Procurement Engineer

RIVR is looking for a Procurement Engineer to join its Zürich office, acting as the technical‑business conduit that relieves the core engineering team from negotiation duties. The role focuses on acquiring sophisticated robot components—from printed circuit boards to bespoke mechanical assemblies—and overseeing six‑figure capital outlays that support mission‑critical robotics infrastructure. In daily practice the engineer will serve as the main liaison for technical suppliers, handling all dialogue about pricing, quality, lead times and contract terms. They will independently purchase robot‑specific items such as PCBs, custom cables, and both metallic and non‑metallic parts, while converting manual material‑tracking spreadsheets into streamlined workflows in preparation for an ERP rollout. Collaboration with the Zürich CTO and the Shanghai Head of Supply Chain ensures engineering needs translate accurately into production plans. The position also requires spotting supply‑chain risks, crafting mitigation tactics, guiding “make‑vs‑buy” decisions with detailed cost analyses, and supporting the shift from prototype to volume manufacturing through vendor technical reviews. Ensuring every component meets RIVR’s durability, performance and safety standards, communicating findings to non‑technical stakeholders, and maintaining strong supplier relationships across Europe, China and the United States are also key duties. Candidates must have proven experience in technical procurement, buying or supply‑chain management within a hardware‑centric sector, and a record of negotiating sizable purchase orders and contracts. They need to interpret mechanical and electrical drawings, lead in fluid process environments, make informed hardware trade‑offs, and possess excellent spoken and written English to align international teams. Additional assets include expertise in bottom‑up cost analysis and should‑cost modeling for custom‑machined or injection‑molded parts, a background in early‑stage startups or high‑pressure settings, familiarity with CAD or MATLAB for prototyping, and experience with ERP systems or first‑time ERP implementations, as well as a history of working with worldwide suppliers.