Applied Intuition is the vehicle intelligence company that accelerates the global adoption of safe, AI-driven machines. Founded in 2017, Applied Intuition delivers the toolchain, Vehicle OS, and autonomy stacks to help customers build intelligent vehicles and shorten time to market. Eighteen of the top 20 global automakers and major programs across the Department of Defense trust Applied Intuition's solutions to deliver vehicle intelligence. Applied Intuition services the automotive, defense, trucking, construction, mining, and agriculture industries and is headquartered in Mountain View, CA, with offices in Washington, D.C., San Diego, CA, Ft. Walton Beach, FL, Ann Arbor, MI, London, Stuttgart, Munich, Stockholm, Seoul, and Tokyo. Learn more at appliedintuition.com.

We are an in-office company, and our expectation is that employees primarily work from their Applied Intuition office 5 days a week. However, we also recognize the importance of flexibility and trust our employees to manage their schedules responsibly. This may include occasional remote work, starting the day with morning meetings from home before heading to the office, or leaving earlier when needed to accommodate family commitments. (Note: For EpiSci job openings, fully remote work will be considered by exception.)

As the Head of Procurement at Applied Intuition, you will lead and scale our global procurement function to support a rapidly growing, cross-functional organization. This is a foundational role at a fast-growing pre-IPO software company with multiple international offices and customers in both commercial and government sectors. While we don’t sell hardware, we frequently purchase and configure hardware on behalf of customers to support our software delivery. You will drive sourcing strategies, vendor management, and procurement operations that align with business goals, budgets, and compliance requirements.

In this role, you will develop scalable sourcing strategies, implement core procurement processes and systems, and serve as a trusted partner across engineering, operations, legal, finance, and customer delivery. You’ll be responsible for ensuring efficient, cost-effective, and compliant global procurement—balancing speed with controls as we scale.

• Build a first class procurement function, including policies, procedures, and systems to support global and cross-functional needs
• Design and implement procurement processes that support both internal needs and customer-facing engagements, including hardware purchasing for deployment and testing
• Develop and manage vendor relationships across hardware, software, cloud, engineering services, and indirect categories (e.g., HR, facilities, legal, marketing)
• Partner with finance, legal, and compliance to ensure alignment with internal controls, budget requirements, regulatory obligations, and audit readiness
• Lead complex vendor negotiations to drive cost savings, favorable terms, and long-term value
• Monitor supplier performance against SLAs, compliance standards, and KPIs, conducting regular reviews and managing escalations as needed
• Support global operations, ensuring procurement processes align with the needs of international offices and government-facing teams
• Leverage spend analytics and market intelligence to identify cost reduction opportunities, manage supply risk, and support strategic decision-making

• 10+ years of experience in strategic sourcing and procurement, ideally in a fast-paced or high growth environment
• Demonstrated success in building procurement operations from the ground up, including systems, tooling, and vendor governance
• Experience in both direct and indirect spend, including hardware, software, cloud services, consultants, facilities, and other business services
• Proven ability to negotiate contracts and manage cross-functional alignment across legal, finance, engineering, and project delivery
• Experience with global vendors and international purchasing across multiple regions
• Established relationships with vendors key to Applied Intuition’s business operations
• Ability to identify potential risks and liabilities as they relate to policies and business objectives, and proactively develop solutions on contractual terms in collaboration with internal stakeholders

• Experience in the automotive, defense, or industrial sectors, particularly with custom component sourcing
• Background working with hardware procurement in a software-first environment
• Familiarity with pre-IPO operational readiness, including audit and compliance planning

Compensation at Applied Intuition for eligible roles includes base salary, equity, and benefits. Base salary is a single component of the total compensation package, which may also include equity in the form of options and/or restricted stock units, comprehensive health, dental, vision, life and disability insurance coverage, 401k retirement benefits with employer match, learning and wellness stipends, and paid time off. Note that benefits are subject to change and may vary based on jurisdiction of employment.

Applied Intuition pay ranges reflect the minimum and maximum intended target base salary for new hire salaries for the position. The actual base salary offered to a successful candidate will additionally be influenced by a variety of factors including experience, credentials & certifications, educational attainment, skill level requirements, interview performance, and the level and scope of the position.

Please reference the job posting’s subtitle for where this position will be located. For pay transparency purposes, the base salary range for this full-time position in the location listed is: $230,000 to $290,000 USD annually.

Don’t meet every single requirement? If you’re excited about this role but your past experience doesn’t align perfectly with every qualification in the job description, we encourage you to apply anyway. You may be just the right candidate for this or other roles.

Applied Intuition is an equal opportunity employer and federal contractor or subcontractor. Consequently, the parties agree that, as applicable, they will abide by the requirements of 41 CFR 60-1.4(a), 41 CFR 60-300.5(a) and 41 CFR 60-741.5(a) and that these laws are incorporated herein by reference. These regulations prohibit discrimination against qualified individuals based on their status as protected veterans or individuals with disabilities, and prohibit discrimination against all individuals based on their race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or national origin. These regulations require that covered prime contractors and subcontractors take affirmative action to employ and advance in employment individuals without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, protected veteran status or disability. The parties also agree that, as applicable, they will abide by the requirements of Executive Order 13496 (29 CFR Part 471, Appendix A to Subpart A), relating to the notice of employee rights under federal labor laws.