem or strategy isn"t fully defined. Successful applicants will have a strong background in the procurement of heavy machinery, lab supplies, testing equipment, capital assets, chemicals, cryogenic equipment, superconducting components, as well as scientific equipment and vacuum systems. Your responsibilities will include RFPs / RFIs, contract negotiations, purchase order creations, BPO and other expenses, NDAs, vendor strategy, and working with import/export teams. You will be working closely with development and engineering teams inside and outside Amazon to get these programs developed.

Successful applicants will have experience defining problems, influencing cross-functional teams, and communicating clearly and concisely with a large number of stakeholders, including presenting decisions to leaders up to three levels above.

Diverse Experiences

Amazon values diverse experiences. Even if you do not meet all of the preferred qualifications and skills listed in the job description, we encourage candidates to apply. If your career is just starting, hasn't followed a traditional path, or includes alternative experiences, don't let it stop you from applying.

Work/Life Balance

We value work-life harmony. Achieving success at work should never come at the expense of sacrifices at home, which is why we strive for flexibility as part of our working culture. When we feel supported in the workplace and at home, there's nothing we can't achieve in the cloud.

Inclusive Team Culture

Here at AWS, it's in our nature to learn and be curious. Our employee-led affinity groups foster a culture of inclusion that empower us to be proud of our differences. Ongoing events and learning experiences, including our Conversations on Race and Ethnicity (CORE) and AmazeCon (gender diversity) conferences, inspire us to never stop embracing our uniqueness.

Mentorship and Career Growth

We're continuously raising our performance bar as we strive to become Earth's Best Employer. That's why you'll find endless knowledge-sharing, mentorship and other career-advancing resources here to help you develop into a better-rounded professional.

Key job responsibilities

• Manage the procure-to-pay lifecycle including negotiating cost on RFI/RFPs, PO creation, vendor onboarding, invoice reconciliation, and contract negotiations - designing long-term solutions and delivering them with limited guidance
• Eager to learn and excel in fast-paced prototyping environments
• Detail-oriented with strong ability to juggle competing priorities
• Working knowledge of procurement and financial tools (e.g., Oracle, Jira, and Coupa)
• Skilled in building metrics and presenting data insights
• Identify, suggest, and optimize process improvements for the team to drive outputs (e.g., metrics, cycle time reductions, scalability enhancements)
• Write clear documentation
• Mitigate immediate risks and decide when to handle vs. escalate problems/issues that arise
• Manage time effectively and make trade-offs between time vs. quality vs. resources
• Mentor junior buyers and may participate in the recruitment process
• Facilitate dialogue by asking productive questions, providing recommendations, and fostering shared understanding to identify risks and meet business needs

About the team

Our team manages our supply chain and procurement functions including verifying NDAs, NRTL certifications, Purchase Order creation, expense reports, safety and trade compliance. Doing this necessitates the steady flow of materials and components to our engineering groups to hit long term and short term goals. They work alongside Research Scientists to negotiate best prices and deliverables while being quick to pivot priorities for quantum computing experiments.